Peregrine Falcon, the speedster
People have trained falcons for hunting for over a thousand years, and the Peregrine Falcon was always one of the most prized birds. Efforts to breed the Peregrine in captivity and reestablish populations depleted during the DDT years were greatly assisted by the existence of methods of handling captive falcons developed by falconers.
The Peregrine Falcon is a very fast flier, averaging 40-55 km/h (25-34 mph) in traveling flight, and reaching speeds up to 112 km/h (69 mph) in direct pursuit of prey. During its spectacular hunting stoop from heights of over 1 km (0.62 mi), the peregrine may reach speeds of 320 km/h (200 mph) as it drops toward its prey.
Visited a raptor presentation today. Birds who survived accidents and mishaps are taken care of by this group of dedicated bird lovers. If after healing, those that can are released back to the wild. But in some cases, the damage is too great and they will not be released, but rather kept and taken care of for the rest of their lives, this falcon was one of those. This one was perched on a handlers arm flapping it's wings. It was nice of her (the falcon) to give me a good chance for a shot.
Peregrine Falcon, the speedster
People have trained falcons for hunting for over a thousand years, and the Peregrine Falcon was always one of the most prized birds. Efforts to breed the Peregrine in captivity and reestablish populations depleted during the DDT years were greatly assisted by the existence of methods of handling captive falcons developed by falconers.
The Peregrine Falcon is a very fast flier, averaging 40-55 km/h (25-34 mph) in traveling flight, and reaching speeds up to 112 km/h (69 mph) in direct pursuit of prey. During its spectacular hunting stoop from heights of over 1 km (0.62 mi), the peregrine may reach speeds of 320 km/h (200 mph) as it drops toward its prey.
Visited a raptor presentation today. Birds who survived accidents and mishaps are taken care of by this group of dedicated bird lovers. If after healing, those that can are released back to the wild. But in some cases, the damage is too great and they will not be released, but rather kept and taken care of for the rest of their lives, this falcon was one of those. This one was perched on a handlers arm flapping it's wings. It was nice of her (the falcon) to give me a good chance for a shot.