Urban wildlife

While the wildlife visible from the 14th floor of the Financial Center is limited, there is some. Pigeons, of course, and once in a great while, an owl. In the winter a bald eagle will occasionally fly near a window, taking a break from the fish dinner at the downtown dams.

The Peregrine Falcon, though, is our most common predator. Often one will perch on a television aerial on the roof of the neigboring Savings and Loan building, looking for an unwary pigeon. Several nesting pairs live on downtown buildings. They sit still for a long time, then dive bomb a pigeon. I only once saw one actually trying to drag a pigeon to dinner, and I failed to get a photo before the struggling pair disappeared behind a building. It wasn't yet clear whether the falcon would be able to hang on.

It's nice to know that the world's fastest bird stands sentinel over the local pigeon population.