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From: rk30+@andrew.cmu.edu (Ruth Kline)
Newsgroups: rec.birds
Subject: Encounter with a Peregrine
Message-ID: <wbmKd2y00WBLA2emNQ@andrew.cmu.edu>
Date: 25 Feb 91 19:49:22 GMT
Organization: School of Urban and Public Affairs, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA
Lines: 34

I am not a regular reader of this net as I have no
pet birds, but thought you all might be interested
in hearing about an encounter I had last week with
a Peregrine Falcon.  It was something I'll never
forget!  I live in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, which
last year introduced Peregrine Falcons in an
attempt to control the pigeon population.  Peregrines
feed exclusively on other birds.  Last week I got home
from work about 5:30 -- nearing dusk at this time of
year.  I opened my back door to let my two dogs out
into the backyard and beheld this sight:  a Peregrine
(male, I believe) devouring a pigeon that he was holding
in one claw.  This was happening no further than 10-12
feet away!  As soon as he heard the door, he looked
up, spread his magnificent wings and literally did
a vertical takeoff.  He flaped his wings -- they had
to have at least a 36" spread -- about three times, and
by that time he was 15 feet off the ground.  All this
time he was looking down at me.  And I was absolutely
spellbound.  Then he did a quick bank, a 180 degree turn
and was gone.  What a spectacle!  But the thing that
was most impressive was the silence of it all.  The only
sound was the air displacement as those big wings did
their job.  It was a sight I never thought I'd see in
the city.  BTW, he left the pigeon where it was.  Interestingly,
he devoured the head first -- beak and all -- and had just torn
open the craw which was full of freshly eaten cracked corn
and grain.  At least the poor guy died with a full tummy.
Do any netters know of other cities that have tried this
anti-pigeon solution?  Do any netters know more about
Peregrine's nesting habits?  They are such large birds,
I wonder where they build nests?  I'd appreciate any
information on Peregrines.  It's hard to imagine such
magnificent creatures adapting to a city environment.


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