Peregrine Falcons In Hamilton

[+Amazon Annie]

I don't know if you're aware of this but there are a couple of Peregrine falcons who come to the Hamilton Sherton Hotel and check in each year to hatch their chicks.

 

This is a link to the Web Cam where you can watch the eggs and the chicks hatch.

If you're lucky, you can see the parents bring in some food and even watch the chicks on their first flights.

 

In the last couple of days while out caching I swear we came across one of these on the trees above us. One was out in the RBG while we were doing Lookout, Lookout, Lookout today (which I recommend highly). They are HUGE birds and it's well worth keeping an eye out for them.

[Peregrine007]

Sounds neat! Peregrines are not usually very large though...(normally they're about the size of a crow).

[+Amazon Annie]

Thanks Team Phonenix, I guess it's the speed that they are known for rather than size.

 

A Peregrine Falcon hunting dive or "stoop" can reach speeds of 330 km per hour.

 

Almost as fast as some local cachers I know!

[+Sparky-Watts]

I have an aunt and a cousin that work for State Farm insurance in Chicago, and a pair of them have been nesting every year just outside my cousin's office window on the 15th floor. He's got some fantastic pictures of them.

 

Back in 1990, we had a terrible windstorm here which uprooted hundreds of trees. As I was clearing the trees that fell on my parents' house, I came across a peregrine falcon. He looked quite dazed and frightened (wouldn't you if you had been caught in a 115mph straight wind?) and just sat there on a branch of the fallen tree, a few feet above the ground for most of the day. We just worked around him, as we figured he needed time to regain his composure. I've got some really nice pictures of him somewhere (it was back in the day before my digital camera and scanner, or I'd post them). Along about evening, he shook off the dirt and debris that had collected in his wings, and took to the skies. They really are magnificent birds to watch, and I cherish the time I got to spend so close to one for a day.

[davwil]

I have seen pictures of Peregrine falcons that had nested under the girders of the bridge that crosses Saint John Harbour in New Brunswick. They are definately very 'tenacious' birds. There is alot of traffic that they have to endure.

 

The birds are starting to return after we stopped using DDT.(?!?)

 

My story is:

 

We had seen two Bald Eagles around the lake where we have our cottage (aka:camp) for a couple of years. They were mature eagles and obviously liked the fishing in the area and I hoped they were looking for a nest. We could spot them riding the air currents and going from lake to lake looking for fish.

 

One day I watched a yearling (I'm not sure exactly how one should refer to a bird of this age) dive onto the lake looking for a meal. She (He) couldn't get enough airspeed and had to land on a nearby dock to eat.

 

Later that week we were driving down the same road road to our camp in our white Mini Voyageur van when I heard this 'Whoosh... Whoosh" sound...

 

You guessed it... the young eagle was riding the bow wave from the front of our vehicle and I got to actually watch an eagle flying for 10 or so seconds.

 

They are truly a wonderful bird.