I was exploring the coast of California with my friend. We decided to call it a night and find a place to camp. We ended up finding this place and going down a mile or so of steep, STEEP hillside with rocks and loose dirt. Of course we were guided by an ounce of moonlight. We set up our tent, but didn't use it. There was a cool zephyr and the stars shone lightly. We woke up in the morning to loud birds swooping low and making a ruckus. By the time I officially woke up, I realized that in actuality, it was just one bird. And it was a bird that strikes fear in the heart of many - including me. A peregrine falcon - the fastest animal in the world. It is like a bullet with razor sharp claws that weighs up to 1.5 kg. Anyway, birds are territorial and will not go out of their way to be aggressive for no reason. I just couldn't figure out what the reason was. I carried along and went closer to the edge of the cliff to see if I could see anything as to why the bird was acting this way. When I got there I saw a nest with the mother and a baby. It finally clicked - this is why the falcon is being so loud and diving so close. Then I remembered - the falcon! Where was it? I looked up with my camera and almost fell back. The peregrine was in the middle of its fastest dive yet, and heading right for me. I took this shot practically at ground level because I was in the middle of getting low. After the shot I fell to the ground on my stomach and felt the wind from this magnificent bird on my back. It was an incredible moment to be alive and I'm so grateful these species exist. After I realized why the aggressive behaviour was occurring, I left so that the falcons wouldn't be stressed out by what they assumed was a predator.

Stock photo: I was exploring the coast of California with my friend. We decided to call it a night and find a place to camp. We ended up finding this place and going down a mile or so of steep, STEEP hillside with rocks and loose dirt. Of course we were guided by an ounce of moonlight. We set up our tent, but didn't use it. There was a cool zephyr and the stars shone lightly. We woke up in the morning to loud birds swooping low and making a ruckus. By the time I officially woke up, I realized that in actuality, it was just one bird. And it was a bird that strikes fear in the heart of many - including me. A peregrine falcon - the fastest animal in the world. It is like a bullet with razor sharp claws that weighs up to 1.5 kg. Anyway, birds are territorial and will not go out of their way to be aggressive for no reason. I just couldn't figure out what the reason was. I carried along and went closer to the edge of the cliff to see if I could see anything as to why the bird was acting this way. When I got there I saw a nest with the mother and a baby. It finally clicked - this is why the falcon is being so loud and diving so close. Then I remembered - the falcon! Where was it? I looked up with my camera and almost fell back. The peregrine was in the middle of its fastest dive yet, and heading right for me. I took this shot practically at ground level because I was in the middle of getting low. After the shot I fell to the ground on my stomach and felt the wind from this magnificent bird on my back. It was an incredible moment to be alive and I'm so grateful these species exist. After I realized why the aggressive behaviour was occurring, I left so that the falcons wouldn't be stressed out by what they assumed was a predator. was taken by thedjchillwill .