Karearea – New Zealand Falcon
Kek-kek-kek-kek-kek-kek…..Huston we have a human target at 6 o’clock !!! even better it’s a clumsy climber…impact in 5 seconds…full throttle requested to reach top speed of 200km/h to deliver final stroke with little chance of survival !
Commencing count-down: 5-4-3-2-1 and .... impact ! Bingo ! climber’s down…I repeat : climber’s down !
Yes ! Falcons are part of our landscape here around the Lake Wakatipu and even in town you could sometimes hear their screams around Gorge Road.
This fearless predator nest on cliffs edges and forests and with its near perfect eyesight can fly up to 230km/h thanks to its lightweight body and excellent flying skills. Note that the male (300gms) being more agile and fierce is the one more likely to hunt.
During breeding season: from mid spring to start of summer these birds of prey will become even more territorial. The falcons will tolerate nobody hundred of metres from their nest and will attack animals much bigger till death to defend their territory. The trademark of this hunter is the ‘stoop’ or most commonly know as the ‘dive-bomb’.
Check this link on Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3mTPEuFcWk
So far falcons have been reported by climbers around the Remarkables Range, the Dart Valley, Southern tip of Lake Wakatipu and Queenstown Hill…so about everywhere!
Next time that you hear the piercing scream of terror coming from the sky that just means that someone is getting irritated…
Not to mention that they are protected birds and although they may harm you more than you may harm them you should keep away from them.
From a falcon paranoid clumsy climber….