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Gyrfalcons are the largest of the falcons and to many are among the most spectacular of all raptors. Sightings are prized by birders, as gyrs are basically polar in distribution and move south into southern Canada and the northern US only in winter. Gyrfalcons occur in color morphs ranging from nearly black to nearly white; the gray phase shown here is the most frequently seen. In the images above, the adult bird on the left and the juvenile gyr on the right (identified as such by its blue-gray feet and cere, and white-edged wing and back feathers) were resting on a cliffside in central Alaska; the photos aren't really good because of great distance and (for the juvenile) high wind that constantly shook my tripod. Possibly the same nesting pair were photographed nearby several years later; these images are below -- they were also shot from a very long distance. The young bird exercising its wings was reared in an old golden eagle nest, and the adult falcons were harassing the eagles, which had re-nested not too far away after the gyrs appropriated their old nest.
Photos of a juvenile gyrfalcon that made its way from the Arctic all the way to southern California (unless it escaped from a falconer) are here. |
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