Monday, April 27, 2009

Peregrine Falcon Update-Week of April 27th

It's been a while since I posted an update on the Peregrines and that is because it has been very quiet for the past two weeks as they are presumably nesting. For those of you who have been following along, you are well familiar with the ledge the male Peregrine perches on everyday as it appears to be his favorite spot for shade and relaxation, or so I thought.
The weather was nice enough for me to escape on my lunch hour and head over to the parking garage that is closest to this ledge for some decent photos since he hasn't been coming up the the 24th floor of the 446 Main building. I decided I would pay the male a visit and get some shots. What I noticed immediately is that he is not relaxing, but standing guard and watching for potential avian predators.

He spent his entire time on the ledge with his eyes toward the sky searching for threats.


Looking left and looking right.

And here I was thinking he was slacking off while the female sat on the eggs with nothing to do but stare at a steal nesting box. Boy was I wrong! Such a good father keeping an eye out on his gal and their eggs. I actually think he chose this ledge because it is directly across from the nesting box and gives him a better view of the city as it is not blocked by so many buildings.



The last shot is blurry but my favorite. It is blurry because I ran up 7 flights of stairs to see this guy, don't EVER try and take clear shots of anything after running up stairs because your hands will never be steady! HA! Anyhow, when I first got up there he was doing his call and looking around. Suddenly he put up his foot and stared at it. It was so funny that I tried to suppress my giggles but couldn't which caused me to snort like a horse and then laugh out loud. He looked directly at me for a brief moment as he lowered his foot back onto the ledge. I turned my eyes away for a moment to let him know I wasn't a threat and he went about his business. Have I told you I loved this bird??? Notice the white patch on the left of his face. This is the one I have been getting most of my photos of.

To be continued as always.





27 comments:

Chris said...

Excellent, really excellent Kallen. These shots are gorgeous and you had to run up stairs. I guess we all have problems after some efforts to get birds pictures ;-) But there you got a very nice set of pictures of a beautiful bird.

Leedra said...

People think I am crazy with my camera. Bet they get laughs out of watching you watch the falcons.

Leedra’s Photos For FunLeedra’s Greeting CardsPhotography By Leedra

Anonymous said...

Really fabulous shots - love the white spot that shows so well.

Richard said...

Great pictures but I would have used the elevator even though I could use the exercise.

Shelley said...

What a good daddy!! I am laughing thinking about YOU laughing and snorting! LOL!!

MaineBirder said...

Those run and shoot photos always get you. Very fine work on this series!

Betsy Banks Adams said...

What a good Daddy... He's protecting his mate and the potential babies!!!!! Don't we wish that ALL Daddy's were so protective???????

Love your pictures, Kim... You got some great ones today.
Hugs,
Betsy

Rick (Ratty) said...

I really like the birds of prey, especially your falcon. The closest I come to things like in your story is with geese. I guess mine are just a little more tame. :)

Larry said...

You should get some kind of award just for running up 7 flights of stairs! I enjoyed your colorful observations and nice photos.

Unknown said...

Beautiful series of my dream bird. I hope I will be as lucky as you to get my first shots on this bird. They are an elusive species in India.

Amy said...

Great photos. It's so neat that you can really recognize the male from his white cheek patch.

Kelly said...

...really nice photos of the male, and I enjoyed reading your narration. He's such a good papa peregrine!!

troutbirder said...

Great post Kaleen. And you are so lucky to have such a spectacular subject so handy.

Jayne said...

It's so neat to be able to watch along with you Kim. I would be looking forward to work every day! Great photos!

Anonymous said...

A beautiful bird. I like them.

Anonymous said...

I like the PF too! Any info/updates on the injured Coopers Hawk?

Anonymous said...

You are so lucky to be so close to this on a daily basis. I am so jealous.

Allison said...

What--don't you nonchalantly stare at your feet as if you didn't know where they came from? Tee hee. Great post!

Ginnymo said...

I love this post Kim!!! How awesome you get to watch him all the time...Can't wait for young ones to appear!!! Great shots!!! Be careful of those stairs!! LOL

NCmountainwoman said...

I do love the Peregrine posts. And I appreciate your running up the stairs for us.

A New England Life said...

You are so lucky to be watching these birds on a regular basis, Kim. He's a handsome fella and a good mate : )

Deborah Godin said...

Love this ongoing narrative in words and photos. And got a chuckle out of you catching him in an awkward moment, and laughing!

Rene said...

Fantastic! I have yet to see a Peregrine Falcon.

Steve said...

Good to see he's taking his duties seriously. Nice series of pictures.

Mary said...

Wonderful shots...even after running upstairs :-) That last one is rather funny.

Vickie said...

Wonder what he was looking at on his foot. Its so much fun to follow their lives and progress. Great visit with your peregrine!

FAB said...

Thanks for the update Kim. Great to see 'dad' fully in command of his space.

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