Cleveland downtown falcons
Took a day trip downtown to look for the Terminal Tower peregrines. A friend of a friend who works in the building had sent me the rough times they usually come back in during nesting season, and I spent most of the day on the Public Square bench with the long lens on a small tripod.
They were busy. An adult returned three times during the five hours I was there. At least one chick was visible for a few seconds at a time on the ledge. I won’t share any shots that show the nest ledge in detail; some of the local birders are careful about not drawing crowds and I want to be part of that.
Besides the peregrines: a Cooper’s Hawk threaded a canyon of buildings on Euclid and came out low. A Chimney Swift colony above a Prospect Avenue building put on a proper flight show in the last hour of light. House Sparrows being House Sparrows. Three Double-crested Cormorants over the lake that I squinted at for a long time before ruling out Anhinga (wrong hemisphere, don’t ask).
The best surprise of the day was a juvenile peregrine making what looked like first real flights between two rooftops. I watched it for about two minutes before the adult came in and cleared the air space. Good day.
