Today I was contacted by Quarry Hill Nature Center to investigate a
report of an injured Peregrine Falcon on the 12th floor balcony of
one of Rochester's high-rise condominium buildings. According to the
resident it had been present on the balcony for two and a half hours.
When I arrived I saw a Peregrine, soaking wet, sitting in the middle
of a pot of chrysanthemums. What a silly looking site that bird was.
I hope they send me pictures.
Anyway, going through one set of glass doors, I tried to approach the
bird but it became very agitated and started to try to escape through
the palings of the balcony railing. It finally hopped out of its
flower pot roost on to the balcony deck. Now I am very concerned that
the bird will fall twelve stories to the ground if it is injured so I
started to move faster to close in with my net.
To make this a short story, the bird managed to squeeze through the
railing and took off like a shot towards the water tower by Saint
Mary's Hospital ten blocks to the west. It was obviously a young bird
unable to figure out how to get over the balcony railing, preferring
to sit in the rain in a pot of chrysanthemums!
Bill
P.S. I did not get to see if the bird was banded but I suspect it is
one that fledged here earlier in the year.
O. William (Bill) Bruins, Jr.
Rochester, MN, on the Zumbro River
Home phone: Five Zero Seven - Two Eight One - One Six Zero Seven
Cell: Five Zero Seven - Two Zero Two - One Two Eight Four
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