There is one word that best describes the Gyrfalcon - MAJESTIC! I was assisting Paul Sullivan on the Gilliam County raptor run, and we chanced upon this gray phase Gyr. (Likely the same one Paul saw last month about 7.6 miles from this location) It was sitting on a rock jack and we slowed and then stopped about 100 feet away and were able to view it for about a minute. She was nervous and fidgety, shifting positions a couple of times. Unfortunately I was only able to get a few pics through the windshield, and these are blurry. The final two are of the bird after she (we think because of the size it was a female) about 3/4 mile away.
Because they are such rare winter visitors, seeing one can be a unique experience that won’t happen very often in Oregon. This is only the 7th time I’ve seen one in the state. You can tell this is a gyr because of the long broad tail in proportion to the wing tips, and also the fine white barring on the tail. This bird has just eaten as can be seen from the super large crop.
Too bad the close pics are blurry or you could also see only a mustache rather than the helmet of the peregrine, and a fine white superciliary line. She was as large as any red-tailed hawk. This bird was fairly whitish on the breast/chest area giving way to many darker spots lower down.
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| Gyrfalcon: Broad long tail can be seen here |
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| The fine barring can be seen here, as well as the huge crop |
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| A long shot after she flew |
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| The same image heavily cropped |
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