Peregrine Hunting Dunlin

video by MartinJMuller on YouTube

5 October 2012

Have you ever seen a flock of shorebirds fly up in a tight ball and waited for the drama to unfold?

On November 28 and December 4, 2010 Martin J. Muller brought his camera to Samish Flats in Skagit County, Washington where thousands of shorebirds rest and feed at high tide. The concentration of dunlin attracted two peregrine falcons looking for a meal.

Martin’s 10 minute video condenses 11 hours of observations.  In the background are the mountains of Puget Sound and the Olympic peninsula.  In the foreground, the drama of the chase and lessons learned by an immature peregrine.

(credits are in the captions)

p.s. Speaking of ubiquitous human noise, the occasional roar on the soundtrack is the noise of passing cars, not the birds.

2 thoughts on “Peregrine Hunting Dunlin

  1. Hi Kate,
    Thanks for posting this link. The combination of a Paragren falcon and a flock of shore birds could only get better with the sound of a pliated woodpecker.

    question, would you know where I could track when the shore birds are migrating south on the Washington coast? In the past I Would visit around Thanksgiving and there would be flocks of thousands of shore birds. I would like to visit this year and would like to know when the birding is best.

    Thanks, Jace

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