Raptors Ridge Birds of Prey

Gilligan , Rebehka, Lucy and Andy. We do get requests to hold some cute little critters with the birds. The moose’s name is Cookie and is from Texas, we think 🤔 Capilano Suspension Bridge Park

Rebehka and Rudy , Andy and Shilo are visiting the forest today till 5pm Capilano Suspension Bridge Park

Here is something a lot of people outside falconry probably do not understand.

Most wild-caught falconry birds are not “taken” from the wild in the way people might imagine. In many cases, they are better understood as being borrowed from the wild.

A young bird is trapped during a legal season, cared for, trained, hunted with, and given a much better shot at surviving the most dangerous stretch of its life. Young raptors face high mortality in their first year as they learn to hunt, avoid predators, survive weather, and navigate a world full of vehicles, power lines, starvation, and other hazards.

Under a falconer’s care, that bird gets food, protection, conditioning, veterinary care when needed, and daily hunting experience. And when the time is right, many wild-caught falconry birds are released back into the wild as stronger, healthier, more experienced hunters.

Even after years with a falconer, a wild raptor is still wild. They do not become pets. They do not become domesticated. If released, they return to being exactly what they always were.

That is one of the things that makes falconry so unique. It is not ownership in the usual sense. It is a temporary partnership with a wild predator.

Learn more each week on the Sporting Chance Podcast, available on all major platforms.

🌐 https://www.sportingchancepod.com/

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The Peregrine Falcon Has Been Confirmed at 389 km/h in a Hunting Stoop — the Fastest Confirmed Speed of Any Animal on Earth. It Is Not the Fastest at Level Flight. But No Animal Moves Faster. Period.

It tucks its wings. Points its body. Falls with intent. 389 km/h.

Falco peregrinus — the Peregrine Falcon — achieves its record speed during the hunting stoop: a dive from altitude toward prey below. The bird climbs to hunting altitude, spots a target, partially folds its wings against its body, and descends in a controlled power dive. Gravity accelerates it; the aerodynamic profile minimises drag.

The confirmed speed: 389 km/h (242 mph). Recorded by Ken Franklin in 2005, who trained a Peregrine named "Frightful" to stoop while wearing a small instrumented body computer recording acceleration and speed. The methodology and result have been accepted by Guinness World Records and the broader ornithological community.

The physics that make this possible:
— The Peregrine's nostrils have baffle structures (bony tubercles) that deflect and slow the incoming airflow, preventing lung damage from the pressure of air at 389 km/h.
— The third eyelid (nictitating membrane) closes partially over the eye during the stoop — protecting from debris and drying.
— The talons are not the primary weapon — the Peregrine strikes prey with a closed fist of talons at speed, stunning or killing with impact force. It then retrieves the stunned bird from the air.

At 389 km/h: a Peregrine crosses 108 metres every second. A Formula 1 car at maximum speed: approximately 100 metres per second. The falcon is faster.

If the fastest confirmed speed of any animal is achieved by a falcon in a hunting dive — and involves structural adaptations specifically for that speed — does that make the Peregrine the most physically optimised animal on Earth for a single function?

Shilo our Lanner Falcon is making his public debut today at capilanosuspensionbridge along with Andy (handler) Rudy Harris Hawk with Rebehka ❤️

First day back to capilanosuspensionbridge yesterday we had Lucy Great horned owl with Kim, Gilligan Gyr Falcon with Shelby and Rudy Harris Hawk with Alyssa.