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Falcon sp. (Falco sp.) Falcons and Caracaras (Falconidae) | |||||||||||||
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4202
(4 photos)
2022-10-14 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark
Nordre Klapper. [PROBABLE ELEONORA'S FALCON] Found this bird soaring and circling high above the ground, in the early afternoon. My first impression was that it was a peregrine with an unusually long tail and long pointed wings. Therefore not really the profile for a normal-looking peregrine. A Kestrel was out of the question with the pointed hand. Suddenly two ravens came in and one of them started to mob the falcon, something I've never seen them do with the local falcons, thus giving the impression that this was something unusual. I tried to walk closer as the two birds were circling around each other, but the raven gave up before I got close enough to be able to see details, and then the falcon disappeared without hesitation in a southwestern direction. As you can see, just before flying away it attempted to catch a bat, Common Noctule [Brunflagermus], which I didn't perceive when I took the pictures. The pictures are extremely overexposed which makes it difficult to know whether the details seen on the bird are due to noise or real markings. To me it looks like the tail is barred but the central rectrices are probably not. It looks like the underwing shows barring on the remiges and that the body is uniformly colored. And the moustache is narrow and long leaving a nice rounded white cheek patch. All of this, plus the profile, is good for Eleonara's Falcon. But it doesn't look like there is much contrast between the coverts and remiges which there should be. Thus, pointing more in the direction of a strange-looking peregrine after all. But but, if the markings on the underwing are caused by noise, only the birds dimensions, behavior, and overall profile should be used to judge it. And based on that I would call it an Eleonara's. There has been a good number of falcons on Amager this autumn, and I've seen all the other 6 species (Gyrfalcon two days ago, 4201), and I'm sure this bird stands out as something unexpected. But having never seen the species before and knowing that the evidence is too poor, I have to leave it as a falcon sp. |