[SBB] Prairie Falcon

[Dean Manley <[[email protected]]>]

Hi all,

Today (2/10) I decided to look for the Prairie Falcon that Kris Olson
reported near Calaveras Resevoir and posted about on 2/4.  No worries. The
PRAIRIE FALCON was in sight immediately.  After a period of time watching
it hunt, I saw the prairie coming down at high speed, at a shallow angle to
the earth, striking a prey item which tumbled many feet.  The prairie
wheeled around quickly, grabbed  the prey, and stayed put on the ground for
a few seconds. The prairie then took flight and came my direction landing
on the nearby power pole top (the one Kris mentioned I'm sure). The bottom
of the pole is lower down in the meadow and its top is  just above eye
level. The views were superb (scope helps) but I'll spare the lunchen
details except to say the guest of honor was a large gopher or perhaps a
mole.  The Prairie Falcon is a very sharp looking adult.

One additional bit of bird behavior I want to mention.  Fairly quickly a
YELLOW-BILLED MAGPIE (there are many here) noticed the feeding Prairie
Falcon. It started squawking until it attracted an accomplice.  The two
magpies flew over to the prairie's pole and started squawking at him. The
prairie shortly departed to the next pole to finish his lunch whereupon a
magpie went to the top of the vacated butcher pole scrounging any tidbits
it could find.

Directions: read Kris's post or take Calaverous Blvd uphill (easterly) out
of Milpitas and turn off on Feltner.  Follow Feltner to where the
eucalyptus trees start along the road, then turn left on an unsigned road
with an open green metal gate. Three or four miles down this road is a
locked gate which is as far as one can go but 200 feet before you get there
there is a gate on the left side of the road with space to park a couple of
cars without getting in the way of ranch activities. This is where the
afore mentioned butcher pole is (down in the pasture) as well as the best
available view point.

Dean Manley



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