Intensity

So we were trying to get a shorebird survey done in Bodega Harbor today (23 November 2020), and we we wondering where all the shorebirds birds were, when almost all of the gulls on the east side of the harbor flushed.  I scanned to see if there was a falcon or an eagle around, and sure enough, this bird flew past me not too long afterwards:

 

 

 

Then I heard another Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) calling, and a second bird was diving on the first.  I followed them as they flew east.  One bird kept going, but the other stopped to dive on a Turkey Vulture.  They were pretty distant, but check out the angle (and intense focus!) of this falcon as it dove:

 

 

 

 

Here's a zoomed in view:

 

 

 

 

It's really hard to do a shorebird count when there's an active falcon in the area, but watching these powerful birds in flight is always impressive!