I recently shared a beautiful few minutes with an adult Peregrine Falcon I found perched along the dirt road to the Visitor’s Center at Eastern Neck NWR.
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Peregrine Falcon (adult)
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The Peregrine Falcon is found on all continents except Antarctica.
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Peregrine Falcon
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It was a partly cloudy morning and I saw blue sky was setting up to appear in the background. I moved my car up a little closer, very slowly.
Oh no, I thought, it’s going to fly; and I really didn’t want it to.
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Peregrine Falcon
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It must have heard me 😉 and settled back down.
The Peregrine Falcon is fast, averaging 25-34 mph (40-55 km/h) in traveling flight, and reaching speeds up to 69 mph (112 km/h) in direct pursuit of prey. Incredibly, it can hunt from heights over 0.62 miles (1 km), then speed-drop to its prey, reaching up to 200 mph (320 km/h).
A couple more shots and I slowly pulled away. Yes, with a smile a mile wide!
