On a wonderfully clear, sunny and warm (relatively, for Orange in winter!) late Friday afternoon we found a peregrine on watch in their remaining lookout tree, just down from the Concrete Hilton. It seems local bird life knows when it’s safe and when not as lots of thrillseeking smaller birds were buzzing around the tree, seemingly oblivious to the risk, and all were ignored with a sense of maturity and decorum as the last rays of sun warmed the back.
Still no sign of impending eggs, although Swift spends most of her day on the ledge and was spotted sitting in her scrape for a while on Saturday, to eventually stand up for a stretch, with no results. The season’s timetable begins when the first egg appears…
(FYI – more photos in General Gallery #7, to the right)