The Best Places to See Wildlife in AmericaFrom bison in Yellowstone to manatees in Florida, amazing animals are closer to home than you think

Credit: Visuals Unlimited, Inc./Richard Ettlinger

Updated: Friday May 13, 2011 | 05:00 PM EDT By: Thailan Pham

PEREGRINE FALCONS IN MAINE

From mid-May through August, join other birders at Acadia National Park in Maine and keep your eyes peeled on the high cliffs where these falcons typically nest. "Their diving speed can be 200 miles an hour and they can stop on a dime," says Slobodchikoff. "It's phenomenal." And if you hear what sounds like a gunshot, don't call the authorities quite yet. When the falcons come to a halt at such high speeds, "you can hear a pop as the wings fill up – it's like a rifle shot!" he says.