Wanderer

Walking past the P.O. on Cadman Plaza E. today at 3:30, I heard a weird sound and looked up and saw a bird that caught me off guard. Raptor, but what kind? Not a red-tail, too big for kestrel. It landed high on the building and after a moment flew back the way it came, towards the farmer’s market. The head seemed rather bright on the sides and dark on top and front, with a bright chest, making me think it was peregrine. Another joined it over Borough Hall and they flew arabesques in the sky. No binoculars on me, but I feel pretty sure they were the old wanderers, Falco peregrinus, especially I after checked out audio of their calls. I hadn’t heard them before. They'll be readying to fly south, perhaps as far as the other end of South America. More than a dozen pairs are known to nest on buildings and bridges around the city.