Driving north of 18th Avenue, on the townline between Markham/Stouffville (York) and Durham, as I approached about four or five kilometers south of Stouffville I saw a large falcon flying ahead of me, not too high above the road. Suddenly a Red-winged Blackbird came out of nowhere to plunge at the falcon, and the falcon half rolled, showing his or her talons. The blackbird did not persist. This was about 4:45 p.m., the sky was dark, and the falcon was in silhouette, but low, and with the blackbird for comparison there's no doubt it was Peregrine size, although one can't rule out less likely large Falco spp (escapees). I mention it because about a week ago I saw another Peregrine flying from south to north over the main street of Stouffvile, east of Highway 48, west of 9th Line. I passed under the falcon and traffic was too heavy to allow me to get another look.
Barry Barry Kent MacKay Markham, Ontario, Canada _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to [email protected] For information about ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/
