Cat and Mouse

We have a pair of Peregrines come past our high-rise occasionally and catch Seagulls and take them up above the 14th floor and let them go and then dive down on them and catch them again, they do this several time, just playing with them or practising ??? Is this a normal practise for them ?? They then fly up onto a roof of one of the nearby high-rises to eat them and you can only tell which roof they are on by the feathers fluttering down as they pluck them. This morning one flew past with a squawking Sea Gull 20 feet from where I was sitting on the balcony. (Never have the camera when you want it) Got some photos of them eating, first the biggest one and then it let the smaller one feed. A Currawong came up to close to show his displeasure and the Peregrine chased him down at high speed till he crashed into the low bushes. Diving from 14 stories high the Currawong was no match and was making a fair bit of noise on the way down, don’t think he will do that again. Years ago I had a lot to do with the then called “Fisheries and Wildlife” regarding the Peregrines laying soft shelled eggs due to the D. D. T. used on farm land. I saw many pairs but never saw them doing this although they were not feeding young ones as none were hatching. Another interesting find yesterday was a Bush Stone-curlew living in a underground car park at a Labrador shopping centre, has been there on and off for two years just walks out of the road of cars driving out and casually walks up the stairs to go and feed returning each morning. Barney