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Alison:
Bird of prey found hanged on Cumbrian allotment

A wildlife officer for Cumbria police has said they are looking for a key witness after a falcon was found hanging in an allotment. The bird of prey, believed to be either a peregrine falcon or a buzzard, was found on a plot of land near to Kilbride Place, Frizington, on Sunday morning.  Officers believe the bird may have been killed in suspicious circumstances.

PC John Shaw, Cumbria police’s wildlife crime officer, said: “We believe it is either a peregrine falcon or a buzzard. It was found hanging from a fence in the allotment. We have not established a cause of death at the moment. We know someone placed the bird on the fence. We are trying to get that witness to come forward and tell us under what circumstances the bird was found dead.  “It’s quite a problem for birds in the west of the county. We want to get the message across that we will seriously investigate it. It was possibly shot dead. It’s difficult to tell until we do an X-ray. If we are talking about small pellets it is difficult to see them unless X-rayed. We really want to talk to any witnesses who might be able to help with the circumstances. They can speak in confidence with me. Unfortunately Cumbria has quite a lot of bird persecutions. We get birds that are shot, poisoned and trapped illegally. When it comes to birds of prey most of the incidents are deliberate. Birds of prey are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act. They are vulnerable to persecution.”

Anyone found to have killed the birds can face a hefty fine and up to six months in prison.  Anyone with information is asked to contact PC John Shaw on 0845 3300247 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

Link to story: News & Star - Bird of prey found hanged on Cumbrian allotment

Alison:
Man tried to smuggle 14 rare Peregrine falcon eggs on a plane to Dubai from Birmingham Airport

Anti-Terror police arrested an alleged thief trying to smuggle rare birds eggs from Wales to Dubai at Birmingham Airport on Bank Holiday Monday.

Jeffrey Lendrum was charged with climbing a mountain in south Wales to steal peregrine falcon eggs from their nest at Solihull Magistrates’ Court.  West Midlands Police said it is the first case of its kind for 20 years.  The 48-year-old, who has dual Zimbabwean and Irish nationality, was said to have the eggs strapped to his body to keep them warm.  He was charged with four offences involving the taking of the eggs from a peak in the Rhondda and hiding them to evade export restrictions. He was also charged with the possession of climbing gear, an incubator and other equipment to take and keep wild bird eggs. Twelve of the 14 eggs are believed to be alive.  Officers said they kept them safe by nesting them on their office computers and turning them regularly until wildlife rescue centre staff arrived to collect them. It is hoped they will eventually be returned to the wild once they are hatched.

Lendrum was remanded in custody on May 5 and he is due to appear at Warwick Crown Court later this month.

Link to story: Birmingham Mail - Man tried to smuggle 14 rare Peregrine falcon eggs on a plane to Dubai from Birmingham Airport

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

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