lirralirra

Peregrine Falcons are the Rocky Balboas of the bird world – just look at that physique!

Peregrine Falcons are one of the most impressive raptors, bold and intimidating. They soar to great heights and dive on their prey at speeds of up to 300kmph. They feed mainly on rabbits and small to medium sized birds. A few years ago I saw a Spotted Dove erupt into a huge ball of feathers when hit by a peregrine. It was astounding.

I saw this bird at a facility that cares for injured and orphaned raptors. Hopefully it has now been released back into the wild. They occur across Australia but are not common.

Peregrine Falcons mate for life and nest on cliff edges, large abandoned nests and tree hollows. In urban environments they sometimes nest on window ledges of high rise buildings. A pair in Melbourne regularly use the same ledge and a webcam was set up to capture the chicks as they grow. If you’re interested in seeing footage you could type ‘peregrine falcons Melbourne’ into your search engine or click this link: Melbourne’s Peregrine Falcon chicks

Happy birding, Kim

~ Facebook page Kim Wormald – lirralirra
~ Facebook group  Ethical Bird Photography

PS I will answer last week’s comments as soon as I can