500 Peregrines – The 5th Highest Flight!

Chris Payne (L) and Luis Gles (R) after the record-breaking PEFA flight.

From October 9th through the 14th, 3-digit Peregrine Falcon flights were recorded at the Florida Keys Hawkwatch. The crown of that spectacular stretch was October 13, when a total of 500 Peregrines were counted from the Curry Hammock deck at FKH. That was the 5th highest count of Peregrines ever recorded in the world. While this hawkwatch has established several records, this is spectacular since FKH also holds record for the top four flights ever recorded for the species. No other count has tallied over 364 Peregrines in a single day. Congratulations to Chris and Luis for monitoring the skies during that memorable 10-hour count day!