Peregrine Falcon

I had been out since early morning cruising the Padma river and was returning to Rajshahi town. After turning a bend, I noticed an airborne black silhouette against the white sand of a char to my left. It flew fast, sleek and low, headed in the same direction as I, but going faster. With my binoculars, I recognized a Peregrine Falcon as it sped ahead of my boat. About three hundred feet up ahead on my left, its flight changed abruptly: it became purposeful in a real, palpable way. Picking up speed it shot straight up in the air before veering right, dead ahead of my boat. It was then that I saw the flock of smaller birds, probably plovers, flying about a hundred feet below it. High above them the bird paused for an instant before diving down to attack.

Before it could strike, however, a second Peregrine Falcon appeared from nowhere and buzzed the hunter, allowing the plovers to escape. For the next few seconds, the two falcons fought in the sky over the Padma river. Eventually they both flew away but their aerial show left me breathless.

Famous for being the fastest creatures on earth – they can reach speeds of two hundred miles per hour during their dive (called a stoop) – Peregrine Falcons are birds of legend. Their athleticism, eagerness to hunt, and ease of taming all contribute to their stature. And so they are regarded as the noblest and most spectacular among birds of prey. They can live in all manners of habitats and have been tamed for hunting for over 3000 years. The earliest hunters to use them were nomads of central Asia.

Peregrine Falcons are about two feet long with the females typically 30% larger than males. They usually mate for life and females lay a clutch of 3-4 eggs. Their favourite prey is smaller birds, particularly pigeons and doves.

Although I saw it abroad, spotting a Peregrine Falcon in Bangladesh eluded me for years until I managed to photograph one as it flew over Purbachol some years ago. Later, once I started birding in Rajshahi I saw them regularly. They were always shy and flew off before I could get close enough for a good photograph.

Peregrine Falcons are one of seven falcon species seen in Bangladesh. One key to their survival is their successful adaptation to humans. For example, they build nests atop buildings as well as electrical towers and hunt pet pigeons (for which irate pigeon owners sometime shoot them.)

All over the world, there are 19 subspecies (race) of Peregrine Falcon. The one we usually see in winter in Bangladesh is the nominate subspecies, Falco Peregrinus Peregrinus. One lucky day, after crawling and crouching some distance in a char, I was able to photograph the subspecies Peregrinator, known as the Shaheen Falcon, distinguished by reddish underparts. It is a resident bird but rarely seen and mine was one of only ten recorded in recent years in Bangladesh.

I can still recall vividly the sheer life-force that radiated from that falcon racing for its attack over the Padma. The thrill was breathtaking. Perhaps that is why the Peregrine Falcon has captured the human imagination for centuries.

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