8 June 2020
We had determined the sex of all four birds as two males and two females. All have been flying exceptionally well. The young males have been showing a lot of speed and agility.
Today, we were alerted by a visitor to Morro Rock that a man had seen a dead juvenile peregrine on the beach on the south side of the Rock parking lot. Three of our crew went to see and verify the sighting. Among the rocks where the sand meets the bluff, it lay wedged between the rocks. A beautiful young falcon in perfect condition.
Any number of things could have happened. I won’t speculate, but I have read that 50% of young birds will not survive their first year. It’s sad, but we will still have three chicks to enjoy.
Happy trails, Bob
Item: When I examined the bird the right wing felt broken, the beak near the right side of the cere was scraped and bleeding and the right eye was injured.
So sorry to hear. But, have really enjoyed seeing the other three doing aerobatics on a daily basis.
Oh no. I hope the other three make it to breeding age.
Yes, we do too!
That is very sad news, Bob. I’m sorry to hear it. Could wind have been a factor? Was it a male or female peregrine?
Hard to say, but we’ll update the information on the dead peregrine in the next post. ~Heather
Oh no! I understand it is not unusual, but still really sad. I’m sorry I didn’t get to say goodbye last week. But thank you Bob for sharing about these beautiful birds at Morro and beyond. You taught me so much. Can’t thank you enough. As it turns out, we did get some decent shots of the peregrines when they came really close to ground. How can I send them to you?
We just sent an email to you for the photos that you’d like to share with us. We certainly appreciate it. Bob is a wonderful resource for peregrine knowledge and other bird information. I’m always amazed at how much he knows! ~Heather