20240502 Red-footed Falcon, NWT Hickling broad

 

20240502 Red-footed Falcon
Adult male.
Full glide profile whilst hunting Dragonflies.

20240502 Red-footed Falcon
Earliest emerging is the Hairy Dragonfly but do they disperse at high altitude...?
On a very hot day such as this, with light NE winds, newly emerged tenerals are likely
to be taken high into the sky over wetland reedbeds.

20240502 Red-footed Falcon
Soft and juicy teneral is easily dismenbered in flight.

20240502 Red-footed Falcon

20240502 Eurasian Hobby
6 birds hunting with Red-foot.
Single birds over Brendons Marsh.

20240502 E Hobby
More rakish and dashing than the Red Foot.

20240502 Red-footed Falcon

20240502 Red-footed Falcon
Remiges paler Payne's grey with silvery glint in sunlight.
Dark grey uniform tail.
No plumage signs of immaturity.

20240502 E Hobby
Upperparts more uniform grey then Red-foot. 
Paler grey tail and larger head obvious at long range.
Black hood and white collar obvious at mid-range.

20240502 E Hobby
Shows the 3 pronged tail shape of adult birds.

20240502 Red-footed Falcon
Wildly over exposed shadows here in post processing...
Does reveal marginally darker undering coverts in blotches.