Falcons in Fort Wayne

[Beverlybaynes]

Peregrine Falcons were reintroduced to Indiana in 1992, and my home, Fort Wayne, was the site of one of the first two releases.

The utility AEP has maintained a hack/nestbox atop One Summit Square, our tallest building (26 storeys) ever since.

The coolest part is that AEP maintains a camera on the nest. A good birding buddy on mine has been a monitor for the DNR since the beginning, and he hooked up camera for this season just a week ago -- and just in time, as the year's first egg appeared Friday -- the first day of spring!!

Wanna see?

http://www.aep.com/environmental/stewardship/falconcam/birdcam.asp

o:)

[Yve_M]

Hi Beverly. Thanks for posting this link, you are right it is cool. I have added it to my favourites and will check on the falcons regularly. Good day for this kind of birding, it has been raining all morning and it doesn't look like it will let up. Should help the snow melt more quickly.

[Andrew]

Glad you will be able to see Peregrines. We love them over this side of the pond. They often hunt on the coast in bird rich estuaries. Is this release site near the coast or near plenty of prey birds?

[Beverlybaynes]

Andrew, this site is smack dab in the middle of a city of 200,000! But downtown is loaded with Rock Doves and Starlings, so prey is plentiful. It's less than a mile from the confluence of three rivers, plus Fort Wayne is a relatively woody city: lots of shady neighborhoods and quite a few parks. So they don't have to go far to find food.

A couple of years ago, I was on the telephone with someone who has a window office on the 5th floor of a building a couple of blocks from the nest site. We were chatting when he burst out, "Holy sh*t! A peregrine just stooped on a Red-Tail, right outside my window!"

The red-tail was injured slightly in the stoop/fall, and was recovered by rescue volunteers from a local raptor rehab organization. He recovered, so I am told, was eventually released back to the wild.

And in spite of all this drama just a couple of miles from home, I STILL haven't seen a peregrine in the wild!! I am determined to change that this year!!

[esmondb]

Originally posted by Beverlybaynes
I STILL haven't seen a peregrine in the wild!! I am determined to change that this year!!

Good luck. When you finally see one, I guarantee you will be left open-mouthed by the beauty and grace of this bird.

[Andrew]

Hope you see one in hunt mode, they will glide gently then twist and dive at a million miles an hour and swoop back up with prey. The fastest bird for it's size in Britain as far as I know.

[Beverlybaynes]

Andrew, when a peregrine is stooping, I think it's the fastest land mammal of all!!

I have had the opportunity to see a wonderful tundra race peregrine quite closely -- he's being kept by a local rehabber as an education bird. He was terribly injured in flying through a window, nearly tearing off his left wing. The wing was eventually amputated at the 'shoulder' but he has recovered beautifully. He's a small, dark falcon, very nearly blue, and perfectly gorgeous!!

[Beverlybaynes]

What a lovely thought, Spar!

And not to belittle it, or the peregrines, I think Turkey Vultures and Tree Swallows live the same way.

[Wingwatcher]

Thanks for sharing, Beverly. Great bird. I've seen them in action before and they ARE fast. Up to 200mph on a dive. They have been on the increase gradually, here. I'll bookmark this.