Birds of Prey-the Falcons and the Osprey

I'm taking a sidestep from the peeps for the moment.... At least so to collect my thoughts.

Anyways, Wisconsin is the home to three different species of falcons and the only specie of Osprey. The smallest of these falcons is the American Kestrel, or known to some as as the Sparrow Hawk. About the size of a Morning Dove, these colorful raptors can found perched on telephone wires, in trees and fence posts all across the state. Not only they are quite common year round, they have the ability to hover (meaning they can fly without forward motion).

Tender Heart and I go birding at Bong quite a bit. We were graced with the pleasure of observing a kestrel family grow up in nest box there. It was neat watching the kestrels go in and out of the nest box, sometimes bringing a meal of a mouse! Imagine the surprise look on our faces to see three of them on top of the pole the nest box. See picture below taken on 7/13/2013.

The middle guy for the falcons is the Merlin. No, I'm not talking about the wizard. There actually is a bird called the Merlin, and yes, they can be found here in Wisconsin. Not quite as common as their cousins, the pigeon sized Merlin often can seen passing through the state during migratory season. I've only seen a few of these aggressive birds including the one I took a picture of at Shoop Park on 10/24/2012. (see below) It was exciting to watch it chase after a crow, as I explained in this post. Better pics can found here.

Merlins especially lacking a falcon's distinct "hood", are often confused with hawks. Falcons have pointed wings and a narrow tail, unlike hawks with wide wings and spread out tails. Hawks, eagles and vultures can soar, falcons can't.

Downtown Racine is the home of the world's fastest animal, the Peregrine Falcon. Peregrines have the ability to dive bomb to the speeds of 200 mph to snatch up its favorite meal, pigeons, out of the sky. What an impressive sight to see! There has been a nesting pair at the courthouse for some years now and can often be seen on top of buildings downtown or hanging around Myers Park near Gateway. That is where I took the picture below at on 7/19/2013. There was pair there chasing gulls that day.

On the way Up North, last spring, Tender Heart spotted what appeared to be a Bald Eagle's nest. While taking pictures, we discovered it actually was an Osprey's nest! Talk about a great find! An Osprey had ventured to the edge of the nest for an exceptional shot. (See below, taken in Langlade County on 4/26/2013) Two days later, on the way back home, we decided to check in on the nest. To our surprise, we saw BOTH of the Ospreys in the nest, doing well ahhh.... their natural thing. To this day, I wonder how many chicks they had and what has become of them. Kinda of late now, they would have left the nest at this point.

Ospreys are like large fishing eagles and about the size of one. Similar to Bald Eagles, Ospreys prey on exclusively fish. Unlike Bald Eagles, they'll dive bomb from high in the air into the water and "swim" out with a fish. I have actually seen an Osprey do this, taking a foot long bass.

 
 At one time, Bald Eagles, Ospreys and Peregrine Falcons were on the endangered species list. The use of DDT pesticide, lead shot and hunting pushed these species towards the brink of extinction. How was DDT is contributing factor? Farmers spray their crops with pesticide. Rain washes the pesticide into the water. Fish and ducks eat the pesticide. The eagles and the Peregrines will eat ducks while the Osprey will go after the fish. Once the pesticide in the system, it weakens the egg shells to the point they break under the weight of a bird incubating the egg. Since the government ban on DDT in 1972 and other protective measures, these species have flourished quite well. This is why I get concerned about wildlife conservation, so not only we can see these beautiful creatures, or children and grandchildren can as well....