Dragging her next meal over all the bumpy obstacles was almost too much for the struggling falcon.
- I posted other photos of this falcon dragging the duck seven years ago but these three are new to my blog.
1/2500, f/6.3, ISO 640, Canon 7D, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
After the young adult falcon (a female I believe) had killed the male Northern Shoveler she tried to eat the duck on the edge of the shore along the causeway to Antelope Island but it was a blustery morning and small waves kept rocking the duck and making her eating platform unstable. The shoveler weighs almost as much as the falcon (1.3 lb. versus 1.6 lb.) making it difficult if not impossible to take off and fly with so she was determined to drag her prize further away from the water before consuming it.
Here the attempt was just beginning.
1/2500, f/6.3, ISO 640, Canon 7D, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
Luckily for me she didn’t try to drag it straight up the shore which would have given me less desirable head-on shots. Instead she pulled it diagonally to the shoreline which provided a partial side view as she struggled. The heavy duck resisted being pulled over and between the rounded rocks so her progress was intermittent and slow.
1/2500, f/6.3, ISO 640, Canon 7D, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
Thirteen shots later she’d dragged it some distance from the water so she soon settled down to enjoy her meal. I took many photos of her eating but it was a gruesome affair so I’ll spare you the gore.
But I do have many other photos of her before she began to eat and even some taken during the process that aren’t so graphic. I may post some of them in the future.
Ron
Note: The techniques she used to kill the duck and eventually retrieve it from the water were both unique and creative. If you missed my original post from seven years ago it can be seen here.
I think many of my best photos of the encounter are in that original post.
Super series Ron!
Charlotte Norton
The decisive “coup de grâce” to its spine as illustrated in your earlier post shows that it severs not only the spinal cord but also bones and ligaments, as if its bill is made of tempered steel. The falcon is also using the muscle power of her legs to move the duck. I wonder if it ate the head. This is a bit aside but I found a Common Nighthawk freshly killed and missing its head. It was very early in the morning so I assumed it had happened overnight and wondered if owls decapitate their prey.
Ken, It turned cloudy and dark while she was eating so I left the bird before she finished her meal. But I doubt she ate the head. She had more “good stuff” there than she had room for and larger falcons like prairies and peregrines often abandon leftovers on the causeway. Coyotes often come onto the causeway and scrounge for those leftovers. At least they used to back when there were more birds. And more coyotes.
The behavior you documented with this bird has really made me aware of how smart falcons are. Of course, humans have thought that about parrots for some time but I don’t think falcons lost their parrot brains when they developed their killing skills. Her planning was superb and required quite the ability to strategize.
I agree, Pam. I’m convinced it was planned strategy.
Great and gruesome post. I see raptors a lot but have only seen them with prey a few times.
I gotta ask: why don’t they eat the intestines: bacteria, they don’t eat what’s in the prey’s intestine, tastes awful?
I bet obesity would be a lot less prevalent among us if we had to drag our groceries home; or worse, on to dry land.
You should have saved this post for Halloween. Print one of the photos and hang it on your front door then. That’ll scare the trick or treaters; of course, the parents would be back with pitchforks.
Lyle, I’ve never seen a definitive answer for why they don’t eat the intestines. And some raptors actually do eat them. I’ve seen a lot of discussion about it but nothing definite.
Ron, what a fascinating post in terms of these birds disposing of the intestines and dragging their prey so they can feast. The intestines seem to be very large and sometimes orange in color. I enjoyed the links you provided for further education on this topic.
Thank you for the great post.
Good. I’m glad you liked it, Alice. Thanks.
She TOTALLY deserved that meal.
I am glad that she got it without being harassed off her prize too.
She sure did.
Wow, did she earn that meal! I can’t even imagine how many calories she burned in killing and moving the duck. It definitely goes to show that one shouldn’t underestimate some of the smaller predators (Kestrels also come to mind as I type).
And I might be in the minority of your readers (although perhaps not), but I have absolutely no objection to shots of feeding behaviors. In fact, I find watching the strategy of the eater — especially when the prey is the same size or larger — to be fascinating.
Marty, those kinds of graphic shots don’t bother me in the least but some readers get pretty upset if I post them without a “graphic warning” so they can avoid seeing the photos. In the distant past I’ve even had folks chew me out for posting them. Sometimes there’s no accounting for… delicate sensibilities.
I guess there’s nothing delicate about me. 😈😜
Good series, interesting I know falcons will take ducks, however I am surprised there were no competitors for this tasty morsel.
She was just lucky some other raptor or even ravens didn’t try to steal the duck, Dick. She actually had a long time to enjoy her meal in peace.
Good thing there were no eagles present. They would have swooped right in there to take it away. I’m surprised at the weights. I would have thought that a Northern Shoveler weighed much more than the Falcon. Great shots Ron. Eating prey is of course always somewhat gruesome, but it is nature and the world of those who must daily hunt for their food. What remarkable strength and determination shown by that little falcon.
I’ve seen Bald Eagles steal ducks from Prairie Falcons before, Everett. Made me a little mad actually but it shouldn’t have. My bad…
Talk about earning your meal! Those rocks look like a nightmare to drag that duck over, not big enough to prevent but big enough to really punish her.
These are beautiful shots and please do post some more. All raptor photos always welcome all the time.
Dave, I’m not sure why she was determined to drag the duck as far as she eventually did. She was far enough away from the water long before she stopped dragging the duck.
She NEEDED that meal after all that work! Talk about determination! 🙂 Their dining habits DO leave something to be desired……. 😉 Beautiful falcon…
Judy, she really had to work! Sometimes she’d pull and flap as hard as she could and make no progress at all but eventually she finally got the duck nearly up to the rock-free sand you see at the bottom of the third photo. That’s where she began eating in earnest.