A MAGNIFICENT peregrine falcon has miraculously survived after becoming skewered on a TV antenna.
The bird is receiving specialist veterinary care at the Avian Reptile and Exotic Pet Hospital at Cobbitty after his wing was impaled on the TV pole in Bradbury.
Head nurse Sharon Andronicos said “Perry” skewered himself while diving at up to 320km/h towards some tasty pigeons.
The bird was brought to the hospital on February 16 after residents first took him to Bradbury Veterinary Hospital with the antenna protruding from his wing.
“It was the second time in two years it has happened on this particular roof,” Ms Andronicos said.
“There’s probably a breeding pair in the area.
“This is a young bird ... they’re the fastest animal in the world.”
She reported no fractures but Perry’s wing membrane was punctured on both sides.
She said that after being sedated to have the antenna removed the falcon had undergone surgery twice and had received two courses of antibiotics.
“We have got hope for him but there’s no guarantee he will get back to the wild,” she said.
“We need to know he can catch food and fly really well.”
The species was common in the Macarthur area, she said, but urban sprawl “put pressure on them with nesting sites and things in the way like television antennas.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBJtgKrU6Lw# Ahhh
