TWO angry parents swoop for his scalp as he perches on a narrow gutter 33 storeys above the city.
Victor Hurley is living on the edge. He has just climbed to the top of the pecking order on the city's peregrine falcons' hit list.
The fastest species on earth, known to travel at up to 300km/h, they are also very protective parents.
And they didn't hold back as Mr Hurley, co-ordinator of the Victorian Peregrine Falcon society, went to check on their eggs.
"To protect their nest from a potential predator, which is how they view me, they can dive bomb at speeds up to 60km/h," he said.
"They weigh 1.2kg so that will definitely deter you from wanting to get too close to the nest.
"I've been hit by about five to seven of the females personally and I've got the scars to show it."
It was all screech as he took the small speckled eggs, about the same size as a chicken egg, and placed them gently in a plastic bag with tissues.
Then he retreated slowly along the concrete tightrope to the safety of 367 Collins St to measure and weigh the three eggs, laid less than a week ago.
By doing this, Mr Hurley is able to predict when they will hatch. For almost 20 years he has tagged the chicks to ensure their survival.
"We first reported them in 1991. They were nesting inside a gutter. The eggs were getting chilled from the rain so they weren't hatching," he said.
"The next year we put in a little wooden tray, filled with some sand. They are voting with their very clawed feet.
"This is where they want to be, they are on a southeast corner in the morning. The sun warms up the nest and then in the afternoon, it's in shadow so the chicks don't get cooked."
Flying feasts are their delicacy of choice, such as pigeons, starlings and sparrows.
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