Hi All,
Yesterday ( 24.03.10 ) I observed two Brown
Falcon neither of which was what I think of as the
normal colour for an ACT Brown Falcon.
One was
lighter but less red while the other was almost black (though not on the under
wings and tail).
(Photos
attached. Click if you wish to see bigger versions; I have never tried this
before, hope it works.)
They
were either fighting or partaking in courtship
behaviour.
Joining
talons in the sky and on one occasion rolling around together in an old
Wedge-tail nest.
The
lighter bird was the attacker.
Pizzey & Knight seem very
definite that the dark bird is an immature,
but
other guides contradict this with mention of colour variation, morphs and even
races.
Perhaps I should stick to recent
publications.
Can any body offer an informed
opinion:
was i watching a male-female
joust;
two warring males
or an adult driving a child from
home?
roger
curnow.
