During September, 2004 the CFW received a call from Tufts Wildlife Clinic asking if we would be interested in taking a non-releasable peregrine falcon. She was a young bird who unfortunately struck a car after fledging from her nest. We immediately said yes, and could not wait for her arrival. At the time, however, we were in the midst of constructing a new flight enclosure and had to wait until that project was completed so she would have a home.

In November, Freyja (named after a Norse goddess of love and magic) finally arrived. The staff at Tufts had already started to work with her on the glove and she seemed quite comfortable around people. Not only did we get a beautiful peregrine falcon to use for our community education programs (a species which at one time was close to extinction due to DDT, but has been recovering), we got a bird that was partially trained and packed full of personality.

Not to say that we dont have our work cut out for us. Peregrine falcons are very smart, and we quickly learned that Freyja had a few habits that needed to be worked on (such as jumping from a perch onto people). CFW staff work with her every day for up to an hour so she gets used to the same handling techniques and commands. We are so honored and fortunate to be able to work with this magnificent bird every day. We know that she will leave an immeasurable impression on all of those who learn from her.


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