Ah, yes, one can only admire the patience and fortitude of those bird photographers who use ‘advanced,’ heavy equipment like tripods and gimbals. BirdingPI.com staff members, OTOH, are typically hiking/on foot, and thereby mostly go au naturel, meaning, in this context, handheld photography. Like these long-distance but extremely fascinating shots from yesterday off Beach 11 at Presque Isle State Park:
Suddenly, the Merlin took to wing, swooping in to capture a Monarch in flight:
Merlins are known for capturing small birds and insects in flight, but Monarch butterflies are mildly poisonous = not commonly eaten except for a couple of species (e.g., Black-headed Grosbeaks and Black-backed Orioles) resistant to its toxins.
After flying with its prey for a few seconds, the Merlin realized its mistake and released the butterfly, which, surprisingly, seemed unharmed and flew away:
Slow day yesterday at the park, but great to see this fascinating behavior.