Peregrine Falcons In Tahoe!

The Peregrine Falcon is often mentioned as the fastest animal on the planet. Some reliable sources, such as National Geographic, say the bird can fly over 200 miles per hour in a dive. Accurate or not, the Peregrine is a magnificent bird.

Peregrines nearly went extinct several decades ago because of their sensitivity to the pesticide DDT in the environment. When DDT was finally banned, Peregrines made a slow comeback.

Peregrines are roughly the size of crows. They weigh up to 3 pounds (the females are significantly bigger than the males), and their wingspan can be 4 feet.

Like all raptors, Peregrines hunt their food using their amazing vision while they fly at high heights. They take a wide range of birds, including some much bigger than themselves. They occasionally feed on rodents as well

Recently, Peregrines were spotted in Tahoe at Castle Rock just to the north of Kingsbury Grade.

According to Tahoe In Depth, the newspaper put out by the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, Peregrines were seen at Castle Rock back in 2011 and they returned there for a few years. Then they weren't seen for a time.

Recently, they reappeared. Here's link to the article: Falcons at Tahoe.

What a cool bird to have in Tahoe!