This is one cool raptor and not one I usually get to photograph in the wild. Most recently, this past summer, I saw one in southwestern Colorado as it terrorized a flock of white-faced ibis. They are notoriously shy and extremely fast movers so it isn’t often you get a chance to photograph one.

This particular one is a captive bird used by HawkQuest as an educational bird. They placed it on a perfect perch and the falcon was more than willing to put on a nice show from there. Here, it spreads its wings giving a nice look at that beautiful plumage and 3 1/2-foot wingspan.

Here in Colorado you will most often find them in the foothills where they like to nest on cliffs and maintain watch from high above their prey below. They think nothing of taking down smaller birds in-flight after diving at speeds that can approach 200mph!

Like many raptors, the peregrine falcon was nearly eradicated in the 20th century due to the use of pesticides like DDT. Thankfully, we wised up, stop using the poison and peregrines like other raptors that were impacted are rebounding nicely.

It has been more than two years since I last saw one of these fast and ferocious raptors. They simply don’t visit the plains of Colorado very often, usually only during migration.

This past weekend I spotted one and while it never came very close and my pics were disappointing, I was excited at the sighting and opportunity. It was initially on the ground, guarding some unlucky white-feathered creature it had just finished dining on.

With its meal done, it turned its attention on a red tailed hawk in a nearby tree that seemed to be working on a nest. The falcon let the hawk know it wasn’t happy about its presence by dive-bombing it a few times, the peregrine falcon’s favorite mode of attack.

I never did get a decent capture of it striking but it did appear to make contact more than once. The hawk hunkered down a bit further into the tree for cover and the falcon gave up and moved on.

This was one cool little raptor that was in no mood to pose for pictures. Horus is a retired breeding falcon that now is an ambassador for Nature’s Educators, a non-profit wildlife education group.

She was quite entertaining as she posed on some rocks and constantly spread her wings making it clear that she would rather be flying that posing for pictures. I can’t say I blame her!

One of the most spectacular and ferocious raptors, Peregrine Falcons are nothing short of amazing. They oftentimes hunt from on high, diving to the ground toward their prey at speeds up to 200 mph!

I once again ran across this cool raptor recently and again, he did not want to give me any flight shots. He did however at least give me this backlit launch. Someday I will convince it to let me get ‘the shot’ of it in flight. 😉

One of the most spectacular and ferocious raptors, Peregrine Falcons are nothing short of amazing. They oftentimes hunt from on high, diving to the ground toward their prey at speeds up to 200 mph!

Taken in Adams County, Colorado.

It had been a couple months since I had seen this Peregrine Falcon. Over the last couple of winters, I and other photographers have spotted it a few times in the area near Denver International Airport. This area is not one you would expect to find this fast-moving raptor in but it seems to have taken to life on the flat, hot plains just fine.

In the past it refused to pose for pictures and on rare occasion would come close enough in flight to grab a few, fleeting captures. Twice over the past couple of weeks I have seen it hanging out on a particular pole and both times it was more than willing to let me get my fill of shots of it while it kept watch. Naturally though, the second I tried to get closer, it bolted and always in a direction that prevented a flight shot.

One of the most spectacular and ferocious raptors, Peregrine Falcons are nothing short of amazing. They oftentimes hunt from on high, diving to the ground toward their prey at speeds up to 200 mph!

I share these images not because of their quality (it certainly is not great) but rather because of the subject matter.

While out patrolling familiar photo grounds northeast of Denver yesterday, I was getting many pictures of the usual menagerie of hawks, owls and other birds. Near a prairie dog colony, I spotted an unusually colored bird swooping low over the rodents’ homes sending the little critters into a panic. I quickly flipped a u-turn, pulled over, and snapped a couple of quick pictures of the raptor is it passed fast and low above the ground well off in the distance.

Playing back the image on my camera I was delighted to see I had captured images of a ?Peregrine? ?Falcon? – something not often seen on the plains. I headed off in the direction the falcon went but unfortunately was unable to get another picture of it. I do wish the images were of better quality but am pleased as punch to have gotten what I did of a cool bird in an unusual location.