Photo courtesy of Born To Be Wild Nature Center
NEWPORT, R.I. -- A fledgling peregrine falcon that became entangled in the rigging of a Navy ship at the Navy Station in Newport is about ready to be released, said Vivian Maxson of Westerly's Born To Be Wild Nature Center.
"You should see this falcon get around the cage," she said, "very, very strong."
The falcon, Maxson said, was rescued by Navy employees on June 28 after it crashed into the rigging while chasing a bird.
The ship in question, Maxson said, is docked near the USS Saratoga, prompting officials to wonder if there's a falcon nest atop the decommissioned aircraft carrier.
The site is not far from the Newport Bridge, where there's been an established eyrie for years.
Estimated to be about two months old, the peregrine was brought into the rehab center by a Navy employee. It was a bit "sore" and very thin, Maxson said, adding she believes it's a female.
"She wasn't putting weight on one foot," Maxson said.
At first, she said, the peregrine would lay down next to the big nest in the 40-foot flight cage she shares with another peregrine falcon rescued in Pawtucket. Her laying down, Maxson said, showed that "she was bruised and battered down."
(The Pawtucket peregrine, whose brother was released last month at Pawtucket City Hall, will be kept in captivity as an educational bird due to permanent injuries that prevent her from flying, Maxson said.)
A release date is yet to be set.