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\u00a01\/1600, f\/9, ISO 500, Canon 7D, 500 f\/4, not baited, set up or called in<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n I found this bird almost exactly a year ago along the causeway to Antelope Island where she typically hunted ducks.\u00a0 I don’t believe I’ve ever seen such a bulging crop on a bird of prey.<\/p>\n This image is a little different because the left foot is very prominent but is in silhouette which I thought made it appear even more ominous and\u00a0threatening.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u00a01\/1600, f\/9, ISO 500, Canon 7D, 500 f\/4, not baited, set up or called in<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n This bird is inspecting and cleaning her feet after an obviously successful hunt and meal.\u00a0\u00a0My eye keeps coming back to those incredible talons.<\/p>\n I also notice the good look at the “cone” found inside the nostril of falcons.\u00a0 There’s a fascinating account of its function here<\/a> if you’re interested.<\/p>\n Prairie Falcons often catch their prey with their feet but they can also strike their prey at high-speed with that formidable rear talon which typically delivers a mortal blow.\u00a0 I once\u00a0watched (and photographed)\u00a0that happen and I’ll never forget it.\u00a0 The falcon (it may have been this very bird) struck a Shoveler (duck) on the water in a surprise attack.\u00a0 Instantaneously there was blood spurting from the duck and it died within seconds.\u00a0\u00a0If you’ve never seen it before that attack can be seen here<\/a>\u00a0(you can see blood spurting from the duck just seconds after the attack\u00a0in the first shot).\u00a0 My jaw literally dropped at what I observed.<\/p>\n I’m beginning to see a few Prairie Falcons on the island again but due to the drought the water has been so far from the causeway (along most of its length) that I doubt the falcons will spend much time hunting ducks\u00a0there this winter.<\/p>\n Ron<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The formidable talons of the larger falcons always impress me and this female Prairie Falcon gave me a good look at her scythe-like weapons. From the size of her hugely bulging crop it’s obvious that they serve her well.<\/p>\n![\"prairie](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/prairie-falcon-8097-ron-dudley.jpg\")
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