@tonynannenga1954

4 months ago

Living on the Yukon River I once witnessed two nesting peregrine falcons in some bluffs near where I live being attacked by 15 ravens who were diving in them. The female had a raven in one of her talons with him hanging upside down over their nest. The ravens were circling overhead of them around 50' ft above & wild dive on them. As this was happening the male dove twords the water & flew across the river which is a mile wide where we are, then disappeared. Around a minute went by with the ravens diving on the female holding her culprit in on talon & keeping herself in the nest with the other as the ravens continued diving on her. I could see blood coming off her head when all at once a flash as a Shadow went down between the diving birds. Just as the falcon was about 50' ft off the ground it went back up, lickity split as 3 ravens hit the beach in front of me. I watched as he went way above the existing circling ravens and started his descent agan? The circling of those ravens reminded me of waiting a war movie where the planes circled the carriers before they bombed them following the one in front to the target. As they were diving again another flash went through them. The falcon this time went just feet away from my head and he passed by, he looked right at me as to say look what I can do and went back up again. This went on for almost 15 minutes as he eliminated every raven there with his diving skills. it was one of the most amazing things I've ever seen in my life. When he was finished he went back to the nest and they killed the last Raven the female was holding on to and dropped it. I went back down there about a month later and I seen the chicks in the nest looking down from the top on the bluff. I left them alone as a nesting pair of peregrine falcons mate for life can they also come back to the same nesting area that they did last year. I watch them come back for many years now.

141 |