Posted on 06/17/2008 3:43:04 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
A peregrine falcon named Cielo has died after the 2-month-old bird likely crashed into San Jose City Hall where she and her family have been living on a ledge. She is believed to have died late Monday night or early Tuesday morning after being driven to an animal hospital that specializes in birds on Monday morning.
Cielo's siblings, Meyye and Mercury, are alive and well.
In fact, her sister and brother, respectively, are flying about, and expected to leave the nest - literally - sometime this summer.
The falcon family has drawn widespread interest from bird watchers throughout the world who frequently peer into these once-endangered birds' lives via a webcam stationed at city hall and administered through the University of California-Santa Cruz.
"Cielo will be remembered fondly by the nearly 2,000 fans who gather online on the City Hall Falcon newsgroup," mayoral spokeswoman Michelle McGurk wrote in a bulletin alerting folks of the bird's untimely demise.
The three peregrine falcons, born to parents Clara and Carlos on April 22, were recently named in a contest sponsored by Mayor Chuck Reed whose office announced the winners in late May. Coincidentally, the ceremony to honor the three school children who named the birds was scheduled for tonight.
(Excerpt) Read more at mercurynews.com ...
bird must have been a democrat
That building should be razed!
The story just tears my heart out. What was that building doing there anyway? What was San Jose doing there?
“I can FLY! I can FLY!”
BONK!
I guess even birds are somewhere on a bell curve.
Oh Brother…
I can picture the two crows from the glass cleaner commercial laughing.
Hey now, we spent almost 400 million of that glass pagoda..
Good thing it didn’t hit the glass dome..
I believe that those birds are Magpies. But it is a good commercial.
Hawks, falcons and raptors are great birds.
I wish our leaders were as good hunters and killers as hawks, raptors and falcons. (and excuse my poor bird terminology please).
If either of those apply, suit should be filed immediately to remove that wildlife threat ..lo mas pronto posible...
LOLOLOL - and here I was all sad, and everything.
Oh, well. Irish humor.
I think they are still on the endangered list.. right up there with the california taxpayer and the california gas pumper.. altho the peregrine as a species is doing much better in recent years compared to the other two. -)
Did she know the way to San Jose?
Yes, those were magpies in that commercial. But back to falcons: I enjoy watching peregrines. They’re the consummate killing machine, and all the other birds know it. I once watched one come from way on high to knock a ring-billed gull out of the sky. It tried to outmaneuver the falcon, but it was pretty much hopeless.
And as for the falcon death, it probably struck a window. It happens all the time, but there’s not a thing we can do about it. I hope the other two chicks survive though.
“In fact, her sister and brother, respectively, are flying about, and expected to leave the nest - literally - sometime this summer.”
oh, im glad they made that distinction. for a second i thought they were only going to leave the nest figuratively.
What??
It's a damn wild bird, for chrissake!
It doesn't have a name, and if these bleeding heart environmentalists are so upset with our intrusion on the planet what the f#$k are they doing imposing a label on wild bird?
Surely this is a violation of the bird's natural rights!
A blond walks into a bar... “ouch!!!”
Building crime. Buildings kill, we need to outlaw all buildings.
Yeah, I know... pathetic.
“Did she know the way to San Jose?”
Don’t make fun of the bird. (Sheesh, you’ll find a clown in every crowd.)
Slow news day.... In the meantime, human beings around the globe are dying from disease, hunger, and natural disasters icluding in Iowa.
Boo Hoo Hoo, Can we drill for Oil now??
Pray for W and Our Troops
http://www.kcbs.com/Baby-Falcon-Slams-into-SJ-Building/2283677
http://www.nbc11.com/news/16636529/detail.html
For the benefit of anyone else who doesn’t wish to register. :o)
That’s the first time I’ve heard of an immature falcon getting destroyed by horrendously bad judgment.
Oh wait, I forgot about Michael Vick.
Last month a Great Blue Heron landed on the power line on my place. He was fine until he stretched out his wings. He was a pretty bird.
One was a a Falcon able to reach speeds of 70 M.P.H
I thought he was coming through.
They got lucky, they all lived and flew away.
They were not however babies.
I hope that this isn’t a bad omen for those who are seriously attempting to create “The Falcon Party” as a conservative alternative political party.
In Mt. clemens MI which is near to me, there is a pair who now have 2 chicks in a nest somewhere on the Macomb County Courthouse building.......
I guess last year the then pair had 2 eggs which never hatched. This year a new male came along and drove off the other male who headed back into Detroit and the new male was successful (I guess) in producing the eggs which resulted in the chicks.......
On another note, Stoney Creek Park which is N.W. of me has tried unsuccessfully over the past few years in cultivating an Osprey population. For several years they have acquired an Osprey chick and placed it in a man made nest only to have the bird fly south when grown and not return the following season.
I think it was last year that I talked to the nature center about their program and they said the funding was only temporary and since the last bird never returned, the funding was being terminated.........
I confess. I laughed at the title.
I was at a construction site in Indiana last summer and we caught a young hawk that looked like that. As I was wiping the blood off my forearm (where its needle like talons had poked numerous holes) and applying a bandage to the missing tip of my finger (extremely sharp beak) I was informed that the sweet creature was a sparrow hawk. After my encounter I can only say, God help the poor sparrow that bird takes an interest in.
ping
Do they know this for sure? Can they tell from the webcam at that young age? Or did people take some liberties here?
-PJ
"Oh, no! We must go back in time to save the falcon!"
"We're too late! We must go back in time and warn us to arrive sooner, to save the falcon!"
"We're too late! We must go back in time and warn us to arrive sooner, to save the falcon!"
"We're too late! We must go back in time and warn us to arrive sooner, to save the falcon!"
"We're too late! We must go back in time and warn us to arrive sooner, to save the falcon!"
"Hooray! We saved the falcon!"
"Hooray! We saved the falcon!"
"Hooray! We saved the falcon!"
"Hooray! We saved the falcon!"
"Hooray! We saved the falcon!"
"Hooray! We saved the falcon!"
"Hooray! We saved the falcon!"
"Hooray! We saved the falcon!"
"Hooray! We saved the falcon!"
"Hooray! We saved the falcon!"
-PJ
Great picture!
I suspect it's on a 4 day work week and lives out of state so its heading home for the weekend..........
I’d never heard of a sparrow hawk so I had to Google it. They’re beautiful...but they look mean! I can’t believe you guys caught one - that takes guts...and a high pain tolerance, apparently.
Thanks. I haven’t heard it’s call, so I don’t know if it’s southern or a Yankee. Hardy har har.
It shows up at 1:00, too, just to add to the weirdness. Even more funny, one recent Friday the osprey showed up, then an osprey (CV-22) flew over us. It was all too much for me, my camera and my kid.
 |
  |
 |
|
| Send FReepmail if you want on/off SVP list | |
| The List of Ping Lists | |
I had no idea! Thanks for the info. And yes, it is a bird-eat-bird world out there. :)
Just goes to show you - you can never beat City Hall.
My bird feeders appear to be the drive-thru equivalent for the area hawks. Literally every morning I see feathers on the lawn but no carcasses.........
I know from observation that there are several red-tail hawks, an American Kestrel and what I thought to be a Sharp Shinned hawk that was inhabiting my drive-thru was more likely a Coopers Hawk........
A number of years ago when I lived in an apartment, I was walking the back walkway to the parking lot when Coopers Hawk swooped by me and when I turned around I watched him grab a dove which was literally 40 ft. from me and then fly off with it. Another time I was at a golf driving range and watched as a Red Tail hawk drop straight out of the sky onto a robin that was about 50 yards out in front of me.......
Nature is cruel and cool........
Funny you should say that. Most people who first put up a backyard bird feeder soon discover (to their horror) that it's a death trap for songbirds. But that's nature. To a house finch, a backyard feeder is a restaurant of birdseed. And to a Cooper's or sharp-shinned hawk, a house finch is dinner. :)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.