 In recent years, birders in North America have enjoyed the spectacular population recovery of the peregrine falcon. This resurgence has not only involved peregrines returning to ‘wild' nest cliffs, many pairs have set up in large urban centres.
More than sixty cities throughout the continent now
boast the presence of at least one peregrine pair.
Wildlife biologists usually band the young of these
‘street peregrines' each year. My colleagues and I
at Alberta Fish and Wildlife Division have been
banding urban peregrines since our first pair
returned and set up a territory downtown Edmonton in
1981. Over the years, these activities have
involved many adventures, but none compare to an
experience at a nest on a skyscraper in downtown
Calgary in 1996. Banding that year started as usual. Helmets and leather jackets were donned for protection, as urban-nesting peregrines tend to be far less respectful of human visitors than their rural counterparts. Upon first stepping out onto the nest ledge, the adult male peregrine at the site immediately welcomed the biologists with an all-out assault. |
Curiously though, his mate simply muttered a few protest vocalisations and resumed brooding - the bird appeared as tame as a bantam hen! This trusting nature represented a bit of a bonus to the biologists, as they knew the falcon would be relatively easy to identify by reading the number of her leg band from such close range.
However, when the female stood up, the men were shocked to note that several wraps of black electrical tape covered her identification band! When would anyone have had the chance to cover the band with tape? Who would do such a thing?
Curiosity was too much for the biologists. Taking advantage of her passive nature, they simply lifted the female off the nest - that's when things got really strange. Removing the tape from the band, the men discovered that the female was the same bird that had nested in Calgary the year before. Inside the covering, they were amazed to find a note, enclosed and waterproofed in a condom wrapper, which had been written by someone on board a ship! Although badly weathered, the message was clear enough to allow contact with the shipping company in an attempt to get more details.
After a few months of correspondence, the mystery was solved. A Filipino sailor serving as an officer on the German merchant ship had answered the inquiries. Apparently, his ship was sailing from Tampico to Coatzacoalcos, Mexico during the previous autumn when, about 100 miles out to sea, they encountered high winds and very rough seas. As the sailors were securing the vessel during the ensuing hurricane, they noticed a peregrine falcon flying around the ship, apparently about to take refuge aboard. A short time later, the belle of downtown Calgary landed, apparently exhausted, on the rooftop port wing of the bridge. During the height of the storm, the sailors easily approached the bird, captured her, and held her captive until the storm abated. While feeding her, the crew noted the leg bands stamped with U.S. Fish and Wildlife, Washington, D.C. They then decided to add their own information in the form of a note, taped to the band. After her winter in Central America, this falcon returned with the message to the concrete canyons of downtown Calgary to become one of the most charismatic 'carrier pigeons' in history. |
