The Diving Falcon

Polly thought about the peregrine for two days. She wanted to feel the shape of its dive.

Polly rozmýšľala o sokolovi sťahovavom dva dni. Chcela cítiť tvar jeho ponoru.

On the third morning, she went to El Capitan. A peregrine was on a high rock. It was eating something.

Na tretie ráno išla k El Capitan. Na vysokej skale bol sokol sťahovavý. Niečo jedol.

She perched on a bush fifty metres away. She waited.

Usadila sa na kríku päťdesiat metrov ďalej. Čakala.

The peregrine finished its meal. It looked at her. Then it stepped off the rock.

Sokol dojedol svoju potravu. Pozrel sa na ňu. Potom sa odrazil zo skaly.

It did not flap. It folded its wings tight. It dropped fast. It pulled out, turned, and was gone.

Nerozprestrel krídla. Pevne ich zložil. Rýchlo sa spustil. Vytiahol sa, otočil a zmizol.

A peregrine falcon can dive at 380 kilometres per hour. It is the fastest animal in the world. The bird has a special third eyelid. It also has small cones in its nose to slow the air.

Sokol sťahovavý môže dosiahnuť rýchlosť 380 kilometrov za hodinu. Je to najrýchlejšie zviera na svete. Tento vták má špeciálne tretie viečko. Má tiež malé kužele v nose, ktoré spomaľujú vzduch.

Polly is not made for this dive. But she wanted to try.

Polly nie je stvorená na takýto ponor. Ale chcela to skúsiť.

She flew to the high rock. She folded her wings. She fell.

Letela na vysokú skalu. Zložila krídla. Padala.

It was not a good dive. She wobbled. The wind caught her wing. She opened her wings and pulled out.

Nebolo to dobré ponorenie. Zakolísala. Vietor jej zachytil krídlo. Otvorila krídla a vytiahla sa.

She tried again from lower. Then again, lower still. By noon she had tried eight times. Each one was a little better.

Skúsila to znova z nižšej výšky. Potom znovu, ešte nižšie. Do poludnia to skúsila osemkrát. Každý pokus bol o niečo lepší.