An arrow in the sky: the peregrine falcon

It is late morning, I am walking along the path that snakes through a very narrow canyon at the beginning of the majestic Valley of Fara S. Martino on the eastern side of Majella National Park. The bad weather of the previous days kept many escursionists away from this popular trail and today I am all alone, lost in my thoughts, while my steps on the stones resound loudly among the severe cliffs.

All of a sudden a fulmineous shadow crosses my view some twenty metres ahead. I reach for my binoculars just in time to see a beautiful peregrine falcon flying fast in the deep valley, away from me. I scan the area and see a grey patch on the ground: a pigeon was laying there dead, its chest torn by the bill of the falcon. I had chased the peregrine off its lunch!

I get closer to the pigeon to examinate it; it seems like the peregrine had just started feeding on it. Istinctively I look up, into the narrow strip of sky above my head. And there it is: a tiny arrow in the sky; the king of the cliffs is checking me out. Almost sorry for having disturbed it, I leave immediately, speeding up my pace to let such wilderness close behind me.

All images and texts © 2009-2012 Bruno D'Amicis Photography