aerial defense

An American Kestrel attacking a Red-tailed Hawk – How I Messed Up This Shot

By Mia McPherson|February 8th, 2016|Categories: American Kestrels, Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Red-tailed Hawks, Utah|Tags: aerial defense, American Kestrel, birds of prey, Buteo jamaicensis, defensive behavior, Falco sparverius, falcon, falcons, hawks, kestrel, kestrels, raptors, Red-tailed Hawk, winter|

It isn't every day that I have the opportunity to photograph an American Kestrel attacking a Red-tailed Hawk in the air, in fact this would have been my best opportunity.

One Willet’s defense of its young

By Mia McPherson|July 16th, 2011|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Black-billed Magpies, Davis County, Utah, Willets|Tags: adult, aerial defense, alarmed, Bird behavior, Black-billed Magpie, calling, chicks, defense, defensive, flight, flying, grasses, Great Salt Lake, juveniles, magpie, magpies, perched, Pica hudsonia, prairie grasses, predators, response, sandpipers, shorebirds, threat, Tringa semipalmata, Tringa semipalmata inornata, wildlife, Willet, willets, young|

Yesterday I observed an adult Willet defending its young from a group of Black-billed Magpies that were near the Willet's chicks.