Last month I found something truly special in the Triangle area of central North Carolina, a Peregrine Falcon!
I was pretty surprised to see it.
There is an adult who’s known to spend the winter here in the fields of Mid Pines Rd. but I’d never seen it so early in the autumn before.
So freak’n cool!

Peregrine’s are the fastest bird in the world, capable of reaching 150 to 200 mph in their stoop dives and their average cruising speed is 24 to 33 mph which can increase to an astonishing 67 mph when chasing prey.

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They are year round residents of the mountains of western North Carolina but also are found wintering along the coast during the coldest months.
The species range stretches from the Arctic tundra to South America. The aptly named “peregrine” means wanderer, and the Peregrine Falcon has one of the longest migrations of any North American bird sometimes traveling up to 15,500 miles in a single year.


Happy birding!
-Sally

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on the fabulous full frame SLR, the @canonusa
#5Ds