Gallery – Kaver in the Gorge
Click the image above to see the full-sized picture
Jim Pisello took this picture of Kaver as he was flying through the gorge while his daughters chased him. Kaver doesn’t fly this close very often, so Jim tells us he was fortunate and very pleased to have this opportunity.
August 8th, 2007 at 11:18 AM
Beautiful photo!
August 8th, 2007 at 2:46 PM
Thanks, Jim, for this awesome photo of Kaver. Never have been him so close and he is beautiful. He looks like one happy, self assured falcon to me.
August 8th, 2007 at 8:00 PM
That is one great photo, what a shot. Very nice. Thanks
August 13th, 2007 at 9:16 AM
A fabulous shot, Jim, especially when one considers the fact that Kaver is flying at some incredible speed high up in the sky! You can clearly see he is a very handsome fellow.
August 14th, 2007 at 6:45 AM
Pirkko, if Kaver is flying high up in the sky, where do you think the photographer is standing to be able to picture him from above ? 😉
August 14th, 2007 at 9:59 AM
Good observation, Alison! I would guess the photographer is standing on top of a high building or at the very least on a bridge. I apologize for my silly comment and promise not to make any more of them.
August 15th, 2007 at 7:45 AM
But you will continue to post your observations, won’t you, Pirkko?
August 15th, 2007 at 3:27 PM
@Pirkko – According to Jim he was standing on an observation deck that’s about even with the top of the High Falls, which are 98 feet in height.
Also, you’re welcome about the follow-up regarding the “duck hawk” name. Ranger, though, is a female Peregrine with a name that is admittedly, a bit unusual for her gender. A male Peregrine (tiercel) would have a lot of trouble carrying an adult duck, if it were possible at all.
-Jess
August 15th, 2007 at 9:05 PM
(I just accidentally deleted my clever response to Alison’s and Jess’s (that’s a lot of ss’s) comments.)
To Alison — I am not sure how to interpret your comment, but I admit that I am not good with heights, which is why I like to keep my feet firmly on the ground.
To Jess — 98 feet is pretty high (right?), so Jim had at least a bird’s eye view of Kaver. Nevertheless, no matter where Jim was standing, that photo is amazing.
By the way, thank you, Alison, for not taking issue with my observation of Kaver’s speed. If you had said that “incredible” was an exaggeration, I might have admitted that his speed was probably “leisurely” (although he was being chased by his four daughters). However, if you had criticized my observation that Kaver is “a handsome fellow”, you and I might just have come to blows! Glad to see we can at least agree on his flying speed and his handsome appearance.
As to “Rambo”, I should have realized that Ranger, aka Rambo, could only have been a female. (What was I thinking of?) She does look pretty formidable standing behind the unfortunate duck in that picture.
August 16th, 2007 at 10:27 AM
Another great picture, Jim. True about Kaver’s speed. Observers have described his stealth-like flying. He’ll suddenly accelerate and seem to disappear because the eye just can’t keep up with him. It takes real skill to get a good shot of Kaver in flight.
August 16th, 2007 at 12:15 PM
From Jess’ description Kaver’s flight path is more like “under” ground level when viewed from the top of the falls. Not every tiercel achieves such subterranean speed, even if it is not the speed of a stoop !
We all agree that is one stealthy and handsome falcon:-)
As to Ranger, the mighty duck hunter – I had actually answered that females can catch ducks before Jess said which falcon it had been we had seen with her duck, but Jess is the resident expert…
August 16th, 2007 at 1:58 PM
True, but he may well have been in a hurry in that photo as he’s being chased by four (usually hungry) Mariah-sized daughters. 🙂
Someone reported one of the juvies dining on rabbit last month in the gorge. I think there may be pictures. Theory is that it was “found” prey.
August 16th, 2007 at 5:25 PM
You are correct about the rabbit Chrissy and there are pictures. The rabbit was captured on the east side of the gorge wall by Sacajawea. This was definitely a first for the Watchers. Other firsts this year: Grace takes a swim in the Genesee River and Linn dines on gull. – Carol P.
August 16th, 2007 at 7:15 PM
Sacajawea actually caught the rabbit? Gosh! Adaptive skills like that could have a positive effect on their survival during lean times. Thanks for the clarification, Carol. . . please do let us know if Grace brings in a fish while she’s out there swimming.
May 15th, 2008 at 3:42 AM
This may be a ‘dumb’ question , but want to know… Do falcons catch fish? or are they only able to catch land animals for food? This question came up when telling a friend about our Falcon friends, I couldn’t answer truthfully!
Thanks for all the wonderful updates and remarkable pictures… these are the memories that keep us going during upstate winters… and waiting for the next exciting season to begin!
May 15th, 2008 at 3:40 PM
@Shirley- Peregrines don’t catch fish in the way that Eagles or Osprey do. Peregrines primarily catch other birds in flight.