Sunday, June 28, 2009

Peregrine Falcons of Downtown Binghamton


The peregrine falcon is not a stranger to big city skyscrapers. However, in Binghamton, NY this is not a big city and we don't have any skyscrapers. Still, for a number of years we've had a nesting pair of falcons on top of the Security Mutual Life Insurance Company building in downtown Binghamton. At 10 stories, it is the third tallest building in Binghamton.

We can hear them screeching sometimes. Several times I have been privileged to see the young birds.

It isn't all fun-sometimes, walking downtown, you have to dodge pigeon parts on the ground. They love to eat the local pigeons-gourmets of the air, the falcons take the tastiest parts and leave the rest. For example, this morning I had to dodge a (mostly) intact dead pigeon and, a few feet (no pun intended) later, a different pigeon's head. Yuk.

I know a couple of people who have taken pictures of the falcons. This is a photo of a young falcon on the Security Mutual building taken a month or so ago.

A little slice of big-city life in small-city Binghamton.

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