One of 4 young Peregrines screams at something while flying over the Niagara River gorge.
Original image is large. Downsized for web viewing. Taken in Ai-Servo mode.
Like many city dwellers, my experience with Peregrine Falcons is from a distance. They usually nest high up on a building or perhaps on a bridge. Either way, they are hard to view and does not make for great photography.
Most of us know Niagara Falls for, well, the Falls. There's also Marineland. But as I found out recently, Niagara Falls is one of the best places to view Peregrine Falcons and to photograph them. When you face the Falls from the Canadian side, you have the American Falls on the left and the Canadian Horseshoe Falls on the right. Right in between these 2 Falls, if you look down over the railing next to the sidewalk/walkway overlooking the Falls you will see a rectangualr shaped flat area more than 100 feet (looking thru the Canon 40D VF and 400 5.6L lens the subject barely fills the Spot meter circle centre of frame so it could be a lot more than 100 feet down, maybe even 200 feet) below you. That is the old decomissioned hydro building's roof. The roof now has plants growing on top and 4 resident Peregrine Falcon young. On the vertical face of this very long building (I'm guessing it's easily over 100 yards long), a pair of Peregrine Falcons have nested for 2 years. In years previous it nested over on the USA side of the Falls, on Goat Island, facing the decomissioned hydro building.
Last year I believe 2 young Peregrine Falcons were hatched. This year, 4 young were born. The young Peregrines are still learning to hunt and can be found quite frequently on the roof of the decommisioned hydro building. If you look over the railing you can see them perched on the roof, either resting, grooming, eating or fighting with each other.
I went to see them over the past 1 and a 1/2 days and these young Peregrines have put on quite a show. Incredible aerial displays, Peregrine chasing Peregrine, sometimes 3 together, climbing high up above where we're standing on the sidewalk/walkway and then diving after prey or each other over and over again. Sometimes they are at eye-level and sometimes too close to get a bead on them with the auto-focus. In the 1 1/2 days I have seen a Peregrine perch within 6 feet of me at least 3 times, usually on a grassy ledge just 6 feet below the railings. No close-up photos as my 400mm lens was too close (the MFD is 11 feet). By the time I backed up far enough they've usually become airborne again. They put on aerial displays for over an hour sometimes. Lots of good photo ops. Watched a Peregrine eating what appeared to be either a gull or pigeon recently, right on top of that roof....twice in one day.
On the first day I was talking to someone while looking downstream when a gull at eye-level screamed and moved sideways quickly. Moments later a Peregrine Falcon flew by like a missile with its back to me headed right in the direction of the gull. The falcon missed lunch that time. Actually, the falcons had more misses than actual catches. Many of their attempts look more like practice than anything else at this stage in their development including their mock attacks on one another. They're spectacular to watch though. In addition to the pigeons and gulls I saw a number of cormorants, sparrows and a black-crowned night-heron flew by. An aviary is also within walking distance but closer to the bridge to the USA in the direction where you board for the Maid of the Mist boat ride.
I use a Canon 40D and a 400 5.6L lens. If the lighting is dull and the subject not close enough, the Ai-Servo has some difficulty locking onto the subject (darkbrown feathered subject) especially against a greenish background. In such cases I revert back to my old Canon 300D days when I used One-Shot AF in place of a barely working Ai-Servo mode. I find this works on days when subject contrast (or lack of) works against the Ai-Servo. You just have to remember to squeeze the shutter instantly or the image may end up being out of focus.
The water in the gorge is a lovely green colour which makes for a great background for those "ground level" flight shots off the roof of the decommissioned building which the young sometimes take quite frequently with intervals of inactivity. Sometimes you may not see the Peregrines for an hour or so. Be patient, go for a walk or have a snack at the restaurant across the road and check again. There are a lot of other things to do and see there. During a quiet period I take the opportunity to get some refreshments, relax and review the shots I have already taken.
Admission is free as the Falls are open 24 hours a day. You will need to find a place to park. I like to park at the Rapidsview parking lot for $10. For the price you can take a free shuttle right to the Falls. The shuttle runs until about 11pm (open at 9am). Don't quote me, check with the park authourity.
