The Returning Flights of the Peregrine Falcon

An Essence of a Fleeting Purpose not Clearly Understood, well Perceived, but nevertheless, gave me a Feeling of Nature's Quiet Absurdity that may happen at times.

Peregrine Falcon Flying Directly Towards Apartment Window in Arnhem, Milnerton

Many of you may remember this image of the peregrine falcon flying towards me - standing in my bedroom with camera in hand. 

Of course the 'event' did not start off like this, there is a bit more to the story - so I thought of adding some existential context to that strange, but special Thursday afternoon.

The perception of viewing an image of a bird directly, through our lenses or our screens, as a photograph later as a lived experience, is deeply rooted in the values of ornithology, natural science and / or emotional nuance. This is of course perceived differently by anyone viewing the same phenomenon. One can also argue that there are other perceived values, such as aesthetics, existential principles and / or subjective quality or pleasure - or perhaps the opposite.

An Act of Phenomenology - The Peregrine and the Window

For a few years now the peregrine falcon has visited my apartment high above Milnerton on regular occasions - sleeping outside the bathroom window, sometimes perched on the lounge windowsill watching me work or posing for a few images outside my front door. 

Then, one Thursday afternoon, something extraordinary happened.

He flew towards my bedroom window without warning, but with intent - not once, but more than twenty times - banking sharply to the right at the last moment to avoid the large window and the wall. My 12th floor apartment is on the south-eastern corner of Arnhem, opposite Woodbridge Island (Milnerton) and from that vantage, I watched him with concerned awareness. Each flight felt deliberate, with dark eyes piercing into the human soul, over and over, deeper and deeper. Of course, he never misjudged the angle.

I photographed him at 10fps - eventually more than a thousand frames. But this image was the closest in presence with the most detail and definition (considering the poor light). It’s was not in any way a study in motion or precision. It was rather one of the special moments of human consciousness and instinct to perceive / capture many fleeting moments of a routine impermanence - for 'holding on' to just one. 

An essence of a fleeting purpose not clearly understood, well perceived, but nevertheless, gave me a glimpse of nature's quiet absurdity that may happen at times. I left before he did...

It was indeed a rhythm of freedom and presence that defies ownership. It does not belong to me, yet it chooses to return again and again.

With Canon EOS 7D Mark II / EF 400mm f/5.6L USM Lens

© Vernon Chalmers 

Existential Interpretation

"An Act of Phenomenology - The Peregrine and the Window" is the title of a personal photographic essay and reflection by South African photographer Vernon Chalmers, published in October 2025. The essay uses the photographer's experience of capturing a peregrine falcon flying directly toward his apartment window in Milnerton as a starting point for a deeper, more existential reflection on perception, nature, and the meaning we derive from our experiences.

The work is not a formal philosophical text but rather a personal exploration that uses a specific event to contemplate broader themes related to phenomenology.

Key concepts from the photographic essay

• The Subjective Nature of Perception: Chalmers explains that while an image of a bird might be viewed in different ways—from an ornithological, aesthetic, or symbolic perspective—each viewer will perceive the same event differently based on their own emotional and intellectual context. The essence of the experience is in the subjective interpretation.

• A Feeling of "Nature's Quiet Absurdity": The essay title evokes the concept of phenomenology, which is concerned with the structures of consciousness and experience. The unexpected, yet perfectly natural, approach of the falcon to the window is described as an absurd moment that challenges the viewer's normal expectations.

• Lived Experience vs. Photograph: The work contrasts the direct, immediate, and lived experience of witnessing the event with the experience of viewing it later as a photograph. The photograph is a representation, whereas the original experience is what is fundamental. This relates to phenomenology's core interest in the "lived world" (the Lebenswelt) as the basis for knowledge.

• Existential Context: Chalmers emphasizes that the event was not just a simple photograph but a special moment with its own context and meaning. By sharing the story and his reflections, he adds an "existential context" to the image, elevating it from a simple picture to a significant personal event.
  
  

Connection to philosophical phenomenology
The title explicitly references phenomenology, a philosophical movement concerned with the study of consciousness and the structures of experience from a first-person perspective. The core ideas in Chalmers' essay resonate with key phenomenological concepts:

• Intentionality: The experience is directed toward an object—the falcon. The photograph and reflection serve to examine that intentional act of consciousness.

• Epoché (Phenomenological Reduction): By reflecting on the event, Chalmers is, in a way, performing a mild epoché, or "bracketing," of the external world's assumed reality to focus on the experience itself. He moves away from a purely scientific or ornithological view to explore the deeper meaning it holds for him.

• Going "Back to the Things Themselves": The essay re-examines the raw, lived experience of seeing the falcon, echoing Edmund Husserl's call to return to "the things themselves" to gain a more fundamental understanding of phenomena." (Google AI)

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