Fort Lewis (near Tacoma) Washington state, USA
I had reason to go to Fort Lewis' Commissary today. I picked up chicken and pasta sauce.
After finishing my shopping, I got to the car and pulled out of my spot.
Right then, the crows all started yammering loudly enough for me to hear through the windows.
I saw a large dark moving mass at the corner of my eye and when I turned my head, I saw all of the Brewer's Blackbirds that habitually hang around the Commissary parking lot packed TIGHT together in a defensive flock ball, swerving, dipping and rising.
I had never seen such a thing; they were wingtip to wingtip and any mistake could cause collision.
And then.
I saw it. I saw a raptor diving at the ball of blackbirds and rising up again, attempting to gain enough elevation to focus on one individual. The crows were screaming bloody murder at the predator.
The flock ball took sudden landing on a parked SUV and lost cohesion. The raptor took one last dive and shot overhead, and behind a row of parked cars. Said row blocked my view.
I saw a blackbird in its clutches as it came in for a landing on a strip of grass that bordered the parking lot. I tried to drive to a better angle (luckily there wasn't anybody behind me in that particular parking row) to see.
Five crows took that opportunity to harass the raptor and it took off, with the crows zooming after it.
I thought it was rather funny to realize that the gulls (Herring? Most likely) that perched on top of the parking lot lights weren't even moved during the whole ordeal.
I noticed that the raptor was brown, mostly. I did see some underside when it wheeled around and it was mottled.
The wings were pointy and narrow, as was the tail.
And it was not much larger than the crows. In fact, I'd venture that the gulls were larger.
Since I didn't see at all the head of the raptor and given the size, it could've been a Merlin or female American Kestrel. Definitely from the falcon family, though.
This was super exciting and I was just grocery shopping!
I had reason to go to Fort Lewis' Commissary today. I picked up chicken and pasta sauce.
After finishing my shopping, I got to the car and pulled out of my spot.
Right then, the crows all started yammering loudly enough for me to hear through the windows.
I saw a large dark moving mass at the corner of my eye and when I turned my head, I saw all of the Brewer's Blackbirds that habitually hang around the Commissary parking lot packed TIGHT together in a defensive flock ball, swerving, dipping and rising.
I had never seen such a thing; they were wingtip to wingtip and any mistake could cause collision.
And then.
I saw it. I saw a raptor diving at the ball of blackbirds and rising up again, attempting to gain enough elevation to focus on one individual. The crows were screaming bloody murder at the predator.
The flock ball took sudden landing on a parked SUV and lost cohesion. The raptor took one last dive and shot overhead, and behind a row of parked cars. Said row blocked my view.
I saw a blackbird in its clutches as it came in for a landing on a strip of grass that bordered the parking lot. I tried to drive to a better angle (luckily there wasn't anybody behind me in that particular parking row) to see.
Five crows took that opportunity to harass the raptor and it took off, with the crows zooming after it.
I thought it was rather funny to realize that the gulls (Herring? Most likely) that perched on top of the parking lot lights weren't even moved during the whole ordeal.
I noticed that the raptor was brown, mostly. I did see some underside when it wheeled around and it was mottled.
The wings were pointy and narrow, as was the tail.
And it was not much larger than the crows. In fact, I'd venture that the gulls were larger.
Since I didn't see at all the head of the raptor and given the size, it could've been a Merlin or female American Kestrel. Definitely from the falcon family, though.
This was super exciting and I was just grocery shopping!
