Early July Magic

The first few days in July always seem to bring some great flying with Mariah and Kaver's broods. Last year it was Skye and Aconcagua who provided a cornucopia of aerial excellence. This year, Sabrina seems to be the standout. One thing many of the watchers have noticed is how much time Sabrina and Rhea Mae are spending together. Rhea Mae, it seems, is Sabrina's playmate of choice. If there was any doubting their filial bond, this morning's activity put it to rest.

I had scarcely taken a dozen steps on the Pont de Rennes bridge when a pair of fledglings flew over my head toward the BeeBee station, Aura in hot pursuit of Sabrina, who clutched breakfast in her talons:
          

Their chase wound through the power plant's buildings and out of sight, but Rhea Mae filled the void, landing atop the station:
     

First time watchers Chris and Mary Ann joined me and we located Mariah on the catwalk of the middle smokestack. Aura had landed on the High Falls Brewing Company, where she spent much of the morning. Dan, Jeanne and Kathy O were my fellow witnesses for the action, though Jeanne left almost immediately after my arrival, and Carol and Yvonne showed up a bit later.

The pattern of activity for the morning alternated between chases & talon tag, and individual fly-bys. Rhea Mae provided the first close pass:


Sabrina pursued her, both of them flying low over the path that leads to the observation deck. By timing my shots I was able to catch them in relatively good light despite the cloudy skies and hazy morning air:


Nearly effortless in her flying now, Sabrina disdains proper aerodynamic form at her pleasure:
     

Before long, it was back to the chase. While Sabrina is clearly the better flyer, Rhea Mae keeps up well with her smaller sibling:
     

Sabrina crossed low over the bridge, an excellent viewing opportunity:


Dropping into the gorge, she and Rhea Mae danced along the rock wall and strafed the treetops, grasping at leaves along the way. Sabrina landed under the bridge, while Rhea Mae took a perch on one of the brewery buildings next to the observation deck path:
          

     

After sitting for portraits, Rhea Mae joined Sabrina on the bridge's substructure:


We were surprised by the unexpected arrival of Mariah, who settled close to her children:


When she took off again, both of them followed her out into the gorge, and even the aloof Aura joined them for a time. Mariah surprised us again by joining in a game of talon tag before flying back to the smokestack. On the way, she passed in front of the High Falls, and I was able to catch her majestic flight as she went:


Since most of the flying was taking place near the falls I headed out to the observation deck. It was a fortuitous choice which put the sun at my back as the fledgling chases continued. Yvonne and Carol had some good viewing as well:


The chases were incredible and sustained:
     

At one point I was nearing the capacity of my camera's 2GB CompactFlash memory card, so during a break in the action I swapped it out for a fresh one. I was glad I did, because some of the best flying was still to come. Rhea Mae buzzed the observation deck to my delight:
     

Sabrina showed off too, keeping an eye on me as she passed by:
     

     

Another round of chasing ensued before the fledglings took a break. Rhea Mae landed under the bridge, while Sabrina chose to perch on the rocks near the falls:
     

I could have stood out there on the deck and shot these birds all day. Their flights and chases are so engaging that it's easy to lose all sense of time. Before I knew it, 10:00 had come around, and I was well into my second memory card. I had yardwork to get to and over 800(!) images to review, so the break in the action gave me an excuse to head home, though not without some reluctance.

The next weeks should supply some real magic for those of us who appreciate and admire these peregrines. I can hardly wait to get back out there again.