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July 29, 2009
Try... Peregrine Falcons
Ok... sometimes it takes me a while to finally see what is going on around me. I noticed something different about the nature of things near our home. I thought it was more about the drought than anything else, but there seemed to be fewer birds in and around our yard. Actually, almost no birds, is more like it... except for these bigger versions that are part of the raptor family.
I saw my neighbor in the early evening with his puppy Chihuahua in his front yard, and decided to mention to him to carefully watch over his puppy, as there is this hawk family living in the area. He said he thought they were Peregrine Falcons, and that he has lots of pictures of them already! I told him that I thought these birds where too big to be falcons, but then he said they looked them up and they are the right size. Hmmmm.
I promptly went into my home to check this out, and he was absolutely correct... about 16 to 20 inches long, and the pictures coming up on Google were mostly matching what I have been seeing. As I looked further into the habits of this fast flying bird, it was also clear to me what their favorite food is ... other birds! My stomach felt a small knot develop, even though I find these birds most captivating, I was made aware that all those beautiful birds I loved so much, have either flown the coop or have become another bird’s fodder.
As my partner prepared to leave for his office that same evening, he opened the door and immediately summoned me to his side. I quickly walked over to find a large bird sitting on top of his car, just looking at us like we were as familiar to him as his parents. We walked out to see what would happen, but he still sat there, either unafraid, or just too naive to know that we could be a possible threat.
A moment later, he was on a small, low branch of the nearby Magnolia tree, and I walked toward him to see how close he would tolerate my presence... just a couple of feet, and he still looked at me like I was a curiosity, but more like the same interest a house cat might have as it grooms itself.
I have become attached to his visits, while his parents screech from above, and he answers with a the same high pitched call... so tender these communications. It was beginning to get dark, so I turned to go into the house, and he flew very low to the ground to a tree across the street.
I miss the other birds, and can only hope that most have just found another area to live. I miss the cooing of the Mourning Doves, the beautiful songs of the Mocking Birds, and even the screeching of the Blue Jays, who have learned to imitate their predators with these calls. The only sounds I hear are the constant cicadas buzzing away, and the calls of this marvelous falcon family, as they make this area their home.
Posted by kay at July 29, 2009 04:29 PM