Showing feathery and bloody evidence of the work talons are cut out to do.
I’ve posted both of these photos before. But it’s been eight years since I posted one of them and I suspect they’ll both be new to most current blog followers so I decided to post them again, in part because they’re among my best photos documenting several features falcons are known for. I was very close to the bird so I don’t have much wiggle room in the frame – one photo is full frame and the other is nearly so.
1/1600, f/9, ISO 500, Canon 7D, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
I found the young female Prairie Falcon along the Antelope Island causeway as she was cleaning up after an obviously fulfilling and bloody meal, probably a duck. Her crop was bulging to the point that it made me wonder how much she could eat before it was in danger of bursting. The lower portion of her body was drenched, probably from her earlier pursuit and capture of the presumed duck. And there were duck bits still clinging to her feathers and upper legs (those bits can best be seen in the photo below).
What strikes me most about this shot is her left foot in silhouette. I think her formidable talons in silhouette appear at least as menacing as they would if they had good light on them.
1/1600, f/9, ISO 500, Canon 7D, 500 f/4, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
If you prefer your talons well lit, here she’s inspecting her right leg and foot before cleaning them. She certainly had her work cut out for her. Her crop was so full it looked like the bulge was making it difficult for her to bend her upper body enough for her beak to reach her raised foot.
I also like this photo for its excellent look at the tubercle or ‘cone’ inside her nostril. The tubercle is a bony, cone-shaped structure that acts as a baffle, slowing down the air rushing into the lungs as falcons pursue their prey at breakneck speeds, allowing them to breath more normally.
These photos were taken in early morning in late November so it was cold. As I had her in my viewfinder one of my thoughts was how cold she must be, especially because she was wet.
But her crop was full so she didn’t seem to mind. There was plenty of fuel in the furnace.
Ron
She’s a beaut. Love seeing a well-fed bird. I totally understand the difficulty of reaching her feet with the crop (or other such, shall we say, obstruction) in her way. 😉 I definitely wouldn’t want to be on the business end of those talons either. Eesh!
“I totally understand the difficulty of reaching her feet with the crop (or other such, shall we say, obstruction) in her way.”
I kinda get that too, Marty. This pandemic hasn’t been good for my waistline.
Love seeing her again.
Good. Thanks, Arwen.
She is a beautiful bird and I love seeing a full crop. Lovely photos.
We had a falconer’s Prairie as an education bird. She and I got along well. She would make mating cooing sound to me. She was a food aggressive bird and many volunteers did not like cleaning her mew and feeding her because she attacked. I did not have trouble with her except one time when she was broody. She was on her fresh food I had given her on her log and as I turned to open the inside door to the mew to leave she flew and nailed my leg just above the ankle. That was the first and only time I got footed. It hurt and stung for a long time.
Thanks, April. I’ve heard stories about being footed. It doesn’t sound pleasant.
That is an impressively full crop. Like you, full to bursting sprang to mind.
And how I love seeing the tools of her trade. Something which I fear others do not welcome – despite it being the last things they ever see.
“full to bursting sprang to mind”
EC, I’ve heard that in captivity at least, food sometimes gets hung up in the crop and causes serious problems for the bird. I think it’s sometimes called “sour crop?”. Makes me wonder if it’s more likely to happen if they eat too much quickly, whether in the wild or in captivity..
Formidable is right! I’m a fool for falcons, and appreciate your repost of these shots because this girl really is a sight to behold, showing off her “tools of the trade” … and, yes, I’m jealous of Lyle’s alliterative skillz in evidence today! 😁
Ha, Lyle’s alliterative and other verbal skills are always on the brink of bursting forth, Chris. In yesterday’s post I predicted (to myself) that he would use those skills in response to my two opening lines, but that time he fooled me and didn’t.
Wonderful photos of a beautiful bird, Ron. If not for the full crop on this little lady I would have thought she was injured. Her talons and feet were pretty clean with most of the blood on the feathers toward her vent and a particularly bloody upper right leg. Once again your talent and persistence have paid off to your blog subscribers advantage!
Nope, she wasn’t injured Melanie. She appeared to be very healthy. Thank you.
Talons, tubercles, tomial teeth: tools of the trade exquisitely displayed.
She appears to be in thrall of her claws. And so am I.
Thanks, Lyle. You appear to be teeming with “t’s” in your toolbox today.
Wow,.wow, wow! I don’t know if I have ever seen such a sharp and gorgeous photo. Great light and bokeh too. And that the shots and story focus on details like the talons, crop and tubercle makes this far.more valuable and interesting than any “pretty” shot. But darn if she isn’t one luscious looking lady too. (Sorry, but once the race started I couldn’t help myself though I wouldn’t presume to actually challenge masters of the craft.) I could.look at shots like this all day.
Thank you, Granny Pat.
WOW! Wouldn’t want those talons to latch on to me! She certainly did have a “good meal”…. 🙂 The tubercle IS interesting – not something I’d have thought about tho do know what it’s like to have a rush of wind blow up my nose…. 😉
“do know what it’s like to have a rush of wind blow up my nose”
Yeah, I’ll just bet you do! That one made me smile. Maybe they ought to sell nostril tubercles for humans in MT.
Wow. great shots, beautiful Falcon! You nailed them Ron!!
Thanks, Ernest.
Wow, that is a full crop, Ron. Great photos that really show her talons but also great feater detail on her head.
Thank you, Ed. Makes me feel full just to look at her.