My daughter and I met this wee fella while out looking for a deer. I got to within 10 feet of it doing my best paparatzi impersonation and yes I know I need to get a decent camera.
this falcon is a real speedster and takes birds in flight, when we were watching it the tables were turned as some wee swifts/swallow type birds were giving it raspberries dive bombing all around it.
this picture was from my cellphone.

these from my camera

Pretty nice find there Elvis. Pretty lucky to get that close. Bet your daughter was pretty excited. Yup, ya really should but a new camera in this years letter to Santa.

if you shrink image back down with ctrl- afew times the grainy ness gets better I must have had zoom just too much. I will tell santa please please please.

Those are some beatiful mountains, Elvis. Terrain like that will keep you in shape for sure. What are the coordinates where you took the picture so I can look it up on google earth?

pm coming your way.

A beautiful falcon Elvis. I love seeing things like that out in the bush. One of the most majestic sights I see is a full grown wedge tail eagle riding the thermals, slowly circling looking for a rabbit or some other unsuspecting critter for its lunch.

Cheers, Vince

Elvis, next time try to make a picture trough your binoculars.

Aloysius wrote:

Elvis, next time try to make a picture trough your binoculars.

could well be worth a go. I was no more than 10 feet from this beauty, magic moment my good man pure magic.

As I said when we were textn today ... you lucky buggar. What an incredible sight.
Report it to DOC (unless you was poaching) I'm sure theyre interested in sightings.

poaching!!! who me!!!!! not even Al!!!! only a stones throw from a well used DOC loopy track(loopy=tramper)inside the hunting block(I think )
yeah DOC know about the falcons around here. there are quite a few around so we must be doing something right. maybe the spell since last 1080 drop.

Wicked raptor pic! Is that a Preregine? Tallons in the second pic are wicked.

Posted this feller in SGH forum...him or his brother snagged my quail after I popped him and I think he followed me home for seconds and perched on the pole outside my deck. I love raptors. When they aint stealing my dinner!

Elvis, this is some beautiful country. If anyone would like to take a tour use these coordinates in google earth.

S 43° 53’ 32.30” E 171° 12’ 32.52”

The latitude and longitude lines aren't straight in the screen shot because of the ruggedness of the terrain. That's Mt. Peel at 1743 m / 5718 ft in the Northwest portion of the image.

Wow, just saw Mt Cook which goes above 12,000 ft and has a glacier on it.

that's a rugged country..

you live in beautiful place Elvis.