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Contributed by Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley.
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Transcription
Field Notes Doug bell
13 June 1988 - cont.
again he disappeared. After a while I heard screaming from off to the left of the cliffs. An adult falcon (8'?) flew up from that area soon while an eyras labored across the cliffs with a "dove" in tow. It screamed, flew up to an isolated fir in the cliff, screaming.
The adult male landed in a tree nearby. Also screamed at a bit. Then I think the eyras flew down across the cliffs to the ledge where I had seen the falcon fly after a food exchange (2 weeks ago). I think I heard more screaming, as if from a second eyras. The male continued to scream every now and then. He almost seemed agitated about me. After a good while the eyras skimmed across the cliff with a couple "wings" dangling from its feet.
At that point a Stellar's jay began diving on it. This agitated both adults, they launched out from their perches with loud cackling kee-kee-kee calls. The tird stoop through the trees at it, landed, then tried again, making a dash at it. Last The peregrine tried to stoop/lunge at it. Was quite agile in the trees - like a Coopers (or so it seemed). The jay gave some wagging responses.
About 1/2 hours had passed, then the tirdel launched out in the direction of Holmes flat. He pumped hard in a straight line, for long dive for where some horses were galloping. He then threw himself into a vertical twisting stoop of about 70'. I could