The trip three days earlier had been very good in terms of action from the juvenile Peregrine Falcons, so I was keen to visit the Headland again. Sue had been in touch and asked if I was going and after checking the forecast, I thought it would be good to make another visit.
But – the visit turned out to be very quiet indeed. For the first time in a long time, we did not see any Peregrine Falcons – no juveniles and no adults. And we did scan the cliffs carefully with binoculars. Many of their perches are out of sight – on hidden ledges or in bushes, but if they had been present, we would have expected to see them flying now and then. We were on the Headland between Magic Point and Boora Point from about 11:30 am to 4:30 pm.
The weather we had was very similar to that we experienced on the previous Friday, when the birds had been active, so weather was not a factor. We thought it was likely that the adults had taken the juveniles to a different location, perhaps the nearby golf course, to teach them how to hunt prey.
On the walk back to Maroubra Beach, I took a few photos of the New Holland Honeyeaters –
These birds meanly eat nectar, but supplement their diet with insects –
Has the Peregrine Falcon season finally finished? Perhaps. I think it likely the juveniles will probably still be around from time to time for the next few weeks. After that, and when they have the skills to catch their own food, they will be encouraged to leave that area by their parents.