![\"peregrine-falcon-2628b-ron-dudley\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/peregrine-falcon-2628b-ron-dudley.jpg\")
1\/4000, f\/6.3, ISO 500, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\nI photographed this\u00a0juvenile Peregrine Falcon along the causeway almost exactly a year ago (11\/11\/15) . It was obviously hunting ducks as it hopscotched from perch to perch for much of the morning though I never did see it make an actual attempt at prey. Because it was such a young bird it seemed more tolerant of causeway traffic than an adult would typically be.<\/p>\n
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I seldom see a Peregrine Falcon without thinking of Bob Walters<\/a>. Bob has been DWR’s Watchable Wildlife Program Director for decades. He’s an avid birder who loves Utah’s wildlife, particularly Salt Lake City’s famous resident Peregrine Falcons. When falcons started nesting on SLC’s tall downtown buildings years ago it was Bob and his\u00a0army of volunteers who kept watch over them,\u00a0monitored their nests and offspring, rescued young (or adult) birds that were injured when they crashed into the buildings and mourned their loss when eggs didn’t hatch or falcons died. Bob did an incredible job of raising public awareness and support for Peregrine Falcons in Utah.<\/p>\n But Bob’s positive contributions to Utah’s wildlife\u00a0haven’t been limited to falcons. He’s done similar work with nesting Bald Eagles near the Great Salt Lake (very few Bald Eagles nest in our state) and he’s led countless public wildlife-watching excursions all over the state. His efforts at publicizing the plight of our wildlife and raising public\u00a0awareness and support for non-game species in particular have been ongoing for decades and very effective. It was Bob who launched our annual Bald Eagle Day way back in 1990. I for one appreciate his dedication and hard work\u00a0more than I can express.<\/p>\n Occasionally when one of SLC’s falcons has been injured and rehabilitated it’s eventually released on Antelope Island (an example can\u00a0be seen here<\/a>). Every time I see or photograph a Peregrine along the causeway I wonder if that bird would even be there without Bob’s efforts.<\/p>\n A couple of days ago I ran into Bob at Farmington Bay WMA. He’s been checking the harvest of\u00a0duck hunters as they leave the refuge. Bob told me that after 30+ years of work with DWR he’s planning on retiring in a few weeks. Since Farmington is crawling with almost as many birders and\u00a0bird photographers as hunters this time of year I thought some of my local friends and readers might want to thank\u00a0Bob for all he’s done and wish him well in his retirement as they leave the refuge (I suspect he’ll\u00a0continue to check hunters until he retires so he should be there at least sporadically).<\/p>\n Since my encounter with\u00a0Bob I’ve been wondering how many of my favorite photographs (and memories) I wouldn’t even have without his efforts.<\/p>\n Many thanks, Bob. Enjoy your retirement!<\/p>\n Ron<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" This is a good time of year to be on the lookout for Peregrine Falcons on Antelope Island, especially along the causeway. <\/p>\n