Life Outside the Door

I am the manager at a community campus site for a college.  Our office and campus backs up to the Indianapolis International Airport so there is a large parking lot and then lots of flat open space for the runways.  Yesterday morning we heard a loud bang against our front doors.

Looking out there was a dead bird laying on the sidewalk.  At first we thought the bird had just flown into the glass doors and been killed.  Then a second later a juvenile peregrin falcon landed on the dead bird.  I have heard that they often will drive prey into glass windows to stun them and then will go in for the kill.  This young bird did not need to do that because the prey was dead when it hit the sidewalk.

We watched while the falcon sat on its kill for several minutes.  My assistant and I were speculating that it was possible the falcon also was stunned by also hitting the glass window when it captured the prey.  After a couple of minutes the falcon grabbed the dead bird and flew onto the grassy area at the rear of our parking lot.  We talked about how we did not see a band on the falcon and wondered where it had come from.

There are peregrine falcons which nest in downtown Indianapolis but those babies are banded before they leave the nest.  So I am not sure where this one originated but he or she was a beautiful creature doing what it was born to do, hunt for prey.  

It was exciting to see this swift but deadly bird in action.  I was happy that this young falcon did not injure itself in it quest to find breakfast.  I was reminded that the circle of life is all around us.  My husband is always sad to see some of our wild bunnies or squirrels be killed on the roads around our house.  Yet I always remind him that without predators and the danger of cars we would be over run with bunnies, squirrels, rodents and birds. 

For us it was a few moments of excitement in a normal Tuesday.  I will be watching for that falcon when I go to work.  It's possible we will see it again.