Rfalconcam Forum

Peregrines Hunting

At 6:45 a.m. the sky over Robert Moses State Park is gray. My sharp-eyed friend Walter, who is driving, stops the car as we are going around the tall needle-like water tower. He’s spotted a peregrine falcon, flying at a steep angle heading for a bird, which is trying to reach safety at the rear of one of the tower’s steps. The peregrine, which routinely dives at 200 mph and takes birds in midair, can bring sudden death. Not having a clear shot at its prey the peregrine flies upward but not away. With its pointed wings slightly bent it comes back at a different angle. The peregrine may be trying to get the prey, bird to fly, which could make taking it a piece of candy. But the hunted bird, hugging the rear of the step, moves with desperate speed. The peregrine again climbs and again the little bird momentarily escapes death. Now a second peregrine comes around the other side of the brick water tower. The peregrines circle down then rise up like a two-horse carousel. The pair may be trying to work in tandem where one will flush the prey bird causing it to fly and the other would take it. However nothing works for them and the hunt’s soon over. The pair is at the top of the tower by the railing. We see one’s black head, dark gray back and speckled breast as it looks around with an unhindered view of the ocean. Oddly in the stillness of early morning, with the action over, the excitement still lingers.

I'm really liking all of these "shore" Peregrine stories; Long Island, Virginia Beach, Quest in Nantucket.  I wonder if they hung out at the shore 100 years ago or is this a "new" thing???