Thursday, March 5, 2009

Another Thursday of Fire & Falcons




This is the second week in a row where I am going to blog about seeing fire and falcons. The fire broke out in downtown Worcester at approx. 2:30PM today. It started in an apartment complex and from what I understand everyone got out okay. I am hoping the same can be said for pets. The church next door caught fire on its steeple and the photo above are the fire fighters trying to keep it hosed down to lesson some of the damage to this beautiful church.




A street view of the chaos. Traffic out of downtown Worcester was a nightmare.


One of 5 news helicopters surveying the scene.


A glimpse of the flames that exploded suddenly out of the roof of the apartment complex.


Our brave firefighters trying to put out the monster fire.


For more details you can go to Channel 7 News




Here is the male falcon perching on a nearby ledge as the fire smoldered. Finally he decided to go see his mate who was on the ledge of the Unum building watching the billowing smoke clouds and all of the surrounding chaos.


Here is the gal watching the fire from the ledge. It is not the best picture, but you can see she has her beak open while watching this. It was funny to observe the falcons with sirens going off and helicopters buzzing nearby. Nothing really seems to faze them and they have adapted to urban life rather well. A woman was on the balcony with me when I was taking pictures of the fire and falcons and asked me what I knew about the birds. She told me she saw the birds going to the ledge all the time and couldn't understand why. She also thought they were hawks and I explained to her the differences between the two species and also told her that this is where they will nest over the summer and have baby falcons. She was happy to learn all of this and is going to tell her little girl this evening over dinner. She has been telling her daughter about these birds that fly by her window all the time but didn't know anything about them. The little girl likes hearing the bird stories and now she has more to tell. Another future birder??







15 comments:

Anonymous said...

I saw the coverage on the Fox news Channel today. Good to hear no one was hurt!

Let's hope the little girl turns out to be a birder one day. Maybe you could be her mentor. :)

Anonymous said...

Great photos of both the fire & falcons - Good job!

Leedra said...

That is how little birders grow up to be big birders. We can't get it out of our blood once it is there. I have a 1st cousin that used to have a license to have Falcons (years ago), I remember when he was younger he had turkeys. We thought he was weird.
Now look at us.

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Shelley said...

Your coverage and photos of the fire would qualify you for a great newscaster! And how great that you know have influenced the next generation of birders! I really think they should have Birdy Ambassadors!

A New England Life said...

Your working in the perfect spot! Nothing escapes your camera or eye.

I too hope all the animals were okay. Looks like the birds are just as curious as everyone else!

Betsy Banks Adams said...

I also heard about the fire on Fox News. Thanks for sharing.. I'm glad the falcons are okay. Beautiful pictures of them. I especially like the last one. It's neat that the woman will share the falcon story with her daughter.. That's how bird interest begins!!!!

Thanks!
Hugs,
Betsy

Anonymous said...

What a story your pictures tell. Wonderful, clear photos and the falcons are amazing.

Anonymous said...

It's nice to help people learn about the birds...we have to get the kids interested to save the planet..

Dawn Fine said...

Darn...more fires...
Glad no one was hurt...and like you said..hopefully no animals either..

Kelly said...

...your photo of the raging flames is scary--those poor people. Interesting to hear your account of the falcons watching, taking everything in stride. And...if her mom lets her look at your blog, she'll be a birder in no time!

Anonymous said...

Good news that nobody was hurt. The info about the falcons was very interesting.

Chris said...

Hi,
I would like to say great pictures of the fire, but I cannot... Mainly because I think about people who are loosing their belongs and sometime their life, even if it was not the case here. But you covered the event like a very good photograph and a very good journalist!!! Maybe you should try to sell them in a newspaper!!!
Bu the falcon pictures are really good even if they were far away...
And yes you probably change the wolrd today by giving the opportunity to a little girl to at least watch nature differently and maybe be a birdwatcher one day!!!

Jayne said...

How sad for those who lost their homes. Glad the church was spared. And glad the falcons took it all in stride.

troutbirder said...

My goodness. That's quite a story. Glad to hear the falcons continue to cope with the chaos of city life.

KGMom said...

Is this the first year the falcons have nested where you are?
If so, people who are falcon friends will need to be around when the eyasses fledge. While falcons have adapted to city life--sirens and all--they need help negotiating all the aerial hazards, e.g. wires. Frequently baby falcons land on sidewalks or streets and get killed.
Here in central PA, when our baby falcons begin to fly, there is a group of people who watch them and help rescue them if they land in dangerous places.

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