Andrea Macko reports for Porcupine Soup that anyone walking across the Rip Van Winkle Bridge recently have seen signs warning about aggressive female peregrine falcon that say, “Caution Falcon Is Very Aggressive Today.” There have been no human injuries reported, but the walkway was closed for several days after the bird harassed workers and walkers on the bridge between Catskill and Hudson. The bird is protecting four babies in a nest on the bridge. Larry Federman, president of the Northern Catskills Audubon Society and former education coordinator for three Audubon sanctuaries, said, “The peregrines have been nesting under the roadway of the Rip Van Winkle Bridge for several years, usually near the Greene County end of the bridge. As on other bridges over the Hudson River, the Department of Environmental Conservation had installed a nest box platform to aid in the nesting.... This year’s protective behavior could be due to fledglings being in a different location―having wandered off of the nest platform.” Peregrines are an endangered species in New York. Federman said once the babies leave the nest, the adult will leave humans alone. He said, “Once the young have fledged―left the nesting site―the parents will remain in the area all year and use the Rip Van Winkle Bridge as the base of operations for hunting birds.” Read more about this story at Porcupine Soup.