The falcons don't like any intruders in their territory, either human or other birds. This week, an eyewitness reports: “Saw someone attacking some Turkey Vultures passing through downtown yesterday. I was near a window on the 46th floor, and just glanced out. I caught that grey *woosh* out of the corner of my eye. They stand out like sore thumbs from above. Whoever it was sped very fast and crashed into a vulture. Spun around in a quick circle and hit it again. The vulture quickly veered course and headed east with its mates. The falcon made one more loop and landed on one of the higher ledges of the Terminal Tower. I don't think it was trying to get a meal, it wasn't stooping. Just defending the square, I would guess.”
Here is a turkey vulture. It is a very large bird, with a wingspan of about six feet, while Buckeye is about the size of a crow.
Here is description of a hunting dive (a "stoop") from an eyewitness who works in a nearby office:
"Saw Buckeye in a stoop. He went past my office window in an absolute vertical dive at a speed that startled me. It occurred at a moment (split second) that I happened to be glancing out the window at the lake. He missed his intended target, which I never saw, and flew to the top of the Marion Bldg. on West 3rd. Street. He stayed there for about three minutes and then flew to the roof of the Justice Center. I can only say that this bird's speed was incredible---like a bullet shot!!! I know their speed is estimated to be approximately 200MPH--but to actually see it is an incredible experience. I believe it was Buckeye based only on the size of the falcon."
After the prey has been struck (people who have witnessed a strike say it looks like an explosion of feathers) the peregrine must catch the prey as it falls. If the prey is not dead, peregrines will bite the neck of the victim to finish it off, and they have a special notch in their beak for this purpose.
Here is Buckeye watching over his territory - Public Square is in the center of downtown Cleveland, Ohio.
Peregrine falcons are fierce predators, and they hunt and eat other birds. One of the reasons they have moved into cities is because there are so many birds available to hunt year-round. Peregrines often dive for their food, a method that achieves great speed. A straight-down dive with wings folded to the sides is called a "stoop", and speed may reach 200 miles per hour (320 km/h). It’s hard to get a picture of a bird flying this fast, but here’s one caught at the beginning of a stoop.
Mr. Wright, who has monitored this nestsite for the past 14 years, adds: "Actually, the speed is more like 250mph! I had a radar gun lent to me by MPH, (a company in Kentucky that makes radar guns for the police) and I had the gun for two years. I had Szell (an earlier male peregrine falcon at this nestsite) at over 250mph." The falcon uses its talons to strike and/or grasp the prey in flight, and the impact is usually strong enough to kill the prey instantly.
The chicks will be hatching soon! SW sleeps as she waits.
Our thanks to the Cleveland Museum of Natural History for sponsoring the FalconCams.
The photo of the turkey vulture is courtesy of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. All others are courtesy of Scott Wright, volunteer peregrine nest monitor. They may be used by children for school and/or personal projects, but please give Mr. Wright photo credit. All others must contact Mr. Wright directly for permission to use his photos.
