The other day I took this picture in my back yard. The Mystery Bird has been identified. It seems to be a Peregrine falcon. A friend said it was an endangered bird. So I looked it up.
It seems that the wide use of DDT (an insecticide) widely used in the mid 21st century made the egg shells of these birds too thin to hold the weight of the nesting parents. Joni Mitchell even sang about it. Anyway, they have made a miraculous recovery.
They can live up to 17 years. AND...their name means 'wanderer'. A Peregrine is a falconers bird of choice.
Prey is caught in mid-flight. They hit their prey with a half-closed foot, and either catch it in the air, or retrieve it after it hits the ground. It seems to me this one is a young one. It can be fifteen inches in length with a 40 inch wing span. It's diving speed is 82 miles and hour and can fly, flat out at 62 miles and hour.
I find this all amazing.
How lucky for me to have had such a visitor.
Class is over.
******************************************************************************
RSS Feed