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Alison:
Drama in the air: Two peregrine falcons in extraordinary battle 250 ft above ground

Framed against the backdrop of a cloudless blue sky, the two male peregrine falcons look as if they have been almost frozen in time like figures on a coat of arms.  In reality it was the frenzied scene being fought out 250ft above the ground at Chichester Cathedral, West Sussex, as a younger bird tried to take over the nesting ground of a cathedral veteran. Although the encounter lasted just a few seconds - with the senior peregrine the victor - the whole sequence was captured frame by frame by wildlife photographers David and Janet Shaw.

"I have taken photographs of wild animals all of my life all over the world but this is one of the most remarkable sequences I have ever seen," Mr Shaw said. "It was totally stunning."  The couple, from nearby Worthing, were on one of their regular pilgrimages to see the peregrines who have been nesting at Chichester since 2001 when the drama developed.

Mrs Shaw said: "There has been a resident pair of peregrines at the cathedral for ten years and this year the male was sitting on the pinnacle of one of the turrets when the youngster came along. He is one of the young males born last year at a site called Sussex Heights in Brighton and was obviously on the look out for some new territory."

For the rest of the story and photos:  (Well worth the read & photos are great) The Daily Mail - Peregrine Falcons fight 250 ft above ground

Alison:
Pigeon fanciers slam city plan

Pigeon fanciers aim to shoot down a scheme to bring peregrine falcons into Manchester after claiming their prized birds are being eaten. Racing fans have slammed the RSPB-backed scheme to build city centre roosts for the birds of prey. A series of man-made nests – known as scrapes – were created in a number of prominent buildings, including Manchester town hall, five years ago.

Last week, the M.E.N reported that a pair of peregrine falcons had moved from their previous city centre home to a new scrape in the CIS tower. But pigeon racers say they are fed up with the presence of the falcons, which are routinely swooping on their birds. Now a veteran racer says he plans a protest.

Albert Langslow, from Salford, says he and other pigeon racers had lost birds due to falcons.  He said: “There are far too many of these birds of prey. They are not in decline any more. All these attempts to bring them into towns are getting out of hand. I can’t let my birds out without worrying that they won’t come back. My friend in Whitefield let his out, they were attacked by a falcon and scattered. He lost the whole lot.

“Some of the pigeon breeds go back years and years but the birds of prey are 10-a-penny. Pigeon racing is an old man’s game. Too many youngsters are interested in other things. But bringing these birds into the city centre is just the nail in the coffin.”  Mr Langslow, 70, a retired hotelier, said he and other fed-up fanciers now planned to stage a city centre demo in opposition to the scheme.

Peregrine falcons were previously listed as endangered species but their numbers have increased in recent years.  There are now 1,400 breeding pairs of the clifftop-dwelling birds. Many have increasingly been spotted on tower blocks and tall office buildings.

But Tim Melling, a senior conservation officer at the RSPB, said research showed birds of prey were responsible for only a sixth of lost racing pigeons. He said: “Pigeon fanciers are actually killing more pigeons than birds of prey. What they do is try to breed them and the ones that aren’t in top condition, they wring their necks.  “If a bird has got lost or disorientated, they are the ones that will be eaten by the falcons. Birds of prey are saving pigeon fanciers the job of killing the weak birds.”  Mr Melling denied falcon numbers were now excessive and said the vast majority continued to live in countryside and coastal areas.

Link to story: Manchester Evening News - Pigeon Fanciers Slam City Plan

Alison:
Peregrine falcons nest on International Bridge
Soo Evening News / Jan 2011

Sault Ste. Marie, Mich: Again this spring, the fastest animal in the world is nesting atop pier #22 under the International Bridge. A pair of peregrine falcons returned to the Sault to nest under the bridge.

On Monday, Phil Becker, the General Manager of the International Bridge, reported that bridge workers found four peregrine falcon eggs around 10 days ago. They located the nest and eggs where the falcons had raised their young last spring. Workers immediately moved to protect the breeding pair from disturbances. This is at least the ninth year the falcons have nested at the International Bridge.

The peregrine falcon’s eggs should hatch in the next three weeks and the chicks will begin flying in July. The eggs take 28 to 33 days to hatch, then the chicks — called “eyasses” — leave the nest after 42 to 48 days and depend on the parents for two more months.
 
Peregrine falcons can dive at over 200 miles-per-hour when chasing their favorite prey: Pigeons.

Interested residents can catch a glimpse of these fast falcons flying around the Sault area and sitting on various structures including the arches of the International Bridge.  The nest is sheltered well under the bridge deck near the north end of the second bridge arch over the Soo Locks. The young falcons will not be visible until sometime in July and August when they will fledge from the nest then fly around town.

“For the protection of the falcons and the bridge users, people must not stop on the bridge to try to locate the nest,” Becker warned. “The nest is not visible from the ground and nearly impossible to see from on the bridge.”

A peregrine falcon can be identified by its hooked beak, dark strips under its eyes, pointed wings, blue-gray back, and barred front.

Peregrine falcons have been seen around the Sault area for some 14 years. 

Peregrines were on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s endangered species list, after the pesticide DDT decimated the populations in the 60s and 70s. DDT was eventually banded. Bald eagles, Cooper’s hawks and other birds were also damaged by the pesticide. The captive breeding of peregrines and their release into the wild expanded the falcon’s range to now include places such as New York City, Ontario’s Batchawana River area and Sault Ste. Marie.  The USFWS removed the peregrine from the endangered species list, but this falcon and all birds of prey are protected by Michigan and federal law. It is a felony to shoot any kind of raptor, including the fastest animal in the world — the peregrine falcon.

source:  http://www.sooeveningnews.com/news/x1042480106/Peregrine-falcons-nest-on-International-Bridge

Alison:
Watch mounted on peregrine falcons' nest



Ornithologists throughout the south of England are descending on a churchyard in Bath to keep watch over the nest of a pair of peregrine falcons.  The female falcon on the spire of St John the Evangelist church in Bath has laid a clutch of four eggs. The rare birds have fallen victim to egg collectors in the past, and the site will be protected by a 24-hour watch scheme. Ornithologist Valerie James said there were excellent views of the nest.

"We should have wonderful views with the aid of 'scopes and anyone who is really interested should go along and take advantage of a stunning bird on your doorstep," she said.  

The eggs are expected to hatch in early May. Peregrines are protected birds in the UK and the RSPB says their numbers are still low.

Link to story: BBC News - Watch mounted on peregrine falcons' nest

The peregrine in the pic with the article doesn't look too happy . . .

Alison:
Shuttered Statler still home to Peregrine Falcons
National Public Radio / 26 April 2010

BUFFALO, NY (WBFO) - While there are no tenants inside the Statler towers in downtown Buffalo, some outside dwellers remain.

Department of Environmental Conservation wildlife biologist Connie Adams says Peregrine Falcons have been nesting at the top of the Statler for many years now. And even though the future of the building remains uncertain, the Peregrines continue to make the structure their home.

Adams says there are seven known nesting pairs in the Buffalo area. She says Peregrines continue to return to the same nesting spot year after year.

Another set settled into a building on UB's South Campus. The falcons are waiting for three eggs to hatch. Adams has been working along with the UB staff and the Buffalo Audubon Society in keeping watch. UB gained approval to install a nesting box at MacKay Tower because it is a historic landmark. A web cam was also added.

But the Audubon Society had to remove its falcon web cam at the Statler. So anyone who wants to view their activity will have to revert to less modern means -- binoculars, telephoto camera lens or telescope.

source: http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/wbfo/news.newsmain/article/1/0/1641445

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