# Auburn Hills Peregrine Falcon?



## jellybread (May 4, 2008)

Can anyone confirm that this is a Peregrine Falcon that is eating the chipmunks out of my yard every evening? The full resolution (as crappy as they are) photos are in my personal gallery.

Whatever it is, it sure is an amazingly agile bird! It terrorizes these chipmunks - just flies tight circles around the tree until the chipmunk gives up. I'm gonna get a nice DSLR if this, in fact, a peregrine. It almost seems to pose for the camera.


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## Rupestris (Aug 25, 2000)

Its a possibility. Looks like one to me. 

I had heard that Peregrines were released at Metro Airport in order to keep down the number os seagulls and pigeons. They did the same thing downtown Detroit to reduce the number of pigeons.

I see no reason that they didn't breed and expand their teritory.

They are agile. Fast too. They are the fastest animals on the planet. They were clocked at a German air base at over 200MPH in a dive (stoop). On NatGeo they clocked one at 242. http://www.extremescience.com/fastinworld.htm with claims of 270+ :yikes:

Great pics. Enjoy the show.

Chris


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## tgafish (Jan 19, 2001)

Cooper hawk


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## walleye (Aug 12, 2006)

Looks like a kestrel to me.


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## jellybread (May 4, 2008)

http://www.majestyofbirds.com/w_Cooper'sHawkdiving_lrg.jpg

Judging by the above link, it does look like a Cooper's Hawk. The Peregrine's seem to have smaller striping on the tail and wing feathers.

Still pretty neat. I just don't know if it is enough excuse to get that DSLR camera...


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## FIJI (May 15, 2003)

here in A.H. (south end)

Till last year one Coopers nested in the tree next to my house. Luckily they relocated before the tree came down this year.


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## pporonto (Oct 8, 2003)

Coopers Hawk... very cool.... My parents have one that dive bombs the feeder all year long...


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## stinger63 (Nov 25, 2003)

I seen one of those up close a couple of years and concluded as to be the same in your pic a Coopers hawk.
We se perigrine falcons flying undernieth the bluewater bridge though all the time where they have no made thier homes.


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## Gina Fox (Nov 4, 2007)

it could also be a Goshawk which live in the forests and eat small mammals, peregrin usually eat only birds...caught in flight. There are several in Mt.Clemens that nest on the buildings, planted there to get rid of pigeons.


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## chinamigarden (Oct 21, 2005)

Yep its a Coopers Hawk. Judging from the picture I would say its a mature male.


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## Mudfoot (Nov 28, 2006)

Positively a Coopers Hawk like others have stated already. One feature that shows up well is the rounded wing tip in the photo you have in flight. Kestrels and falcons have very distinctly pointed wing tips. Nice shots.


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