Early one morning in October something fast and powerful burst into the quarry arena.
It flew purposefully, falcon-like, on long, pointed wings. At a distance of 200 yards in the dim light it was hard to make out identifying features.
Its, coloration dark above and whitish underneath, weren't like other local falcons. Something new and unfamiliar was circling relentlessly at the far end of the quarry.
It dipped down to the pond and back up to the sky. Like any birder my excitement piqued at the sight of something unique.
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Ripples of the Zoomer and the gull |
It hit the water surface a couple of times like the Lone Gull in last week's posting. But this was no gull. Was it hunting? It's head was too small to be a raptor and there was no big curved beak. I didn't know of any pelagic bird like this that might have gotten off course. An exotic from faraway lands? The moment was moving too fast.
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An enlargement of the photo above. |
As sometimes happens the picture clarified under screen magnification at home. Those pink feet belonged to a Rock Dove, our common park pigeon, the head-bobbing potato chip scavenger at the train station. There was no accounting for this one's behavior.
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The pigeon flying away |
In all my years of tracking birds at our Park I'd never seen a pigeon. This was a first-timer. It was hard to account for that, too. But we're all pleased to add a new species to our life lists. Especially an Attack Pigeon.
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A follow-up sighting |
Another core principle in life is that a new experience tends to open the door to repetitions. Novelty snowballs. A flock of pigeons subsequently zoomed over Halibut Point.
