Red-footed Falcon

This is a juvenile (hatched this summer). I took the shot from the middle of the back seat of our van, through the window--if any of us had gotten out, he would have flown immediately.

Red-footed Falcons were at the top of the list we wanted to see on this trip. The species has attained near-mythical status in the United States, since it appeared as a vagrant in Massachusetts in 2004--the one and only time it's ever been seen on our continent.

Edit: Before dinner we made a brief outing at dusk, and had the best view of Eagle Owls (Europe's largest) that we've ever had. There were two (in itself a first); one perched on a high ridge in full view of our scopes for nearly a minute before flying behind, and the other flew across and then behind. Unbelievable. We last saw one in southern France last year.