Tweets - for those of you not following the 'raptor cams' here and there
around the world, the following is an interesting note from the Hamilton,
Ontario, peregrine falcon nest on the Sheraton Hotel. Hope Seattle's
almost-downtown redtails steer clear of peregrine territory early next month!

Diann MacRae
Bothell, WA
tvulture at halcyon.com

Following is the quote:

Tuesday, May 26
Nadine reports: Today when I went in the adults were once again where they
seem to like it best:
one was on the camera overlooking the nest, the other on the Ellen
Fairclough rooftop.
-- The chicks were *very* active today. One in particular is determined to
flap those wings and run.
The trouble is, she can only flap those wings and keep her balance if she
points nose down and tail
end up! Her run is quite comical still too: she does some sort of
run-hop/skip combination. But hey,
she knows what she is, and she knows already what she wants to do, and
she's going for it.
-- There were regular feedings throughout the morning.
-- Then the adults took out a young red-tailed hawk in a one-two
combination that was apparently
nothing short of spectacular. I have to say "apparently" because I didn't
actually see this happen, I
just saw the hawk when some people brought it into the Falcon Watch Suite
in a box. But a lot of
people did see, and here is what they report: a red-tailed hawk appeared
downtown about 20
stories up. Both peregrines came screaming after it. One stooped and
delivered a blow that knocked
the hawk, but the hawk recovered its balance and continued to fly. Then the
second peregrine flew
in from *below* the hawk, and delivered a blow that sent the hawk down like
a rock. It landed on
the road right at King and James. It was alive when people rescued it and
brought it in to the Suite,
but died before reaching the Wild Bird Clinic in Guelph.
-- When I left today, both peregrines were doing wide circles on thermals
and slow glides over the
building rooftops in the downtown core.

This came from the "Field Notes" section at
<http://www.peregrine-foundation.ca>