The Texas bed and breakfast for the peregrine falcon (Peregrine Falcons)
This is the time of year that peregrine falcons make their incredible journey from Greenland to Argentina and Chile, a distance of over 8,000 miles. One of the most popular migration stopovers for peregrines is South Padre Island. There, they rest and eat for a few days. It’s Buc-ee’s for birds – an...
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ScholarWorks @ UTRGV
2021
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| Online Access: | https://scholarworks.utrgv.edu/storiesfromtexas/122 https://scholarworks.utrgv.edu/context/storiesfromtexas/article/1122/type/native/viewcontent |
| Summary: | This is the time of year that peregrine falcons make their incredible journey from Greenland to Argentina and Chile, a distance of over 8,000 miles. One of the most popular migration stopovers for peregrines is South Padre Island. There, they rest and eat for a few days. It’s Buc-ee’s for birds – and then some. A bed and breakfast to refuel before heading on south. The falcons stop at Padre Island whether they are going south for their austral summer, or coming back north during our spring. (Isn’t that an enchanting term? “Austral summer.” These birds are smart. They live lives of eternal spring and summer, always eschewing winter.) Last week I was invited to join researchers from Earthspan and The Peregrine Fund at South Padre Island to trap and tag as many peregrine Falcons, over several weeks, as possible. They were surveying their numbers and their healthiness. It was a life-changing day for me in that I got to hold one of these magnificent, oh so majestic raptors. Let me tell you, they are strong. As I held him securely with both of my hands around his wings and torso, he would try to push his wings out with considerable force to break free of me. He eyed my hands by cocking his head and testing his beak’s downward reach. He knew he could snap off one of those bony shackles if I’d just give him a chance. He wasn’t my captive for more than a minute. Soon, he was tagged and I set him free by tossing him up into the stiff coastal breeze. We were both happy. He flew away at an impressive speed. No surprise there. peregrine falcons are the fastest animals on the planet. They’ve been clocked at over 200 mph in a dive. In fact, their unique nostrils which allow them to breathe at those speeds have inspired more efficient jet engines. At cruising speed, falcons fly at over 100 mph, on average, during migration. These fascinating facts, and many more, I learned from spending a windy day on the South Padre tidal flats with Earthspan researcher Gregg Doney and Peregrine Fund Senior Vice President Geoff Pampush. The ... |
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