FreeLists / tn-bird / [TN-Bird] Peregrine takes a dive......gets rock pigeon in West Nashville

[Dthomp2669@xxxxxxx]

Good Morning Birders,  
 
Please forgive this late post.  Right after my peregrine  sighting, I had to 
leave for a doctor's appointment.  Due to the  short term memory loss I've 
been experiencing, I forgot about it until the bird  (or another one) just flew 
through the yard "on patrol."  It flew on, as  there was no action on my deck 
or down through the neighbor yards at the moment  which is VERY unusual.  Maybe 
my feeder birds "psyched in" on the bird's  presence in the area and took 
cover.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 
Here in the Charlotte Park area of West Nashville yesterday morning just a  
little before 9 A.M., I was looking out the kitchen window through which I can  
see the backyards of all the houses on the streets bisecting mine.  The  
entire area is a little wider than a football field and the length of three  
football fields.  Just above the third house behind mine, an  adult peregrine 
falcon went into a dive toward a flock of rock pigeons that  were feeding on 
the 
ground of that back yard.  Suddenly, there was  CONTACT,..... and peregrine got 
its meal which it took to a fairly low branch in  another neighbor's cedar 
tree while a startled flock of 20+ rock pigeons  scattered in every direction, 
then regrouped and FLED!!!!
 
That is the third time that I can remember the thrill of seeing a peregrine  
dive from high in the air to SUCCESSFULLY get a bird meal below.  The first  
time was at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge in Florida while I was a 
graduate  student at FSU in Tallahassee in 1967.  I was parked alongside the  
main 
pond with the top down.  I looked up into the air and saw the  peregrine diving 
at top speed.  It came right over the car and into the  middle of hundreds of 
ducks in the pond, snatched a gadwall and somehow managed  to lug the bird to 
the branch of a pine tree several hundred feet away where it  proceeded to 
eat.  The second time was downtown Nashville at Christ  Episcopal Cathedral 
several years ago when a peregrine dove from high above the  parking lot toward 
a 
flock of rock pigeons on the cathedral roof, grabbed one  and flew up onto a 
small structure on the roof and began its meal.  Of  course, I've seen a few 
start to dive and give up when the bird(s) flew OR  (horror of horrors) the 
peregrine MISSED.  I think I've only seen one miss,  but I've seen them have to 
give up mid-dive because the hoped-for meal saw them  coming and "got the heck 
out of Dodge!"
 
May birding give us all many peregrines and other fabulous birds!
 
Dee Thompson
Nashville, TN
 


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