Life and death: Peregrine Falcon vs Snowy Egret.

I was returning from Sandy Point and stopped at Stage Island Pool to see if there were any birds worth looking at. I found a Peregrine Falcon making passes at a Snowy Egret. As I watched with my binoculars I thought to myself that the falcon was just having a bit of fun till it kept on coming after the egret. I was torn between watching this play out or going for my camera, I went for my camera. I grabbed the first one I could which was my D7000 with 70-300mm lens, but it wasn’t a long enough lens to give me much. As quick as I could I got out the D80 with the 150-600mm and tripod, but I just missed the falcon make the kill.

The next 5 minutes or so were interesting with the falcon trying to get the egret to land so that it could feed on it. The falcon managed to fly with the egret for about 10-15 feet before it landed in the water several feet from land. It would make to land and feed on the egret. What else happen that I found interesting is that a Mallard Duck came quite close to the falcon and made a lot of squawking at the falcon as to say something like you mean bully and murderer. A cormorant on the land near where the falcon came on shore took no mind of what was happening which I found interesting. Next a Great Blue Heron who had been about 20 feet away came walking up and then by the falcon and into the water in front of the falcon. I thought for the moment that the heron was going to stab the falcon in the back but the falcon turned around and then moved a foot more onto the land away from the heron and then began its feast.