I was picking up a package for my wife, and when I came out of the back
entrance, onto Thomas Street, I caught a glimpse of a non-crow large bird
zipping into a nearby tree. I went to check (of course, without my binocs),
and spotted a medium-sized falcon, irritated with me for blowing its cover.

It buzzed across a parking lot and into a different tree, where I was able
to get a good look at it -- I couldn't make out any facial markings at all,
but there was distinct horizontal fine barring across the breast, shading
from buffy near the throat to gray farther posterior. The tail was
distinctly horizontally barred.

It was still ticked off at me, and after glaring for a minute and doing some
head-bobs, flew off with its prey in hand -- err, talon -- I think it was a
starling, but didn't get a clean look.

I'm not at all sure of the ID, but process of elimination leads me to
peregrine: the breast markings and size rule out merlin, so what else could
it be? No way it's a gyrfalcon (and too small anyway). But the lack of
facial markings makes me wonder; the head seemed to be quite featureless,
just a generalized pale gray. Size modestly bigger than a crow, but
considerably more chunky.

Is there a well-known peregrine hanging out in the Cascade neighborhood? Or
did I just get lucky? (or, since I didn't have my binocs or camera,
unlucky?)

-Josh