With temperatures only in the teens, the weather early Saturday morning was not overly pleasant. My heart was quickly warmed though by spotting this awesome little raptor, only the second Prairie Falcon I have seen thus far this season and the first one to let me get a half-way decent picture of it. Certainly there will be many more opportunities in the coming months as they stake their claim to their winter grounds on the Colorado plains.
These cool raptors can be found flying low to the ground searching for prey. They are extraordinarily maneuverable and very difficult to catch pics of in-flight although I have on occasion had some good luck. Prairie Falcons are not particular about their diet and will feed on smaller birds including larks, swallows and doves and will also feed on rodents including squirrels.
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