Red-Footed Falcon Still Enjoying a Relaxing Vacation on MV (1 Viewer)

Wednesday, August 18, 2004

With regards to the Red-Footed Falcon that unexpectedly arrived on my home Island of Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts, I have read many posts on this board and others wondering if it was still here (or more to the point, still being seen). This information seems especially important to those birders who are contemplating a long trek out here to see it.

I went back to the Katama Airfield this afternoon about 1:00pm and immediately saw the now famous falcon gliding low over the meadow scrub in search of food. Very soon after, it alighted on one of its favorite runway signs pulling apart its latest treat. I stayed there mesmerized for nearly two hour watching it hunt. It will initially soar way up into the air and then hover there in one place by beating its wings very fast. It then dives down straight towards the ground and skims over the surface of the grassy area for a ways before landing on a sign or some upright sticks to enjoy its freshly caught prey.

Sometimes from its perch on one of the signs (which is about 3 feet off the ground), it would swoop down and land directly on the ground and "forage" quickly and deftly in the overgrown tangles of goldenrod and meadow grass. It would then fly back up to a perch and munch on its catch.

I do not have my spotting scope yet but hopefully it will arrive next week, so I am still using only 10x42 Nikon binoculars to view the falcon (whom I have nicknamed Boris in hopes a Natasha will show up). That being the case I can not completely resolve exactly what the little guy is catching, but once it looked like a pretty large caterpillar and at other times like large grasshoppers or locusts. Does this falcon eat mainly insects? I have not yet seen it with a field mouse, mole, small fish or any other of the larger prey it could be catching in its immediate surroundings.

At any rate my main reason for posting is to tell all who are interested that the Red-Footed Falcon is still here as of today, seems extremely happy where it is and I would be very surprised if it left any time soon. But this is just me anthropomorphizing. Better check with the experts on that one. There were only about 15 other birders today scattered about while I was there, but we were again rewarded greatly for being there.

Once I get my spotting scope I will be going back again. For those who have not read my previous few posts, I am a relatively new and inexperienced birder, but happened to live in the right place at the right time for this once-in-a-lifetime birding experience.

If members think it would be helpful, I will be glad to make a brief post to the "Your Rarities" board every time I go out to Katama and see that the falcon is still here. And again I offer to give any advice travel-wise or otherwise to anyone attempting to come to Martha's Vineyard to see the Red-Footed Falcon. You can email me personally or post through the board.

Regards from Martha's Vineyard,
Milo

Forgive me if this question has been answered in the previous RF falcon threads, but is this a first sighting in the states?

Helen,

I believe that this is the first sighting for North America!

Thanks Larry

Here's a dumb beginners question. What on earth makes a bird wander so much off the beaten track then?

I think I'll ask that in a new thread.....

I posted once but it did not seem to take, I will try again.

I suppose that a bird (or birds) can become disorientated for some reason or another and end up going the wrong way. Perhaps major storms at sea, such as hurricanes can blow birds off course.

Since we still have questions about bird migrations in general, it would stand to reason that miscalculations and abnormal behavior of migrating birds would be even more difficult to figure out. One thing is certain, these cases of birds ending up in strange places do not happen all that often!

Thanks Larry. Btw, I just posted my question on a new thread, before I had time to read your reply.

http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=21704

Milo said:

That being the case I can not completely resolve exactly what the little guy is catching, but once it looked like a pretty large caterpillar and at other times like large grasshoppers or locusts. Does this falcon eat mainly insects? I have not yet seen it with a field mouse, mole, small fish or any other of the larger prey it could be catching in its immediate surroundings.

Click to expand...

From Birds of the Western Palearctic, Vol II:
"Adults in west Palearctic almost exclusively insectivorous; chicks fed mainly on small vertebrates. Opportunist, making use of local abundances and seasonal variations: wide variety of insect taken. Orthoptera principal food: field-crickets, mole-crickets and bush-crickets, with grasshoppers and locusts usually playing lesser role. Beetles taken in wide variety. Mayflies, dragonflies, bugs and cicadas, larvae and adults of butterflies and moths, large flies and wasps, bumble-bees and ants all recorded in varying quantities. Other invertebrates include spiders, centipedes, and slugs and snails. Earthworms and mealworms were taken in Scotland."

It would be very interesting to list food items at that sise of the pond ! :eek!:
Cheers
Menotti Passarella
http://www.birdingitaly.net

foxsparrow said:

From Birds of the Western Palearctic, Vol II:
"Adults in west Palearctic almost exclusively insectivorous; chicks fed mainly on small vertebrates. Opportunist, making use of local abundances and seasonal variations: wide variety of insect taken. Orthoptera principal food: field-crickets, mole-crickets and bush-crickets, with grasshoppers and locusts usually playing lesser role. Beetles taken in wide variety. Mayflies, dragonflies, bugs and cicadas, larvae and adults of butterflies and moths, large flies and wasps, bumble-bees and ants all recorded in varying quantities. Other invertebrates include spiders, centipedes, and slugs and snails. Earthworms and mealworms were taken in Scotland."

It would be very interesting to list food items at that sise of the pond ! :eek!:
Cheers
Menotti Passarella
http://www.birdingitaly.net

Click to expand...

Menotti,

Thank you for the information. The surroundings where this falcon has settled really does sound like the perfect location with regards to food source. Apart from the grasshoppers, cicadas and caterpillars that I already mentioned, that meadow/grasslands is full of dragonflies, bumble bees, moths, butterflies, spiders and ants. Though I have not specifically seen them, I am sure this area also has its share of beetles, worms and many other bugs.

Milo