Wild [Backyard] America: Breakfast With A Peregrine Falcon
Shortly after sunrise this morning, I glanced out the window to see if my daily breakfast crew (a flock of American and Lesser Goldfinches, House Finches, White-crowned and Golden-crowned Sparrows, Dark-eyed Juncos and Mourning Doves) had arrived at the backyard feeders yet. But my attention was caught by a dark form perched in the pecan tree: a Cooper's Hawk. (That explained why the bird feeders were empty!)
Cooper's Hawks are fairly common around our neighborhood, and neighborhoods across most of the United States, but since they're not an everyday occurrence in our backyard, I pulled out my camera and snapped a couple of photos. Then I noticed something else - bigger, darker, even more interesting - perched at the top of a nearby Deodar Cedar. I brought my binoculars up, expecting to see our neighborhood's Red-shouldered Hawk, but instead, was amazed to see something much more exciting: a Peregrine Falcon!
Absolutely thrilled, I watched the Peregrine for 30 or 40 minutes, snapping off almost 200 photos and sipping my morning cup of tea, while my breakfast visitor dismembered and consumed what I believe was, in better days, a crow.
While not exactly a rare bird in our area, Peregrine Falcons are not very common, never really a guarantee and always a treat to see. Their storied past and heroic comeback, coupled with their inspiring presence, speed and general renown, combine to make any encounter with a Peregrine Falcon in the wild a moment to be cherished.
Though they are widespread worldwide (coming from Latin, the word "peregrine" means pilgrim or wanderer, a nod to their distribution across all continents except Antarctica), not so long ago Peregrines faced destruction. From the 1940's or '50's through the 1970's, populations of Peregrine Falcons in North America crashed, to the point that they were considered extirpated in eastern North America.
The cause of this crash was the use of DDT, a nasty synthetic chemical pesticide that persists in the environment, concentrating in organisms at the top of the food chain - in apex predators like the Peregrine Falcon. DDT causes eggshells to be thin and weak, unable to support the weight of incubating parents; crushed eggs, of course, lead to reproductive failure. In 1970, Peregrines were listed as endangered species, along with Brown Pelicans and, in 1973, Bald Eagles - all birds detrimentally effected by DDT.
In 1972, DDT was banned in the United States. Along with the ban, captive breeding programs were established to supplement dwindling populations of Peregrine Falcons. As Peregrines have long been prized in falconry, a wide knowledge base and substantial body of people experienced in handling Peregrines contributed greatly to the success of these programs and the reestablishment of local populations. Thanks to the DDT ban, efforts have been successful in recovering a bird that was nearly lost, and as of 1999, North American Peregrine Falcons are no longer considered endangered.
Peregrine Falcons are well known for a behavior called "stooping," a spectacular hunting maneuver in which the falcons dive downwards at rapid speeds from heights of over half a mile to drop on prey (other birds) from above. Once it has spotted its prey from high above, a hunting Peregrine locks onto its target and begins to fly downwards, flapping its wings to propel itself towards the earth. Then the falcon tucks its wings in to increase its aerodynamics, gain maximum speed and become, essentially, a feathered dive-bomber. Peregrines hit their prey at mind-blowing speeds, either catching it midair or knocking it, stunned or killed, to the earth where it can be retrieved. Peregrines have been clocked reaching an astounding 200 miles per hour or more during hunting stoops, making this already fast flyer the world's fastest animal. Regular flight speed of the Peregrine averages around 30 miles per hour, but in direct linear pursuit of prey (not stooping) Peregrines reach nearly 70 miles per hour.
Since the bird in my photos had already caught its prey, watch this short video clip from National Geographic to see a Peregrine Falcon in action!
Peregrine Falcons are top predators, preying almost exclusively on other birds (and bats). According to Cornell's site All About Birds, they have been documented preying on 2,000 species of birds worldwide (around 450 in North America), including birds as large as Sandhill Cranes (which is mind-boggling) and as small and agile as hummingbirds and swifts. In cities, they are sustained largely by pigeons, and along the coast they often take ducks and shorebirds. Though they are top predators, Peregrines Falcons may occasionally find themselves the prey of formidable raptors like Gyrfalcons, eagles, and even other Peregrines.
After 30 or 40 minutes of watching this Peregrine Falcon breakfast on a crow, he flew off, perused by the Cooper's Hawk, leaving the wings of the crow and a few pieces of meat behind in the top of the cedar. Almost immediately, the neighborhood's roving band of crows (the diets of which are highly supplemented by pecans from our tree at this time of year) moved in to investigate and pick through the leftovers. (And the finches and sparrows felt safe enough to venture out to the bird feeders!)
What an incredible wildlife drama to experience, right in my own backyard! It is a mercy that Peregrine Falcons, such beautiful and powerful birds were brought back from the brink, as they are remarkable in many ways. It would be a sad world indeed without these incredible predators.
Cooper's Hawks are fairly common around our neighborhood, and neighborhoods across most of the United States, but since they're not an everyday occurrence in our backyard, I pulled out my camera and snapped a couple of photos. Then I noticed something else - bigger, darker, even more interesting - perched at the top of a nearby Deodar Cedar. I brought my binoculars up, expecting to see our neighborhood's Red-shouldered Hawk, but instead, was amazed to see something much more exciting: a Peregrine Falcon!
Absolutely thrilled, I watched the Peregrine for 30 or 40 minutes, snapping off almost 200 photos and sipping my morning cup of tea, while my breakfast visitor dismembered and consumed what I believe was, in better days, a crow.
While not exactly a rare bird in our area, Peregrine Falcons are not very common, never really a guarantee and always a treat to see. Their storied past and heroic comeback, coupled with their inspiring presence, speed and general renown, combine to make any encounter with a Peregrine Falcon in the wild a moment to be cherished.
Though they are widespread worldwide (coming from Latin, the word "peregrine" means pilgrim or wanderer, a nod to their distribution across all continents except Antarctica), not so long ago Peregrines faced destruction. From the 1940's or '50's through the 1970's, populations of Peregrine Falcons in North America crashed, to the point that they were considered extirpated in eastern North America.
The cause of this crash was the use of DDT, a nasty synthetic chemical pesticide that persists in the environment, concentrating in organisms at the top of the food chain - in apex predators like the Peregrine Falcon. DDT causes eggshells to be thin and weak, unable to support the weight of incubating parents; crushed eggs, of course, lead to reproductive failure. In 1970, Peregrines were listed as endangered species, along with Brown Pelicans and, in 1973, Bald Eagles - all birds detrimentally effected by DDT.
In 1972, DDT was banned in the United States. Along with the ban, captive breeding programs were established to supplement dwindling populations of Peregrine Falcons. As Peregrines have long been prized in falconry, a wide knowledge base and substantial body of people experienced in handling Peregrines contributed greatly to the success of these programs and the reestablishment of local populations. Thanks to the DDT ban, efforts have been successful in recovering a bird that was nearly lost, and as of 1999, North American Peregrine Falcons are no longer considered endangered.
Peregrine Falcons are well known for a behavior called "stooping," a spectacular hunting maneuver in which the falcons dive downwards at rapid speeds from heights of over half a mile to drop on prey (other birds) from above. Once it has spotted its prey from high above, a hunting Peregrine locks onto its target and begins to fly downwards, flapping its wings to propel itself towards the earth. Then the falcon tucks its wings in to increase its aerodynamics, gain maximum speed and become, essentially, a feathered dive-bomber. Peregrines hit their prey at mind-blowing speeds, either catching it midair or knocking it, stunned or killed, to the earth where it can be retrieved. Peregrines have been clocked reaching an astounding 200 miles per hour or more during hunting stoops, making this already fast flyer the world's fastest animal. Regular flight speed of the Peregrine averages around 30 miles per hour, but in direct linear pursuit of prey (not stooping) Peregrines reach nearly 70 miles per hour.
Since the bird in my photos had already caught its prey, watch this short video clip from National Geographic to see a Peregrine Falcon in action!
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| I encountered this Peregrine last year while birding along the coast. After perching for a while, this individual flew off to terrorize a flock of gulls and pigeons roosting on a pier! |
Peregrine Falcons are top predators, preying almost exclusively on other birds (and bats). According to Cornell's site All About Birds, they have been documented preying on 2,000 species of birds worldwide (around 450 in North America), including birds as large as Sandhill Cranes (which is mind-boggling) and as small and agile as hummingbirds and swifts. In cities, they are sustained largely by pigeons, and along the coast they often take ducks and shorebirds. Though they are top predators, Peregrines Falcons may occasionally find themselves the prey of formidable raptors like Gyrfalcons, eagles, and even other Peregrines.
After 30 or 40 minutes of watching this Peregrine Falcon breakfast on a crow, he flew off, perused by the Cooper's Hawk, leaving the wings of the crow and a few pieces of meat behind in the top of the cedar. Almost immediately, the neighborhood's roving band of crows (the diets of which are highly supplemented by pecans from our tree at this time of year) moved in to investigate and pick through the leftovers. (And the finches and sparrows felt safe enough to venture out to the bird feeders!)
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| The other raptor in this backyard wildlife drama: a Cooper's Hawk |
What an incredible wildlife drama to experience, right in my own backyard! It is a mercy that Peregrine Falcons, such beautiful and powerful birds were brought back from the brink, as they are remarkable in many ways. It would be a sad world indeed without these incredible predators.
 |
| An opportunistic American Crow moves in to clean up the Peregrine's leftovers - pieces of crow, one of its own kind. |
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