Peregrine Falcon vs. Saw Whet Owl

[murraybrown]

A walk along the Fraser River's north bank this morning from Tuyttens Rd. downstream, produced a bit of a surprise find.
We flushed a very noisy Peregrine from the dyke trail and when we got to the point where he had been, we found the feathery remains of what I believe was a Northern Saw-Whet Owl. The feathers were under the canopy of a cottonwood tree and they looked completely fresh.
The question for me was how did the little owl end up so far from the protection of the nearest refuge which is Hopyard Hill at least a half kilometer away? and how did they meet, when the owl is nocturnal and the falcon a day-time hunter or diurnal?
Also spotted an Eastern Kingbird which showed up like magic after the Peregrine departed.

Murray Brown,

Agassiz

[Wetlander]

Earlier this year, when I was hearing the Saw-whets, they really seemed to be moving around. Sometimes on Hopyard, sometimes on our property and sometimes down toward the river. Do they usually stick close to heavy cover like Hopyard Mtn.?

[murraybrown]

I'm really not sure Kevin but I would think that a bird as small as a Saw-Whet would be pretty vulnerable to the larger owls like the Barred and Great Horned. Both of which are known to prey on smaller owls. So I assumed they would try to maintain a degree of protection from forested areas.
But based on your observations, maybe not.
M.B.