Peregrine Falcons Hunt Pigeon in High Speed Chase | 4K Narrated Film
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 21 ก.ย. 2024
- Without doubt, this Peregrine hunt was the best I've ever witnessed.
Their behavior prior to this was relaxed, preening and gazing over the river. I watched as the male took to the skies and begin gaining height. As he ascended higher into the sky, I knew he was hunting. During the ascent, he didn’t flap his wings once, instead circling, using the thermals to conserve energy.
He then began flapping fast from left to right in one direction and was clearly after something. The white feral pigeon came into my viewfinder and the chase started. It lasted 59 seconds, far longer than any attack I have witnessed before.
The female then joined the chase, but against all the odds the pigeon managed to swerve and avoid the relentless stoops from the Peregrine pair, as they returned to the cliffs empty handed.
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Thanks everyone for your comments, I read each and every one! I witnessed another Peregrine hunt last year, although that time it was successful, catching the pigeon only one hundred metres away from me - watch here: th-cam.com/video/scuJYfYYsew/w-d-xo.htmlsi=503xM7lOuqsjt_b_
It appears that the pigeon went high on purpose to play, pigeons do not go that high unless they want to play, may be other pigeons were watching and she basically played with them so other pigeons could learn I suppose???
Honestly you should change the title and make the pigeon the star. Much respect to that one, forcing the falcon female to join forces to try and catch him/her, and fail at it too.
I am so glad for the ending, which I hope was true in reality too, and as much as I already liked them, now pigeons can wear their bird crowns for me!
ignore the haters Henry, I'm a 62 year old brit who's been a passionate birder and nature lover all my life. There are plenty of us out there that were absolutely riveted by that footage, and we understand why you do it, and how difficult it is. Great stuff...keep going and good luck !
Thanks for watching and appreciate your comment. You obviously understand how rare it is to see Peregrine's attempting to make a kill, and more often than not is out of sight!
Yeah it is man thank you for providing such a video❤@@henrykirkwoodfilmmaking
Same here my friend
I once observed a peregrine falcon slam a pigeon less than 100 feet above me. The pigeon hit the ground less than 20 feet from me and the falcon came down, finished it off and flew away with it. It was an absolutely incredible event to see.
We have peregrines in a local quarry. One evening a pigeon flew past me so close I could feel the wind of passing. Almost immediately, and travelling much faster followed a peregrine. I felt the wind of its passing much more closely but the pigeon was making for a tree and just got there in time!
What a treat!
Never underestimate the perfection of the pigeon. Agility and resistance make it a very difficult prey.
A healthy wild pigeon is a tough prey and the film proves it
Never underestimate the stupidity of a pigeon either. They fly directly in front of cars. SPLAT.
The pigeon evolved in the absence of cars, therefore it does not always know how to evaluate danger. Generally it is young pigeons that fall victim to our frenzy. In reality, the pigeon has benefited greatly from the wild anthropisation of the planet by invading man.
It is in nature that the pigeon reveals all its potential through which nature has evolved it.
The pigeon is the perfect bird and human parameters have no value...
@@BibTheBoulderTheOriginalOne Never underestimate the stupidity of car drivers either. They collide with other car drivers constantly. MEAT PRESSAAAH.
@@AlessandroPasotti did you seriously just copy and paste this off google to make your self look smarter that's rather pathetic cobber 🤣🤣🤣
@@AlessandroPasotti your prefect bird also makes prefect crab pot bait 🦀🦀
That was altogether savage, the cordination of the Peregrine and the skills of the prey, awesome stuff, the narration makes it all the more interesting. Thank you sir.
Thanks for the comment :)
Never in my life did I think I would find myself rooting for a pigeon.
But still you probably eat some sort of meat?
Carnivores have to eat, tigers and peregrines cant start eating fruit and veg to avoid killing, they have to kill to live. Nevertheless, I think most of us empathise with the prey sometimes. Unlike many other predators, falcons kill very quickly by biting their prey just behind the head and breaking its neck. Hawks and eagles dont do that.
Superb job of filming this ordeal for the Pigeon, shows how smart the peregrines are but also just what incredible flyers Pigeons are..
Pigeons are underrated! They consume alot of oxygen, but can also maintain steady O2 blood concentrations in physically demanding situations such as a predator attack or racing. They are extremely agile birds.
Look at the flesh and heart size of a pigeon and you will see how red their muscular build and large heart which shows its oxygen carrying capacity for sustained flight compared to the white flesh of a pheasant that uses short, adrenaline fuelled speed to escape from a goshawk. Same when comparing hares with rabbits, hares relying on stamina and durability to escape predators which calls for larger oxygen carrying blood volume than rabbits. Convergent evolution of two separate species.
You need a better camera
Awesome Video! 👍🏼
Thanks for watching - I follow you on Instagram and love your videos!
Thats amazing, that thing reaches its top speed from about 6000 feet in the air. Without rockets and fancy gadgets.Simply amazing.
I mean, when you have wings and are _built_ for air speed, you don’t need gadgets. We have gadgets because we are _not_ meant to fly. It makes sense.
The rock dove, aka pigeon, has evolved to stay just out of reach of the peregrine who had to evolve a strategy to catch them ie the stoop from above. Pigeons are more manoeuvrable than falcons hence the fantastic ‘dog fights’ we sometimes witness. Remember, no city pigeons means no city peregrines. Long may both grace our skies and thanks you Henry for putting this film together, keep it up. 👏
Designed.
Thanks, will do!
@@kathy888 by whom?
Designed by ‘Mother Nature’, NOT a single creator!
My eyes hurt. Thanks for narrating, though. I could barely see, but you kept my attention.
I used to live near the top of Sussex Heights in Brighton which has resident nesting peregrines. They used to bring back a lot of starlings and once a female mallard! I witnessed a dramatic chase with a black headed gull over Brighton pier which escaped. Funny enough, I never saw them bring back a pigeon! Fascinating and enthralling video. Thank you.
Do you think they were actually trying to catch the black headed gull? I know they're not keen on herring and black backed and regularly chase these off, but a black headed gull seems small enough to catch and eat!
Superb, my iPad lets me zoom the screen so they were a little magnified.
Nice, hope you didn't lose too much of the 4K resolution!
Me too in s24 ultra
Very interesting to see the Falcons don't always win the game. Glad you showed the pigeon winning for once.
Their success rate isn't as high as your might think!
Believe it or not, most predators have a success rate of less than 5%. Preseverence and discipline is what keeps them alive, not their sheer predatory prowess
Superbly done Henry 👏 I watched this on my iPhone and then cast it to my tv to see the build up of the battle in detail. It makes you aware that the hunting of a pigeon (unless taken by surprise) is a battle and not just a single attack. They have to work hard for their calories and calculate the whole fall from their initial stoop right down to the trees. Amazing to see how skilled the pigeon is, fighting for its life. Natural selection in action here. Well done, good sound track too. Thank you!
I was surprised the pigeon made evaded the attempted grabs, especially when the female joined the chase too. Thanks, thanks for the positive feedback and definitely a good idea casting to your TV!
My students and I watched nesting falcons last spring ❤. It is a camera set up in a nesting box in New Hampshire US .
They watched hatching , pooping, mom and dad bringing fresh prey and fledging.
They learned so much .
This video will be in my que . T
What a sequence! Half of me sees the pigeon as a pest and the other half admires the raptor! Marvellous filming and editing which must have taken ages. ... and I was still relieved when the pigeon escaped!
Ditto! Ditto!!
My aunt owned racing pigeons. And we renamed one lucky because he survived 4 falcon attacks. It had plenty of scars from it but nothing major that effected him too much. They are very agile birds
wonderful! The painstakingly filmed documentary is truly impressive.
I also love peregrine falcons.
Peregrine falcons are like *feathered bullets.*
Wow! That was riveting and suspenseful! My hands were sweating.
It had a great ending because, although I greatly admire the falcons, I was glad the pigeon survived and didn't leave a widow/widower behind!! 😮 Thanks for the incredible footage! ❤❤🎉🎉
Haha sorry for the clammy hands!
Wow! That is a great video! Ex-Fancy pigeon breeder here!
^..^~~
super amazing great video, nature is amazing.
Amazing footage!! I have seen many peregrine chases and even catches in my life (most times in urban settings), but never have I been so lucky to have my camera nearby.
Quality stuff and great tension with the music! I never thought the pigeon would escape! Where we live on Hong Kong island, there was a peregrine falcon nesting on one of the balconies of a vacant flat in the building we live in and it was quite something to observe it taking to the skies and picking fights with black kites much larger than itself!
That is absolutely AMAZING camera work - and fortuitous timing! Stone cold killers, these falcons.
Bravo...you did well keeping the whole scene in frame... what a natural sight to witness...that pigeon has super powers evading the two of them and bravo to him for keeping his head and escaping...superb work.
We have an eclectus parrot here in Australia. He flies free every day. I've seen him chased a few times by hawks and they disappear behind a tree or a building. He's 6 years old now. I worry every day but so far he's survived. He knows all the moves and sometimes comes past us low down flat out doing 90 degree turns etc. He really enjoys flying. Windy days are obviously the most fun for most birds.
Marvelous job ! 😮 A lot of passion, talent and effort here... 😊❤
I had no idea it was a competition. A pigeon can evade a peregrine falcon? 😳 Mind blown!
I think the group of 3 birds caused distraction helping the pigeon evade falcon.
@@seanlee7563 - Possible but unlikely. It's not like they were close. That pigeon was isolated. They should've been able to focus and I think they did focus. I just underestimated the pigeon I guess.
That is not the pigeon first rodeo
@@redfaux74 Maybe the falcons were young and inexperienced. 😮
You see that all over with predator prey relationships that prey animals have attributes that make them hard to kill. Look at cheetahs and gazelles, snow leopards and mountain goats (or whatever they're called). These animals evolve together, one figuring out how to kill and survive, the other figuring out how to escape and survive. It's so interesting. Props to this guy for the work he's doing. It's an absolute crime he only has 5k subscribers.
Great footage, my uncle always had birds of prey throughout my childhood and I have been lucky enough to witness this sort of thing first hand, it’s not easy to capture this kind of hunt but you did a great job!
I did my university dissertation on raptors, truly magnificent animals and there is another world up in the sky that the majority of people are completely blind to.
Awesome job!
Thanks for the comment, glad to hear you have such an interest in them too!
That’s incredible footage.
I am fortunate to see a pair every day as they live and hunt where I work. They area beautiful sight to see.
Couldn't agree more!
Beautiful capture...
A fantastic crime thriller, thank you very much for this adventure!
Amazing video
We have peregrine falcons that hunt the birds in our yard. Sometimes there’s feathers on the ground in the morning of some hapless mourning dove or other bird. I once had a small bird pass by my face so close I felt the wind from its feathers as a falcon was in hot pursuit and brushed past my face a microsecond later rolling over and clutching the smaller bird in its talons. All this happened right in front of my face which although cruel in the death of the smaller bird was also fascinating to witness. Big red tailed hawks nest year after year nearby in addition to the swainsons hawk and prairie falcons. I have observed America kestrels nearby and very rarely snowy owls very early in spring. Our home in south east British Columbia is home to so many birds of all types that it provides endless hours of fascination for me. Tanagers, American gold finches, lazuli buntings, caisons finch, western blue birds, western meadow larks, northern flickers, Pygmy owls and occasional yellow winged black birds visit the pond for baths and drinks. Luckily the hawks don’t concentrate their hunting in the yard because it certainly dampens the bird activity till they’re gone.
Thanks for your comment, sounds like you really know your birds in SE BE, I've heard of none of those you mention!
Wonderful footage! I used to watch these Avon Gorge peregrines hunting every summer and I was amazed at their teamwork strategy. I would often see the tiercel pursuing prey and then the female would just appear like a missile, you'd see a puff of feathers and then the one closest to the prey would fly off with it to their plucking post. We did see the tiercel catch a swift once (which I thought would be impossible), but just goes to show how fast they really are!
I''ve heard they catch swifts, crazy to think this is possible given their size and manoeuvrability.
Well, not surprising since they're the fastest bird on the planet, built to catch fast prey on the wing. I imagine it takes a while for them to master their skills.
I live in Boise Idaho. Home to the world center for birds of prey. The falcons still use the hack boxes established in the eighties on the high rise buildings in downtown. We don’t have very many pigeons in downtown. I don’t think pigeons win very often. Everyone should watch the zefrank video on pigeons. They’re exceptional birds!
Super video!
Since 1983 Peregrine Falcons have established themselves in Manhattan, New York. They are sometimes seen nesting on the window ledges of buildings.
Same in my city. There are three families nesting on buildings near where I live. We find remnants of their meals on sidewalks.
Established in 1983? Peregrine falcons were here long before New York came about.
Apparently you are unaware that peregrine falcons were almost wiped out as a result of DDT.. They were re-established in New York City in 1983@@keywestalert6329
@@keywestalert6329 Apparently you are unaware of the fact that the peregrine falcon was in danger of extinction and was placed on the endangered species list in 1973. They were decimated by 75% in some areas as a result of the overuse of DDT. They were reestablished in New York City in 1983. I just assumed that people who were interested in this amazing bird of prey were aware of their history.]
Excellent - thanks. What a magnificent raptor.
Excellent photography of cooperative hunting by a pair of peregrines. Many film makers often feel obligated to show the kill where as you showed the reality.
Authenticity it key 🔑
Definitely worth a sub! Much love for your work from Kenya🇰🇪 ❤
He probably evaded, but likely got cut badly in the process and is exhausted. The falcon on the other hand is probably not that tired and because it was built to use that momentum with less effort.
Good job getting a shot of the fastest bird in the world. What camera are u using?
Thanks, Sony A7Siii 👍
I'd prefer listening to nature ambience than some loud music
Great footage.
Great video! Pigeons are in general very good flyers, may be this pigeon was just little more experienced than the falcons.
wow awesome pigeon!
Splendid, beautiful work, Henry. Keep it up. You have an extraordinary talent.
Thanks a lot :)
This was amazing! Hollywood could not match the aerobatics and near misses. I loved the framing to give the big picture of the falcon tactics as well as the pigeons. For those that had difficulty seeing the birds I would tell them that not all videos were meant to be watched on cell phones. It was crisp and clean on my 13" MacBook Pro laptop. I hope you make more superb videos like this one.
Thank you for your comment. I agree with you about those watching on iPhones, probably can't see much, played in 4K on a laptop or monitor will show it best. More videos on the way :)
Very dramatic, amazing to see the whole hunt. I help run the Cromer Peregrine watchpoint, so many times the Peregrines launch opportunistic attacks on the pigeons around the church, and they almost always evade the Peregrines, and yet I have seen Peregrines take pigeons with the greatest of ease, taking the bird at the the very first strike. It's so rewarding to show these fabulous birds to the general public. Keep on producing these fantastic films!
Thanks so much for your comment, Julian. Funnily enough, I had the Cromer Peregrine live cam on in the background this morning! Interesting observation about the peregrines hunting opportunistically, I know they hunt in this way but I don’t think I’ve ever seen it at my local watch point. They always circle strategically way up into the sky and go after their prey that way. Sounds like you’re doing good work with the public, thanks again for the comment!
Fantastic video. Thank you!
Awesome ❤❤❤❤
Amazing and stunning. Filming nature takes a lot of patience and courage to capture these moments.
Four out of five attacks by birds of prey, not only peregrines, end in failure, and this ia also true of even the best falconer's birds when flown at difficult quarry.
Good video
Incrível parabéns. Grande abraço Brasil
This makes me emotional. Thanks for sharing.
Great video , but for me - the music spoils the experience..Either lower the sound or choose something more suitable , subtle.. Thanks
Definitely,he needs an audio tech to fix that for him.
Thanks for the feedback, will consider for future videos :)
Incredible, riveting footage! Was this a wood pigeon being chased? The close-up, was a wood pigeon. If it was a wood pigeon, i didnt know they were that fast of flyers.
Truly amazing footage, most likely the likes of which has never been captured before.
Thank you for sharing.
Wonderful, such an amazing work
Even though it was far away, I loved being able to see where all the birds were in their great battle in the sky!
Henry. I took a Falconry course with Ben long in Gloucester last July and the Perigrines i fell in love with. One even shared my name!!! Their agility, small size but brain busting speed left me in awe. This was truly a battle royale captured and narrated superbly. Please keep these coming. I will have to do the next course now after this!!
Hi Martin, thanks for watching and the positive feedback. I've got a one hour documentary about the Peregrines coming out in the next year or so. They are spectacular birds and great to know you appreciate them too!
Hi Henry. Thanks for the info. Look fwd to it. I'm trying out this bird sound app here in ash down forest. 16 types already! Trying to find the spot where I see a falcon... Red tail I think, flying daily. But probably tucked up high by now. Going to get my camera out soon and enjoy this place. You've got a great career. Thank you for sharing with us all
Absolutely brilliant video I was gripped to the story. Awesome video and music. I had to sub and like and look forward to more.
Thanks for watching, will hopefully have a Peregrine ringing video out late June 🙂
10 out 10 video. No notes
Great video. As a pigeon fancier I’ve witnessed this 100’s of times. It’s very rare the falcon actually catches 1 around my house. If only he caught 1 and left that would be fine. It’s the carnage they cause attacking the flock. If the pigeons are fit, flying around the house fast, he tends to leave them be, if they’re too low he leaves them. The pigeons have learned to keep above the falcon now but once they make the wrong move, he’s on them. I’ve seen some cracking hunts and the pigeons to be fair are just as great escaping. I enjoy watching if it’s my neighbours pigeons 😂
Beautiful photography ❤
The videos you captivate are very awsome!! More power and more vids sir. Keep safe!
That's a great video! The camera work was amazing. Thank you for uploading. Peace. Out.
Stunning photography absolutely stunning!
Thank you :)
Excellent work sir!
We have Peregrines at home atop our church tower in Cromer. They've been there for a few years now. One unfortunate fatality a couple of years ago when one flew into electrical cables, but that hasn't caused them to leave. No visits to tower top for public anymore but I'd rather have it safe for the falcons. Beautiful creatures.
Magnificent!
Wow, amazing footage!
Outstanding capture! ❤
The most surreal, high-stakes game of two-hand touch football ever.
Amazing content sir! Hope you get to millions of viewers someday! Keep it going.
Love you Henry 😍
@@mdshoaibakhtar3522 feelings mutual 😘
Fantastic stuff henry just came across your videos peregrines never fail to impress.
Thanks Brian :)
Excellent video and recording 💕❤️
Great work, really fascinating to watch - I’ve never seen such extended coverage of how peregrines sometimes repeatedly chase prey without success.👍
Glad you enjoyed it!
Lovely film, so professional
Amazing all that effort and that pigeon escaped what a bird lol
Slow is fast, fast is slow. The way he ascended, majestic.
Fantastic filming. A few years ago I saw a Woodpigeon "explode" in the air, a shower of feathers that looked like an explosion, and it fell to earth (roughly 12M). I assumed it had struck the overhead power cable, then the Peregrine landed next to it. I hadn't seen it at all before then. We get them here sometimes, I feel privaledged when I see them.
I saw one of the nesting peregrines take out a pigeon in a high speed dive off the top of the US Bank building (42 stories) in Portland, Oregon in 1995. He or she hit it at about the 7th floor above the sidewalk. Amazing! The pigeon never had a chance, never even knew what hit it. Seeing that was one of the most breathtaking moments of my life. The only reason I saw it was that I was about a block away and I don't think that anybody that was underneath the pigeon walking on the sidewalk even knew what happened either.
Wow, great story! Thanks for sharing. Were you walking at ground level when you saw it take the pigeon, and just happened to be looking up?
i'm blown away with the video . only a true bird watcher can do such capture . video is slower than the real speed ??
Thanks for your comment. Yep, I slowed down the video 4x :)
Awesome capture of this hunt. Nice to see the female joining in.
Nice work and Photography
Wow!! That was intense! Thank you for the lesson in humility. Good stuff!
Thanks Clay :)
An amazing video..👍👍👍
Loved the shot selection and the sequencing Henry! Thanks for sharing 🙏
Thanks Anoop :)
WoW, impressive. It is like watch a combat airplanes combat movie "Dogfight" . Filmed that is so good we can watch it. Thanks for shared it.
Thanks for comment!
Excelllent video, the aerobatics of both birds is amazing to watch. Mother Nature has it figured out. Subscribed.
Thanks for the sub!
My spirit animal
Excellent filming! Bravo!
Thank you!