Ramble 7: Peregrine Place: domestic rumblings on Fruitvale Bridge

It was a cold, cold Saturday morning and, pressed for time, Marge and Sergei drove to the Fruitvale Bridge instead of their usual ramble a les pieds.

Marge had had to cajole a somewhat reluctant Sergei. “We seldom ramble in around that area and there are some good walk- and bike-ways. You’re grumpy now but, believe me, you’ll like it once we get there.”

And he did.

First, both took pictures of the old railroad track along Tilden Way. Once upon a time, rail track brought three different railroads into town – “town” back then was actually three modest towns and not the Alameda we know and love (read that history at Alameda Museum [our embedded link]). Come to think of it, rail and shuttle are good ways to solve Alameda’s growing traffic congestion. But that’s a ramble for another day.

After taking pictures (this time of year the ginko trees display spectacular shades of luminous yellow and gold - see Sergei's photo below) we wandered to the estuary on the shopping mall side of the bridge. Then things got a lot more interesting for Sergei.
 A woman peering through a high powered camera sitting on a bench – her legs covered with a heavy blanket to protect her from the biting cold – turned to acknowledge us as we came up behind her. We shared greetings then, Sergei, a camera lover, asked about her equipment. 

Turned out, like us (particularly like Sergei) she is a bird watcher – well, more like she’s an avid ornithologist who also volunteers at the Lindsay Wildlife Museum in Walnut Creek.

On this day, she was watching the domestic tribulations of a female peregrine falcon that had been injured months previously, taken to the Lindsay wildlife hospital, and rehabilitated. Then she was released into the wilds of Alameda near the Fruitvale Bridge where she had shared a nest with a mate.

Turns out, he, perhaps thinking his mate and nest partner had died, took another mate. And on this day his new woman – the second wife - had attacked the old, or primary wife. Once the ruckus started the male took off for less stressful climes and left the females fight it out. 

When we arrived, the threatened female had chased off the rehab'd female and the ornithologist was waiting for the next phase of the domestic dispute. She told us a companion ornithologist had reported that the tracking device attached to the recently released female’s leg was indicating she’d taken refuge at the male’s downtown Oakland hangout.

We wonder if the "other woman" knows about this spot?

(Love the leggings!)

A few falcon facts:

• The peregrine is the largest falcon over most of the north American continent
• As with most raptors, males are smaller than females,
• The male bird is referred to as a tiercel and the female as a falcon.
• Peregrines feed especially on shorebirds and ducks although in cities they are masterful at catching pigeons. They often sit on high perches (like Fruitvale Bridge and tall buildings in downtown Oakland) waiting for the right opportunity to make their aerial assault.
• Learn more and hear falcon calls [our embedded link].