Image from the Biodiversity Heritage Library.
Contributed by Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley.
| www.biodiversitylibrary.org
Transcription
Field Notes
Doug Bell
SF-O Bay Bridge, S.F. Co., Calif.
February 1, 1984 - cont.
Found: Lee Autman hucked this falcon out successfully on Catalina Island in So. Calif. One further egg was removed from that nest, and it turned out to be one of the cleanest eggs in Calif. Anyway - we stopped at the east side of its anchorage and climbed over the side down to the catwalk that parallels the east side of the anchorage just below the lower deck. It was nearly as scary as I thought it would be. The ladders & catwalks all had excellent hand holds, etc.
Matt & Lee moved over to the hole, and saw the falcon come out of it. Suddenly both peregrines were moving around. They screamed at first, then were silent; just cruising back and forth below and alongside the bridge. I went out to the edge of the anchorage and got some good pictures of them as they passed alongside the bridge. The sky was overcast/variable, but clear under the clouds. Beautiful view of SF. The falcons were just gorgeous - they would pass below us under the bridge - blue backs contrasting with the sea-green color of the bay's water.
Matt, Lee & Duke were busy putting gravel into the hole. Duke (the mean looking guy) really got into it. The next platform consists of a long, flat steel box formed by top & bottom steel plates which span two cross beams that come into the pillar at this point. There are four large (1'x2') openings to the box; two face out from the pillar