Observaciones de cheloniavolans

I saw this juvenile red-tail with a strikingly light-colored head while performing a topo survey at Chicago 9th District Police Station, 3120 S Halsted. Previous to this picture, it was perched at the top of the station’s radio tower for at least 30 min. It flew down to hunt something in the alley, apparently unsuccessfully, then perched on this cut off power pole. I took picture w/ iPhone looking through the scope of a Trimble S3 Total Station. After a while perched here it went after a squirrel in a nearby tree but came away empty-handed there as well.

2 peregrine falcons were perched on top of radio tower at Chicago Police Station, District 3, 7040 S Cottage Grove, 3/6/24, around 1:25. At 1:30, one took off from tower heading east into the Oak Woods Cemetery across the street. I got some video of the bird in flight. These pics are screen shots of moments during the video. The last pic is the actual photo of the peregrine who remained on the tower, taken a little bit later in the afternoon.

Seen while surveying the CPD District 7 Police Station on 63rd near Loomis in the Englewood of Chicago. This was the second small group I saw fly over this morning - both flying surprisingly very low over the neighborhood. I’m wondering how they crossed over the Dan Ryan Expressway before they reached this location without catching the thermals off the highway and getting some more height? It’s unusually warm today, around 57 degrees right now.

While surveying near Ogden & Kedzie in Chicago, I observed a pair of peregrines flying together over the neighborhood. This one perched on the cell tower while the other one flew on further west. It perched for many minutes and made soft, plaintive-sounding calls. I recorded a few on my phone but wasn’t sure how to upload sound files via the mobile app. I saw this pair flying together again a few days later in the same area. A few days before this pic was taken, I saw one peregrine flying and alighting on the top of the tallest building nearby, the former Douglas Park Auditorium, on the northwest corner of Ogden & Kedzie.

8/31/23 - Apologies to everyone who previously commented on this observation - I somehow hit a wrong button in the mobile app and it appeared to change everyone’s IDs. I couldn’t figure out how to fix it so I deleted the earlier observation and made a new one. I would greatly appreciate it if everyone would comment again. Thanks!

Found in patch of European grass bordering a parking lot under an evergreen tree near where we surveyors were looking for a section corner monument. Grassy area was around 50 feet away from a patch of native asters and goldenrods. Maybe 150 feet away was a tiny, apparently remnant, patch of gravel hill prairie full of Solidago nemoralis.