Rhea Mae Rules the Gorge

I took some time to check out the action in the gorge this morning, since I haven't had many chances to get out in recent days. Bad weather and other commitments have conspired to keep me off the bridge, so I welcomed the opportunity. Fortunately, it wasn't a wasted trip.

We've been seeing a lot of the Great Blue Herons (Ardea herodias), which seem to be a lot more active than in past years. Here's one that flew across the island beneath the bridge on its way to the water:


Elaine pointed out a pair of Belted Kingfishers (Ceryle alcyon) on a wire. As I started shooting, one of them darted toward the water:


The other birds were certainly interesting, but what I came for was Peregrines. Rhea Mae didn't disappoint. Brian was the first to point her out, flying near the observation deck, where I headed without delay. Rhea Mae stayed nearby-- good news for me:
     

          

There's a simple kind of power and grace that's epitomized by the image of a falcon against a clear blue sky, but I love to be able to put a bit of context into the shots as well. Unfortunately, shooting a speeding Peregrine against a backdrop is often an exercise in frustration. Even a sophisticated camera like the Canon 20D tends to lock its focus on the background, relegating the falcon to blurry obscurity. It takes persistence, and more than a little luck, to get clear shots, and it's always a pleasant surprise to find quality images when I get them onto the computer:
     

Rhea Mae landed in a tree for a little rest, and I headed back to the bridge, but when she took off again I ran back to the deck for more shots. On one of her passes she came so close I could likely have reached out and touched her. Of course, she was much too fast for a picture. I did catch her with something in her talon, though:
          

I have no idea what she was holding, but it seemed to interest her a great deal. Rhea Mae strikes me as an especially curious girl. I hope her curiosity doesn't bring her grief. Her flights took her the length and breadth of the gorge and beyond:


After one circuit, I lost sight of her behind some trees, so I walked back toward the bridge and the other watchers. On my way, this young rabbit hopped onto the path:


As I approached the Pont de Rennes, a pair of juveniles rose into sight from lower in the gorge:


They made only a brief flight before settling on the High Falls Brewing Company's railing. By the time I made it back to the bridge, one of the pair had hopped down to the roof, out of sight. It wasn't immediately apparent which one was left:


Since it was nearly 9:00, I left the bridge, meeting Roger and Marian on my way. I also stopped for a better angle, and caught Aura's blue band:


There's no better way to spend an hour of the morning than watching the falcons in flight. Poor weather is forecast for the next couple of days, and in the back of my mind I'm beginning to realize that we won't have the pleasure of these peregrines for too much longer. Mariah and Kaver's 2006 brood have proven to be some of the most entertaining that I've had the honor to observe, and I'm hopeful that before they depart for the uncertainty of life on their own, I'll get a few more chances to photograph them as they careen through the skies of Rochester's High Falls.