This was perhaps the most successful of recent trips to the cliffs of the Northern beaches in order to get some action shots of a family of Peregrine Falcons.
When I arrived on the cliffs, I soon spotted an adult (male) –
It soon took off and flew out of the area.
I then spotted an adult (female) –
And a chick was flying –
It landed on a lower ledge.
I am not sure if this one perched on a ledge is the same chick, or a different one. This seems, perhaps, less developed. But I am not sure.
It was calling for food.
A parent, the adult female was on guard duty nearby –
Back to the juvenile –
Then the adult male arrived –
It had prey, a very small looking bird.
The prey was not delivered to the chick. Perhaps it was taken to the second chick on another ledge, or perhaps it was was intended for this check but I was too close? I hope this was not the case.
The cult male then re-appeared and landed nearby –
It no longer had the prey.
The chick I could see was still calling for food –
Now an adult flew past in an aggressive manner. So I got ready to move way.
Then the chick took off –
The adult did another pass –
And a chick was flying too. Again I am not sure which chick it was, and whether there are one or two chicks surviving. This one seemed a very capable flier.
It did some nice flying in the area. This was the highlight of the day!
A parent sometimes joined in.
Back to the juvenile –
It was trying to catch some of the abundant cabbage White Butterflies –
Now it tried to land on a tree. The pine did not provide a very firm perch, something the young bird did not realise.
it went back to catching the butterflies –
Then it flew off with the adult –
It must have landed on the cliffs out of sight. The adult returned and flew past –
