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The Original All Roller Talk Discussion Board Archive >
good reading after losing birds
good reading after losing birds
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trevsta65
197 posts
Oct 18, 2007
10:46 PM
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THREE years after poison claimed the last birds of prey to nest in the city, peregrine falcons have swept into town to a high-rise eyrie.
A pair of the falcons, and three fluffy chicks, have made a cosy home for themselves on a window ledge a dizzying 36 floors above Collins St.
It's a perfect vantage point for the parents to spy the next takeaway meal.
Soaring through city skies, they feast on quail picked off at the Altona wetlands, ducks swooped on at Albert Park lake, and screeching cockatoos dived on in the Royal Botanic Gardens.
But the meal most often on their menu are pigeons, seized mid-flight.
The fastest animal on earth, a peregrine falcon dives on its prey at up to 350km/h.
The sheer force of the bird's striking talons stuns the doomed victim, which is then whisked back home to a simple box, filled with sand, fixed to the window ledge.
The city lost its last pair of falcons when one caught an illegally baited pigeon, a final deadly meal the birds unwittingly shared with their chicks.
The new chicks, two males and a female, are believed to be 17 days old. Their grey-white fluffy down will be shed in about a fortnight as they prepare to take wing.
Volunteers yesterday weighed, measured and banded the chicks.
The protective parents flew about like mad missiles, dive-bombing and screeching until their chicks were returned.
The parents are thought to be about four years old. The female has a 1m wingspan and at 1.2kg is more than 400g heavier than her mate.
Victorian Peregrine Project co-ordinator Victor Hurley said the birds would remain faithful to their new home, returning to breed each year.
"Peregrine falcons have clawed back from being seriously threatened in the 1960s to having a nationally stable population now," he said.
The Victorian Peregrine project is supported by Birds Australia.
Net link: www.unisolve.com.au
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trevsta65
198 posts
Oct 18, 2007
10:49 PM
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just read this in the paper after i just got hit by a pair of them lost two birds nice isnt it. no cheer today .trev
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Velo99
1350 posts
Oct 19, 2007
11:13 AM
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I still have a problem with the powers that be introducing wild species into an urban environ. I am quite sure there have been no studies done on the impact of these creatures on the other avaian species in the area.
To me they are just wolves in sheeps clothing.
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V99
Flippin`The Bird!
http://www.bluedotloft.50megs.com
Last Edited by on Oct 19, 2007 11:14 AM
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Steve_uk
243 posts
Oct 19, 2007
12:00 PM
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Theres nothing you can do about it boys and its only gunna get worse!
Steve0...
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spinner jim
181 posts
Oct 19, 2007
3:40 PM
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Treva ,you could be of help to these young f****** lovely peregrines.the young ones should be encouraged to try and fly early,preferably before they have feathered,give em a shove out of the nest in the middle of the night when its dark,lol ,jim.
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