San Diego Year Bird #155: Peregrine Falcon

Peregrine Falcon. Lake Hodges, California. February 2, 2014. Greg Gillson.

When I first started birding in 1972 the Peregrine Falcon was near its lowest population level in North America due to DDT poisoning. Now they are not rare throughout most of North America.

This is actually my 3rd Peregrine in San Diego County. The first was at San Elijo Lagoon in March 2008. Soon after moving here I saw one in October 2013 over Nine Mile Bank--that's out to sea 9 miles from Point Loma--chasing seabirds.

Wherever there are concentrations of ducks or small shorebirds you can often find Peregrine Falcons. While they sit and watch much of the day, every once in a while they launch out on a strafing run at flocks of birds looking for that one bird that is slower than the rest.