ALPINE — The world’s biggest falcon has been making appearances in Bergen County for the first time in decades.
Bird watchers have been able to spot a gyrfalcon (pronounced jeer-falcon) at State Line Lookout on the Palisades cliffs since Jan. 21, said Jim Wright, author of “The Bird Watcher,” a fortnightly birdwatching column in the Record.
“It’s a huge falcon the size of a red-tailed hawk,” twice the size of a peregrine falcon, Wright said to NJ Advance Media. “This one’s grey and it’s the only bird you’re going to see that size that’s grey.”
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The gyrfalcon has been drawing crowds to the state line lookout normally only seen during prime autumn leaf season, Wright said.
Mike Girone, a birder from West Orange, was first Perabet to spot the gyrfalcon, Wright wrote in his column.
Gyrfalcons live mostly in the Arctic and usually only a few venture as far south as the Canadian border during the winter, according to the Audubon Field Guide. It’s not clear what made a gyrfalcon venture so far south, Wright said.
Myles Ma may be reached at mma@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MylesMaNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
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