I was walking along the north side of the Greyhound-Voyageur bus station downtown one afternoon early this month, and noticed this fellow sitting up on the wall, quite at ease and peering down at pedestrians passing by. I made inquiries with a bird expert who writes a weekly column for the Ottawa Citizen; he informs me this is an immature peregrine falcon.
What a beautiful sighting!
ReplyDeleteHow amazing that he stood so still! Great capture. :)
ReplyDeleteWow he was close, your lucky he stayed where he was
ReplyDeleteNice to watch a wild bird so close, he made a city trip perhaps :)
ReplyDeleteSuch an impressive sight!
ReplyDeletewow - great shots
ReplyDeleteisn't he wonderful! love his dark eye stripes.
ReplyDelete@Linda: indeed!
ReplyDelete@Halcyon: he was a graceful poser.
@Bill: he seemed quite patient.
@Marianne: some of them live here, and do a good job keeping the pigeon population in check.
@Marleen: definitely.
@Hilary: thanks
@Tex: he was formidable.
I saw one in the middle of the road last night, perhaps feasting. Formidable, indeed.
ReplyDeleteJanis
GDP
What a great start to the day:) A real treasure of a bird.
ReplyDeleteIt's unusual to have one just sit so close to humans. Maybe it's looking for a small enough human for dinner?
ReplyDeleteGreat catch! He seems to be so calm sitting there.
ReplyDeletePeregrine falcons quite often nest on tall buildings. We have one that's nested for years on the O of the sign for a hotel. It's on the seventh floor.
ReplyDelete@Janis: it was great to see him.
ReplyDelete@Denise: definitely!
@Lowell: I think if there had been excitable children or a dog around, the bird would have flown off. Myself and two other pedestrians who were there at the time gave him his space and were quiet. He seemed perfectly comfortable, though he was definitely keeping an eye on all of us.
@Sharon: He was!
@Red: it's likely this fellow has quarters up on a rooftop in the area. Since he's young, he may well have been born on one of those roofs.
Wonderful shots of this Peregrine falcon. I've never seen one around here so close.
ReplyDeleteAbout me and my blog: I won’t be blogging full speed ahead right away, but I will tell something more about that in the coming days.
Great sighting! It didn't fly away but stay still for you to take its photos!
ReplyDeleteWOW!! That was pretty exciting for you to see.
ReplyDeletenow is it hawk watching William, or the William watching the hawk? i know when i saw an eagle recently i was super excited to take pics but then i get really weirder out 'cause i felt like he or she was so watching me take those pics ... i don't know if eagle like people meat or not? LOL! ( :
ReplyDeleteImmature or not, he could probably still rip your arm off!
ReplyDeleteWhat a thrill! He looks so very calm, William.
ReplyDeletePeregrines are common to a mountain peak near where I live. When they go into a nest to birth their young they are protected and people are kept out of range.
ReplyDeleteGosh, I would love to be able to get this close. Great shots.
ReplyDeleteTo think that it is sitting calmly in the middle of traffic noise. This is wonderful find.
ReplyDelete@Jan: it is good to see you back!
ReplyDelete@Nancy: I imagine the bird knew nobody was coming any closer, and also knew he could just as easily fly away.
@Pamela: I was very pleased to get to see him.
@Beth: he was definitely looking right at me a couple of times. It's fascinating to have that sort of eye contact with a wild animal.
@Norma: he could do some damage if he wanted to!
@RedPat: he was. Totally at ease with his surroundings. Odds are he lives somewhere in the area, and so knows it very well.
@Catalyst: here when they're nesting, it's usually on office building rooftops, out of any human contact.
@Lauren: it was a treat to see him.
@Orvokki: he didn't mind at all. The bus station is busy much of the day and evening, though the street I was on tends to be a fairly quiet one, in terms of traffic.
Oh, yeah! You were being watched. :-)
ReplyDeleteFantastic. You are so lucky.
ReplyDeleteHe is magnificent as very much at ease with having his photo taken :)
ReplyDeleteWow what an impressing fellow to meet in the street - Lucky day!
ReplyDeleteHow great to see the falcon and not have him/her fly away. Maybe it's going to hitch a ride on the bus. Maybe not!!
ReplyDeleteNice shot though.
MB
Whoa. What a great site.
ReplyDeleteNice sighting! Lucky you! You're lucky it stayed still long enough for you to catch some great shots.
ReplyDeleteA majestic bird, William !
ReplyDeleteHe's a little beauty William, even at this immature age it's a magnificent predator!
ReplyDeletealways a fan of birds of prey. so cool in their unique coloring. ( :
ReplyDeleteWhat a gift!
ReplyDeleteWow. This little guy seems to be quite content to sit still awhile, unperturbed by the curious passers by.
ReplyDelete@Revrunner: it was quite an experience.
ReplyDelete@Mari: I was that day.
@Debs: he was totally relaxed.
@Birgitta: it was quite something to see.
@MB: it wouldn't surprise me if it made its home nearby, perhaps on some rooftop.
@Whisk: it was!
@Kay: he was quite cooperative.
@Karl: definitely!
@Grace: he'd give mice a serious problem.
@Beth: that's true.
@Jennifer: it was.
@Gemma: he was in his element.