A Gyrfalcon in Michigan
August 30, 2010
Fayette Gyrfalcon, photo by Angela Merz
I was showing a friend the recent post about osprey in Michigan and he said “well guess what my wife got a photo of the other day?” What Angela got was a rare (for Michigan) photo of a gyrfalcon taken at Fayette State Park.
The Rouge River Bird Observatory has a report on a sighting in Dearborn in 2005 that caused quite a stir:
The Gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus) is the world’s largest falcon, nearly the size of a Red-tailed Hawk. This Arctic-nesting bird is rarely seen in the United States. When populations of ptarmigan, chicken-like tundra birds that are a main prey item of Gyrfalcons, fall below certain levels, some Gyrfalcons move into southern Canada and the United States in the winter. When one is found, many birders will rush to see it.
In Michigan, the most reliable place to see a Gyrfalcon is at Sault Ste. Marie (click here for a more thorough report on the occurrence of this species in the state). They are very rare in the Lower Peninsula.
Thus it was sensational when Kim Hall, Julie Craves, and Darrin O’Brien located a subadult (first year) Gyrfalcon at a Dearborn office complex while participating in the annual Detroit River Christmas Bird Count.
Get more information about Gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus) from the UM Animal Diversity Web and click the photo to the left for another view of this rare Michigan sighting!
August 30, 2010 at 7:40 am
What a beautiful bird and beautiful photo!
August 30, 2010 at 8:45 am
beautiful Gyr, fantastic shot!
August 30, 2010 at 6:10 pm
Sorry, but definitely not a gyrfalcon. It’s a rough-legged hawk, even early for one of those though.
Samuel
August 31, 2010 at 7:12 am
This photo was actually taken at Deer Park along the shore of Lake Superior, and I stood within ten feet of this beautiful bird. In all honesty, we had never seen a bird such as this, up close. Therefore, we spoke with both ornithologists locally as well as individials from the Seney Wildlife Refuge with regard to its identity. Although I understand the skepticism, this was verified through multiple sources.
January 29, 2011 at 8:57 am
Samuel’s right… Not a Gyr.
August 31, 2010 at 6:50 pm
Hi Angela,
I should have been more specific. I’ve been raptor biologist for 33 years, I’ve studied gyrfalcons and have seen hundreds. Any ornithologist that says that is photo is a gyrfalcon doesn’t isn’t familiar with the species.
The dark or black “skirt” is never found in any color phase of a gyrfalcon. The breast is uniformly mottled in a gyrfalcon, as are the wings. The white/dark brown/light orange combination doesn’t exist in gyrfalcons. A young of the year would have blue feet and cere. Also a falcon would have a notched beak, that isn’t seen in the photo. The face isn’t a falcon, nor is the posture.
Just look at several photos of rough-legged hawks color phases and you’ll see, I’d attach photos if I could.
One interesting thing, both gyrfalcon and rough-legged hawks are open land species and not often seen sitting in a forested area, so I was surprised at that, not to mention this early in the year. I have yet to see my first rough-legged, their season equivalent, swainson’s hawk, are just pulling out now.