Last month Pittsburgh’s young peregrines made their first short flight. This month they’ll become self sufficient and ready to leave home.
When they do, they’ll have adventures and most of them will be firsts: the first time they’re alone without family, the first time they see the ocean or the Great Lakes, the first time they encounter birds they never saw at home.
I wonder what they’ll do the first time they meet a raven.
Ravens are slightly larger than peregrines and are acrobatic fliers though not as fast as peregrines. In this video from the raven’s perspective, a peregrine and a juvenile raven wheel and joust in the air. You’d think this would be dangerous for the young raven but his parents are unconcerned.
Maybe the peregrine and raven are testing their flight skills. Maybe the peregrine is a juvenile too. Maybe that’s why they’re playing.
(video by Rick Boufford at The Raven Diaries, www.theravendiaries.com)
Almost unreal; just a beautiful picture of nature and learning for everyone to understand how wondrous life can be for everyone. Thanks so much for this experience Kate.
Just a magnificent display of two species who do not normally fight. “Play” is a good description. Maybe they are both juveniles. When the hunting gets tough the peregrine will knock the stuffing out of the other bird. That’s my bet.
I have an off topic question.
Do you know what are these dead looking weeds that seem to be along every road? I’ve never notices them before and now they seem to be everywhere.
You might be seeing curly dock that’s gone to seed. Do they look like this?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Curled_Dock_(Rumex_crispus)_gone_to_seed.jpg
or this?
http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/weeds/plants/curly_dock.htm
I don’t think that’s it. I’ll try to stop and get some pictures or a better description. They remind me of bamboo but that’s at 65 mph.
Fabulous film. But now I want to go to the beach!!
I saw our little “Miss Screamer” here in Tarentum flying aerobatics with 2 Great Blue Herons the other evening (Tuesday I think). At one point she was right behind one of them doing loops and rolls. I don’t know if she was seriously trying to catch one or not, or what she thought she would do with it if she caught one!!! 🙂
I wish I had a video cam that night!