The Story of Meeting a Peregrine Falcon Walking in a Hurry in the Park - Part 1
Hello, I'm Shirochi.
When I save photos to Amazon Photos, opening them brings up 'On this day' memories from the past three years, and I always find myself looking back at them with nostalgia, thinking, 'Oh, that's right...'
When you go birdwatching, sometimes unexpected things happen, and come to think of it, I had an encounter like this on that day three years ago.
That day, at the park entrance, as I started walking with my binoculars and camera as usual,
a bird of prey crossed my path in a hurry.
I doubted my eyes at a sight I was seeing for the first time,
and I blinked and looked again, wondering if it was some kind of costume.
of course, there was no zipper on its back.
It was a living, walking peregrine falcon.
I quietly followed behind the peregrine falcon, which reminded me of the rabbit from John Tenniel's illustrations.
There was nothing unnatural about the way it walked,
it didn't seem to be injured,
and it had no leg band.
What on earth could have happened?
The peregrine falcon stopped in a clearing with some low trees.
Its eyes, staring straight at me, were clear and seemed to draw me in.
It also looked like it had a troubled expression.
the peregrine falcon staring intently at me
It felt like time had stopped.
While watching over the peregrine falcon, which seemed to have some circumstances, I conveyed the situation to my birdwatching mentor and the local wildlife protection consultant. They advised me, 'If it's in a park, gently guide it into the shade of a tree and step away to observe it. Keep your distance and be careful of its talons.'
There is no one nearby, but it's dangerous if you approach carelessly ⚠️
The Wild Bird Society of Japan's website, under 'Found an injured bird,' also lists contact information for wildlife agencies in each region.
In cases of mild concussion or temporary shock, they often recover in a few hours just by being kept warm and still, so please avoid peeking into the box repeatedly or making noise in the vicinity.
Could it have suffered a temporary shock?
I noticed someone else nearby watching over the peregrine falcon in the same way, and when I spoke to them, it turned out to be someone related to the park.
According to them, the peregrine falcon had been sitting still in the parking lot, so it was shooed away because it was dangerous with cars coming.
Perhaps it had been damaged after missing a high-speed hunting dive (the fastest speed is said to exceed 300 km/h).
The peregrine falcon staring at me and not moving
Maybe it's waiting for someone to come?
I'm worried, but I should definitely leave quickly.
We quietly herded it toward the shade of the trees and then stepped away.
Fortunately, it is a quiet place with no one around, so there is no risk of people accidentally getting too close, and the falcon should be able to rest its mind and body at its own pace.
To be continued in the second part.