Episode 295: The Peregrine Falcon
b"Thanks to Nikita for this week's suggestion that we learn all about the peregrine falcon!\\n\\nI'll be at the Next Chapter Book Fair in Dalton, Georgia on October 1, 2022! Come say hi!\\n\\nFurther listening:\\n\\nCrossover episode with Arcane Carolinas from ConCarolinas 2022!\\n\\nFurther reading:\\n\\nFalcons see prey at speed of Formula 1 car\\n\\nA peregrine falcon in flight:\\n\\n\\n\\nBaby peregrine falcons. Look at those giant peets! [photos by Robin Duska, taken from this site]\\n\\n \\n\\nShow transcript:\\nWelcome to Strange Animals Podcast. I\\u2019m your host, Kate Shaw.\\nThis week we have a suggestion from Nikita, who wants to learn about the peregrine falcon! The peregrine falcon is the fastest animal known, and I thought about trying to talk very fast for this episode, but I decided I make enough mistakes just talking normally.\\nA quick note before we start. On Saturday, October 1, 2022, I\\u2019ll be at the Next Chapter Book Fair and Convention in Dalton, Georgia. If you happen to be in the area, stop by and say hi! I\\u2019ll be selling books and I think I\\u2019m on a panel too. That\\u2019s the last event I have planned for the year and I\\u2019m not sure if I\\u2019ll be selling books at conventions next year. It\\u2019s fun, but it\\u2019s also a lot of work. Whatever copies of the Beyond Bigfoot & Nessie book that don\\u2019t sell next week, I can offer for sale directly from me. If you want a signed copy of a slightly banged-up paperback that\\u2019s been to a lot of conventions, email me and we can work out a price with shipping.\\nSpeaking of conventions, back in June I had a fantastic time at ConCarolinas, and one of the things I did was join the guys from Arcane Carolinas to record an episode of their excellent podcast. Well, they\\u2019ve just released that episode and it\\u2019s fantastic! I\\u2019ll put a link in the show notes in case you don\\u2019t already listen to their podcast.\\nNow, let\\u2019s learn about the peregrine falcon!\\nThe peregrine falcon lives throughout the world, with as many as 19 subspecies, although experts disagree about a few of those. It\\u2019s about the size of a crow, with females being much bigger than males. Different subspecies have different patterns, but in general the peregrine falcon is dark above and pale below with a darker barred pattern. It has bright yellow around its eyes, and the base of its hooked bill and its feet are yellow.\\nThe peregrine mates for life, and reuses the same nesting site every year. Some populations of peregrine migrate long distances, and sometimes the male will stay year-round near the nesting site while the female migrates. Either way, at the beginning of the breeding season, which is usually around the end of winter, the pair performs courtship flights where the male will pass food to the female while they\\u2019re both flying. Sometimes the female turns over to fly upside-down to take food from her mate.\\nThe male typically prepares several potential nesting sites, and the female chooses which one she likes best to lay her eggs. The peregrine doesn\\u2019t build a nest, though, just kicks at the dirt to make what\\u2019s called a scrape. It\\u2019s just a shallow depression in the dirt. The female lays 2 to 5 eggs that hatch in about a month into fuzzy white babies with gigantic talons. Both parents help incubate the eggs and both feed the babies after they hatch.\\nThe peregrine especially likes open areas with cliffs for its nest, and as far as it\\u2019s concerned, skyscrapers are just a type of cliff. It\\u2019s surprisingly common in cities as a result, not to mention that cities are home to another bird, the pigeon, that the peregrine loves to eat. The peregrine mostly eats birds, especially pigeons, gulls, ducks, and various songbirds, but it will also eat bats and sometimes small animals like squirrels and rats. It mostly hunts at dawn and dusk, but it will hunt at night too and sometimes during the day.\\nEven though the peregrine isn\\u2019t very big compared to many birds of prey like eagles, owls, and hawks, it is an astounding hunter."