After my post yesterday, all about my job getting the way, it presents me with bird number 56.
I work directly in the middle of the city. Yonge & Bloor, Toronto. There are not a lot of species to be had from my office on the 17th floor, save a few raptors and pigeons. I often watch the action from my desk. I've witnessed the death of many a pigeon from there. Yesterday afternoon, I was sitting in a really important meeting discussing some ongoing projects with my bosses. Suddenly, they both see that my attention is not where it should be any more. I'm sure they notice this all the time. My mind tends to wander at the best of times. What caught my attention this time was a big Red-tailed Hawk circling just outside the window. Nice to see but I already have that species for my Big Year. Then, out of nowhere, a Peregrine Falcon whips through my field of vision. It missed the mark but was quick to fly up above the hawk again. It got a certain height, recoiled it's wings and dove again. The speed at which it did this was, as usual, incredible. The second time it didn't miss. The hawk dropped lower in the air from the impact. This happened over and over as the hawk tried to escape the beating. For those that don't know, a Peregrine Falcon is smaller than a Red-tailed Hawk. It was a bit of a David and Goliath situation. Fun to watch. The hawk eventually got out of the area owned by the Peregrine. The falcon perched on top of the CIBC building on the North-West corner of the intersection as if to say, "Tell your friends what happened here today!"
So, thanks DDB for species number 56.
Peregrine Falcon
Total birds to date: 56
Paul Riss
Punk Rock Big Year
No comments:
Post a Comment