WEST SEATTLE WILDLIFE: Peregrine Falcon rescued

The report and photos were sent by community naturalist Kersti Muul:

At 1:26 PM, I received a call from concerned West Seattleite ‘Lee The Gardener’ regarding a ‘hawk’ that didn’t look well. It was grounded on the parking strip next to Lowman Beach.

Luckily I was able to respond quickly; was on scene within 10 minutes. Quite a little crowd had gathered around this beautiful bird. Initially it was standing with one leg up, which could be thermoregulating, or it could be an injury. I assessed the situation and captured the bird quickly.

It was very alert, but not as reactive as it should be, and not flighted. It later put weight on the leg that was previously up.

My first thoughts were, that it was one of our local Merlin pair, however after looking at the size and markings (malar stripes, etc.) I determined it to be a juvenile Peregrine Falcon. The fastest animal and bird on our planet! Quite a humbling feeling to be of assistance to such a rockstar bird.

I transported the falcon to PAWS and hope it recovers quickly.

Photos by me and Trileigh Tucker, who happened to be at Lowman looking at other birds!

34 Replies to "WEST SEATTLE WILDLIFE: Peregrine Falcon rescued"

  • Neighbor March 1, 2022 (9:32 pm)

    Thanks for everything you do Kersti!  Do you have a website or social media presence I can follow?  I am always an hour late on whale sightings, even though I live near the water.

  • ajwren March 1, 2022 (9:32 pm)

    Great job, Kersti!  

  • Lowman Resident March 1, 2022 (10:13 pm)

    Wow Kersti! You are a badass and I wish I could have witnessed this rescue! Thank you for all you do for the wildlife in West Seattle. You are a blessing!

    • Kersti Muul March 2, 2022 (3:33 pm)

      Lol. I was given a cape yesterday. Finally! 😝I was really quick with this one. Some folks were phone videoing, I hope it surfaces some day. I’m really grateful Trileigh fired off that shot

  • ~Hockeywitch~ March 1, 2022 (10:46 pm)

    Way to go Kersti… Glad you were able to help this beautiful bird. Hope it makes a full recovery and we see it flying around West Seattle.. You ROCK!

  • Suzanne March 2, 2022 (1:09 am)

    So grateful to you Kersti! This bird is very fortunate to have ended up at PAWS for treatment. Here’s hoping for a speedy and full recovery. Please let us know as you get status updates. Everyone, if you care about wildlife, please consider donating to PAWS Wildlife Center to support their exceptional work — https://www.paws.org/wildlife/ (Donate button is in upper right corner).

    • Bob P March 2, 2022 (8:16 am)

      Thanks for the link – just donated!

    • Kersti Elisabeth Muul March 2, 2022 (9:49 am)

      Yes, PAWS could always use donations.You can also donate here if you’d like to help me out:. https://gofund.me/d8c7cf2b

      • CW March 2, 2022 (1:56 pm)

        Yes! Everyone should donate to this, Kersti, you do such a huge service to our community and our animal neighbors, and you teach our kids about nature as you are doing it. Hope all West Seattle Blog readers take a moment to donate. Perhaps you could start a Patreon?

        • Kersti Elisabeth Muul March 2, 2022 (8:18 pm)

          Thank you. Maybe I should post the link in a more visible spot!

      • Suzanne March 2, 2022 (8:58 pm)

        Just donated Kersti. Thanks for letting us know! Please always ask for the support you need. Just to bring it home, the round-trip cost of driving to PAWS from West Seattle is ~$45 — and that’s just the mileage alone.  

        • Kersti Elisabeth Muul March 3, 2022 (8:37 am)

          That you so much! You are right. Patient transportation is usually the most difficult part of this. Everyone wants to help until it’s time to drive to PAWS 😝Just for some context, the whole affair the other day took me 4 hours. Which is pretty typical. With no bridge and horrendous traffic …

  • Joan March 2, 2022 (7:35 am)

    You rock, ladies! Hope the falcon comes out OK.

  • T Rex March 2, 2022 (8:27 am)

    People who love and respect the animals of this earth are the best humans on earth, thank you Kersti!

  • helpermonkey March 2, 2022 (8:38 am)

    Kersti, we are so lucky to have you here in West Seattle! Thanks for helping out this beautiful creature. 

  • barbara s spector March 2, 2022 (8:56 am)

    We saw him about an hour earlier on the beach trail at the north end of Lincoln Park. Was wondering if he was hurt because it didn’t seem normal for a hawk to be hanging out there.Happy he’s getting treatment.

  • Sarah March 2, 2022 (11:09 am)

    Thank you! I wonder if this is the same PF, or a family member, that’s been recently visiting the coast redwoods on my slope east of the park. There has been evidence of some deft hunting ability, including a few remnants of a robin and a rabbit in the adjacent road. 

  • Mnw March 2, 2022 (11:16 am)

    I think I might have seen this bird a couple days ago, near The Kenney. I heard some crashing sounds and a bird flew out from a hallway of an apartment building. I thought it looked like a small hawk. It seemed disoriented…but flew into a nearby tree. 

    • Derrick March 2, 2022 (1:34 pm)

      I am always so impressed with Kersti and the work she does. Does she ever lead a nature walk / talk or could we convince her to do so? Maybe as a fundraiser? I’d love to learn from her!

      • Kersti Elisabeth Muul March 2, 2022 (8:19 pm)

        I do educational walks for sure! Plants, trees, birds, mushrooms, whales… Whatever you want, and can cater to any age group too

    • Kersti Elisabeth Muul March 2, 2022 (5:32 pm)

      That would be a Cooper’s hawk. ☺️

    • Pessoa March 2, 2022 (8:24 pm)

      Most likely either a Cooper’s Hawk or a sharpie.  

  • SM Westside March 2, 2022 (4:05 pm)

    Yeah Lee the Gardener!!  Sharp eyes!And Kersti!!!!!!! :)

  • Kathryn Smith March 2, 2022 (6:57 pm)

    Thank you Kersti and friends for doing what you do. Hope the PF recovers. 

  • Pessoa March 3, 2022 (11:26 am)

    Talk of falcons always reminds me of my favorite book as a child, “My Side of the Mountain.”  

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