Front Page Peregrine

[Penn Gwynne <>]

knightl <> wrote:

There is a lovely head-on shot of a 'semi-stooping' peregrine on the front page of today's Courier Mail - The pic on the website http://www.couriermail.news.com.au/common/story_page/
0,5936,6082750%255E952,00.html this is a cut down version of the paper version.

I can't view the picture?

The quality of the picture in the print edition is very good, and I must say that the claws on the peregrine look very impressive ...

The story is as follows:

Whoosh! It's an urban sky scrapper
Catriona Mathewson
6th., March 2003

IT'S about the size of a magpie, as fast as a Ferrari and mad as a cut snake.

Well done Lozza .... I couldn't for the life of me work out why "Eggy" was fast zooming around my home the past few days .... silly me for not realising it's the Mel Bin "Grund Prey" eh!!!! tisk tisk tisk silly daft olde me eh :^D>>>

So mad, in fact, grown men are quaking in their steel-capped workboots and vowing to stop maintaining exhaust fans which keep the mist out of hundreds of bathrooms in one of Brisbane's high-rises. The feathered foe responsible is a peregrine falcon ? the latest high-flyer to take up residence in riverside Admiralty Towers. It has laid claim to the rooftop of the 27-storey Admiralty Towers One, sparking a battle between apartment and wildlife authorities. While building management has called for its eviction, Queensland Parks and Wildlife has jumped to the falcon's defence. The bird of prey can swoop at 220km/h ? making it the fastest animal in the world ? and it has been diving on workers as they try to inspect ventilation fans .

I know a few TV people that think they can drive that fast? :^D>>>

Last week contractors called a halt to work on the roof until it could be declared safe. And yesterday the fiery falcon looked like adding another tower block to its territory. It swooped on window cleaner Nathan Howard as he dangled 5m from the top of neighbouring Admiralty Quays, missing his head by about a metre. "I just heard a swoop and when I turned around it was about 100m away doing a U-turn and lining me up again," said Mr Howard, who was forced to abseil rapidly to the ground.

HOWARD FALLS IN ADMIRALTY POPULARITY EH? :^D>>>

Admiralty Towers building manager Leon Azars appealed for Queensland Parks and Wildlife to oust the falcon. "We don't want to hurt the bird but we have to maintain the building," he said. Parks and Wildlife said it could work with building management on methods to discourage nesting. A spokesman said the falcon was doing a public service as a natural predators of feral rock pigeons. Ornithologist Roy Sonnenburg said a pair of peregrines forced the Brisbane Hilton to close a hotel room several years ago when they decided to start a family on a ledge outside.

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I think I need a Holly day .... JAG with excess sunshine.

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