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Archived Outdoors

Meet the fastest bird on the planet

Visitors to Gorges State Park will have the opportunity to get a close look at two peregrine falcons, Seymour and Zelda Suri, at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 2.

Seymour and Zelda are cared for by trainer Peter Kipp-Dupont, a licensed master falconer and raptor rehabilitator. He has trained birds of prey for 40 years.

The peregrine falcon was saved from extinction, recovering from only 40 known breeding pairs in the nation in 1970 to an estimated 1,800 breeding pairs today.

The Grassy Ridge trailhead can be reached by turning south off of U.S. 64 on to N.C. 281 South to the park entrance. The parking lot is one mile from the entrance.