Peter Green was never that into birds.

Then one day, looking out the 6th floor window of his downcity Providence loft, the graphic designer and photographer spotted what he thought was a pigeon flying to the top of 111 Westminster Street, aka The Superman Building. Thinking that elevation was a bit high for a pigeon, he grabbed his binoculars. What he saw would change his opinion of birding forever. There was a pigeon in the scene — but it was being eaten by a Peregrine Falcon.

A city bird — that was the kind of bird that caught Mr. Green's eye. "If a bird's in a tree I don't even take a picture any more," he said.
Ever since that fateful day, Mr. Green's fascination with Peregrines and other urban raptors, including Red-tailed Hawks, American Kestrels, and the occasional owl has only grown, as he has amassed an impressive collection of images and stories about these creatures. "Focusing on urban birds lets you tell the story of the animals where you live," he said. "I don't live in Africa, so it's not for me to go there and try to tell their stories….It's the daily exposure and the obligation to catch their daily activities that lets you tell their stories."

Peregrine Falcons don't just survive in cities, they thrive. These hunters can reach speeds of 200 mph as they dive from height to catch their meals, always other birds, mid-flight. Aggressive and territorial, nesting pairs maintain a territory surrounding their high point, and will fight to the death another Peregrine that invades it. In Providence, the next closest pair to 111 Westminster is at the Cranston Street Armory, about a mile and a half, as the Peregrine flies. In New York City, the most densely-populated Peregrine habitat on earth, the pairs tolerate living more closely together on account of the great abundance of pigeons.

"There's a lot of drama," he said of the birds' fighting ways, joking about how a friend has dubbed the Peregrine relations "Falconcrest" and "The Young and the Nestless" after the long-running soap operas. The fighting peaks in January and February, but it's the banding of the newly-hatched Peregrines in May that has become a highlight for Mr. Green.

Several years ago, Mr. Green learned about the government's Peregrine Falcon banding program, and asked if he could attend in exchange for the use of his images. It has become one of his favorite days of the year, and allowed him to get up close to these birds that, for the most part, he only witnesses through a very powerful zoom lens.

One of his favorite stories — and the one that made him think he had enough for a book — happened a couple of years ago when a Barred Owl turned up in downtown for an extended visit. "It spent 4 months hunting under the city lights, every night," he said. As he wrote in the chapter about this magical stretch of weeks, "the action was lit up like a movie set….it was fun to guess where it would be each night after sunset."

Mr. Green has recently released a book, Providence Raptors: Documenting the Lives of Urban Birds of Prey. It's a collection of 200 color photographs and featuring 21 stories of stealthy birds of prey, living and hunting in the city.

You can meet Peter Green at a lecture and book signing at the Audubon Nature Center and Aquarium on Sept. 26 from noon to 1:30 p.m. Advance registration for the lecture is required, at www.asri.org. The lecture will run from noon to 12:45 and the fee is $10; the book signing is free and will follow the lecture. In addition, Mr. Green's photographs are on display at the Nature Center and Aquarium, free with admission, through Oct. 3.

Books are available through Mr. Green's website at www.providenceraptors.com, as well as The Audubon Nature Center and Aquarium Gift Shop in Bristol, Symposium Books in Providence, and Carmen & Ginger in Tiverton.