Shawn Kimbro
07-03-2009, 08:20 AM
I thought I saw one earlier in the week, but there was no doubt last night. I'm not sure what was going on though and it might have been bad news. I was fishing the east side 4 bangers when I saw what I thought was a pigeon in the water. My first thought was, "hmm, I guess a pigeon got it by a car." It was alive and swimming, but low in the water. I figured it wouldn't last long with the ospreys and gulls around.
I fished the rock piles and came back east before sunset. I heard a raptor cry and looked up to see a falcon dive on an osprey. The osprey had something in his talons which he dropped. The falcon chased the osprey away. It was no contest. Falcon was three times as fast. I thought it was going to kill the osprey even though it was three times the size. I remembered the pigeon and thought that must have been what the fight was about.
A little later I moved up to the new bridge and started fishing one of the wider double pilings. The falcon emerged and flew away, this time clutching another bird. It dropped the bird and flew away. In retrospect, I should have gone over and checked it out, but I was already wishing I hadn't disturbed them and wanted to let nature take its course.
After thinking about it, I wonder if the "pigeon" might have been a young falcon. I've never seen a pigeon at the bridge. I don't know what the peregrine mating schedule is, but it seems like it could be time for the chicks to be leaving the nest. I can't make it back out until after the weekend to check it out. If anyone is going that way, I can tell you which piling I saw the bird last. I think that may be where the nest is located.
I fished the rock piles and came back east before sunset. I heard a raptor cry and looked up to see a falcon dive on an osprey. The osprey had something in his talons which he dropped. The falcon chased the osprey away. It was no contest. Falcon was three times as fast. I thought it was going to kill the osprey even though it was three times the size. I remembered the pigeon and thought that must have been what the fight was about.
A little later I moved up to the new bridge and started fishing one of the wider double pilings. The falcon emerged and flew away, this time clutching another bird. It dropped the bird and flew away. In retrospect, I should have gone over and checked it out, but I was already wishing I hadn't disturbed them and wanted to let nature take its course.
After thinking about it, I wonder if the "pigeon" might have been a young falcon. I've never seen a pigeon at the bridge. I don't know what the peregrine mating schedule is, but it seems like it could be time for the chicks to be leaving the nest. I can't make it back out until after the weekend to check it out. If anyone is going that way, I can tell you which piling I saw the bird last. I think that may be where the nest is located.