Temple Square Gyrfalcon

["Steve Carr" <stevecarr9 at msn dot com>]

Utah Birders,

I am forwarding this e-mail intact as I received it.  Please be alert to 
this possibility, and post any sightings of a Gyrfalcon immediately.

--Steve Carr
  UOS Field Trip Coordinator

----- Original Message ----- 
From: David Parent<mailto:dpdvm@whidbey.com> 
To: stevecarr9@msn.com<mailto:stevecarr9@msn.com> 
Sent: Sunday, December 11, 2005 6:30 PM
Subject: Temple Square Gyrfalcon


Hello Steve,

 

I am an avid birder from Whidbey Island, Washington. My wife and I 
visited Salt Lake City from December 8 through December 11. We spent our 
entire time in and around Temple Square. 

 

On Friday morning, December 9 at 8:40am my wife and I were walking south 
on the closed street between the Joseph Smith Memorial Building and the 
temple. I looked back into the gap between the JSMB and the Church 
Office Building and saw a large pale grey falcon flying toward us about 
thirty feet off the ground on a direct southwesterly course. I had heard 
that peregrine falcons roosted or nested on the JSMB so I assumed this 
was one of them. As the bird flew nearer I noticed a very weak facial 
pattern. At this point I assumed that it must be a very large female 
prairie falcon. As it flew over our heads, I noticed that black 
axillaries, typical of a prairie falcon,  were missing. The bird flew 
over Temple Square with slower, and more powerful wingbeats than a 
typical peregrine. (The gyrfalcons I have observed on the Samish Flats 
north of here always appear like they cover a whole lot of ground with 
minimal effort.)

 

I saw your name as heading up the CBC so I thought you might like to 
alert your teams to this possibility. Hopefully, this bird can be 
relocated. I suspect this bird roosts in the mountains and hunts during 
the day on the flats southeast of town (possibly following the same 
course each day?). If you do relocate it, please let me know. Also, if 
there is an aberrant falcon or lost falconer's bird in the area, I'd 
like to know. If you'd like any more information, I would be happy to 
provide it. 

 

Sorry for the late report. I didn't have internet access until I got 
home. Best of luck on your upcoming CBC!

 

Dave Parent, Freeland, WA dpdvm@whidbey.com<mailto:dpdvm@whidbey.com>

 

 

 

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