Editor’s note: This post and photos are by Simone Lupson-Cook, a neighborhood resident and falconer who also posts at WingTrip. It is a more authoritative response to Matt’s question Tuesday about falcons in the neighorhood.
Good question about our local raptors! Peregrine Falcons do indeed show up in Maple Leaf and are nesting all over western Washington. In fact, there is a pair that nests on the WAMU tower downtown. You can read about them here, though it is a little outdated. That’s a photo of a Peregrine to the right.
Merlins are also found over western Washington but are more recent breeders to our area. This spring will be their (the pair highlighted in the Times article) third breeding season in our area.
Cooper’s Hawks are very common residents in Maple Leaf and can be found nesting in parks, ravines and sometimes even backyards.
The Cooper’s Hawk’s smaller relative, the Sharp-shinned Hawk, is most often seen raiding bird feeders and nests in more forested areas of western Washington, including the foothills.
Without more details on size and plumage it is hard to say which raptor you might have seen. Peregrines are large (the size of a crow for males and larger for females), with sickle-shaped wings and a dark “mask.” One of their most common prey items is pigeons, and you will usually see Peregrines high in the open or sitting on light posts over some of our area bridges (or on our water tower). It would be uncommon to see a Peregrine below tree level in Maple Leaf, but not impossible.
Merlins are much smaller than Peregrines, about the size of a robin, and usually hunt from the top of a prominent perch (i.e. the top of a tree), keeping an eye out for songbirds below. Merlins appear dark or even black and do not posses the “mask” of a Peregrine Falcon.
If the bird you saw had a long tail and short, rounded wings it was most likely a Sharp-shinned or Cooper’s Hawk. Both of these raptors will pursue prey into cover and through forests. The juveniles appear brown and white, while the adults are slate grey above and have a rufus-colored chest. The adults also have blood red eyes.
If anyone is interested in learning more about our local raptors I suggest the Falcon Research Group, based out of Bow, just to our north, or check out our nearby Audubon store for information, books and more:
Here is a Merlin at a raptor banding station in eastern Washington.
And here is a Merlin closeup.
Wow, that is really too bad! Electrocution is one of the main causes of raptor deaths in many countries. If you wouldn’t mind sending the photos I would be very interested in seeing them. zingie@aol.com Thanks for posting!
Simone
I came across a very recently deceased immature peregrine falcon, complete with a starling in one talon, here in Maple Leaf while out on a walk on January 23rd of this year. It was right on the sidewalk, next to a telephone pole, in the 8600 block of 1st Avenue NE. It must have been electrocuted while preparing its dinner, as it had starling feathers in its beak. The bird appeared to be in perfect condition, no obvious trauma, a gorgeous falcon. I collected the bird and had it, and its prey, positively identified by a Maple Leaf birding expert. It is now at one of the local museums. I took pictures. It was just starting to get some adult feathers on its back. A beautiful bird, and so light in my hands.