PHOTO-A-DAY CHALLENGE
When the Watchful Eye of a Falcon is Scanning the Meadow
Week 165 of the photographic documentary of my daily life
Sitting on the pole raised above the meadow, the falcon didn’t miss a single movement below him in the grass. Within the blink of an eye, he took off, grabbed his lunch and sat back up on the pole. Triumphant.
Mice had turned the pasture into a minefield. Holes and borrows are so deep and complex that it’s nearly impossible to walk across the field without twisting your ankle.
That was why the farmer set up the poles in an attempt to help our raptors catch some more rodents. Being safety-conscious skydivers as we are, we walked after the farmer, wrapping the poles in shining tape so no plane, helicopter or parachutist could land in one of them.
And it seems to work. Humans are staying clear of the area and birds of prey are often perched atop scanning the field below.
I must have slept in on Thursday, as I only looked at the sky once the sun had risen significantly above the horizon. With some cirrostratus clouds stretched across the blue, the scene above the wind park was still an interesting sight.
On Friday, I was sitting at the desk working on the laptop when I watched the above-mentioned scene. According to my mom, I captured a common kestrel, one of the birds hunting actively in our area.
“The common kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) is a bird of prey species belonging to the kestrel group of the falcon family Falconidae. It is also known as the European kestrel, Eurasian kestrel, or Old World kestrel.” — Wikipedia
He sat on the pole, devouring his meal, looking up now and then while chewing the tough parts of the dead mouse. I didn’t want to disturb him because who would like to be shooed away during lunch? I took these pictures from the inside of our trailer through the open window.
Another day, another sunrise in the countryside. I got up before the gleaming ball even appeared on the horizon, but the sky was already painted in hues of orange.
I think I missed the night of the full moon and took this picture below one day too late. The moon still appeared to be full to me, shining in orange just as he was rising above the horizon.
With the cooler temperatures at night, morning dew is a common occurrence here in the countryside, and I found joy in capturing the sparkling drops of water clinging onto single blades of grass as the first rays of sunlight are dancing in the meadow.
And before you begin to complain that my essays are suddenly lacking the usual load of adrenaline, I got this sunset shot from one of the fun jumps I did that day.
We ended up doing three formation jumps on Monday as I didn’t have many working jumps to do, and a few other jumpers were keen on learning some new skills. We had a few unexperienced jumpers among us, and I had to carefully plan the dives, but they all performed well, and in a way, we all learned a thing or two today.
And in case you were wondering why I was working on Monday and Tuesday as those days are usually my off days, the 3rd of October is the day of the German reunification, our national holiday.
It certainly isn’t celebrated like Independence Day in other countries and I didn’t see a single German flag hanging anywhere. To me, it is just another public holiday. A day I’m working.
The day began with a spectacular sunrise.
The wind was howling on Tuesday, and around noon, the gusts reached our limit, which forced us to stop for the day. Just before sunset, I headed out for a walk and sat on the bench on the other side of the forest, feeling the full force of 35 knots of air blow toward me.
Another raptor was sitting on one of the poles far from our trailer on Wednesday afternoon. I watched him while working on an article. He sat atop and then flew down, hiding in the grass for a few minutes before he climbed back up the pole.
My mom identified this bird of prey as a common buzzard. He typically hunts from a perch and specializes in rodents but also feeds off other small mammals.
“The common buzzard (Buteo buteo) is a medium-to-large bird of prey which has a large range. It is a member of the genus Buteo in the family Accipitridae. The species lives in most of Europe and extends its breeding range across much of the Palearctic as far as northwestern China (Tian Shan), far western Siberia and northwestern Mongolia. Over much of its range, it is a year-round resident. However, buzzards from the colder parts of the Northern Hemisphere as well as those that breed in the eastern part of their range typically migrate south for the northern winter, many journeying as far as South Africa.” — Wikipedia
When I took off for my daily walk, I saw something moving in the bushes when the animal suddenly charged toward me. I then recognized my colleague's dog, who was first barking and then running toward me with his tail wagging.
I knew now not to expect any more wildlife on my walk as the two of them had startled everything from deer to rabbits, but still enjoyed watching the sky transform during the twilight hour.
This has been my weekly photo essay. Anyone can join. Once. Or weekly. It doesn’t matter. We welcome everyone! Dennett started this photography challenge in 2020 and many have participated ever since.
Dennett / Erika / Eileen / K. Barrett / Juan / David / Mia / Susan / LensAfield / Kim / Barbara / Diana / Barb / Sandra / Shruthi / Ellie / Pene / Olive / Gustavo / Jane / Penny / Jillian / Shell / Ivy / Lisa / Lynne
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