Arctic Peregrine Falcon at Odiorne

[Bruce Conti]

Had an interesting visit to Odiorne Point this afternoon (October 8) after the rain had passed through.  At least 80 Bonaparte's Gulls in the cove near the science center.  Yellow-Rumped Warblers, Black Ducks, a Killdeer, a Great Blue Heron, among others encountered.  The most exciting encounter was a Peregrine Falcon, first spotted dragging its prey across the water because it was too heavy to take flight.  The prey was a gull upon which the falcon feasted once it got perched on a rock.  The Raptor ID group in Facebook suggests that its a subspecies Arctic Peregrine Falcon.  A rare bird?  Take a look at the photos in the eBird checklist at https://ebird.org/checklist/S278073839

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Bruce Conti
B.A.Conti Photography www.baconti.com/birding.htm
¡BAMLog! www.bamlog.com

[Steve Mirick]

Remarkable photos Bruce!  A Herring Gull is a huge prey item for a Peregrine Falcon.

The "Arctic Peregrine Falcon" is a subspecies of the Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus tundrius).  Immatures are identified by the pale buffy crown of the bird.  This subspecies is the most common one seen in migration along the coast.  

https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/campaigns/esa_works/profile_pages/ArcticPeregrineFalcon.html

Peak migration time for Peregrine Falcons is right now in early October.  The local breeding population is different, but I'm not sure how.  Possibly a mix of subspecies?  Chris Martin?

Steve Mirick
Bradford, MA

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[Christian Martin]

Really cool photos from Odiorne, Bruce! 

With the old anatum subspecies wiped out by DDT, Peregrine breeding and reintroduction efforts in the 1970s and 1980s relied on eggs from a variety of mostly captive falcons from all around the globe.  Our current eastern U.S. breeding population is multiple generations removed from those original reintroduced birds, but what genes work best in today’s environment is still being sorted out by differential reproductive success and survivorship.  Natural selection and time are slowly working to shape a ‘new’ mid-latitude subspecies of eastern Peregrine.  What we do already know is that most eastern U.S. breeding Peregrines either migrate short distances (100-400 miles) or remain on breeding territories year-round, unlike their Arctic cousins who travel the entire length of the U.S. east coast.  

- Chris

 

Chris Martin
Senior Biologist, NH Audubon
cma...@nhaudubon.org

84 Silk Farm Road, Concord, NH 03301
603/224-9909, ext. 317 (office)
603/226-0902 (fax)

www.nhaudubon.org

New Hampshire Audubon - Protecting New Hampshire's natural environment for wildlife and for people.

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