Sad end to peregrine falcon
ITS giant yellow claws tell you all you need to know about the hunting skills of this peregrine falcon.
But this particular bird was out of luck in Edgbaston. A passerby spotted it struggling in Pritchatts Road, just outside of the University of Birmingham.
RSPCA inspector Herchy Boal arrived quickly and found no obvious sign of injury and no bleeding.
But with the raptor struggling to move it was taken to the RSPCA’s Birmingham Animal Centre and Hospital for treatment.
Inspector Boal said: “It appears that the peregrine falcon may have injured himself by flying into something. I rushed him to the animal hospital and they did all they could.
“Sadly the medication wasn’t working as his internal injuries were too severe and the bird had to be put to sleep to end his suffering.”
Thirty years ago, bird spotters in Birmingham had to travel to the likes of Wales to try to spot a peregrine falcon.
More recently they have begun making their homes in cities again, including the 500ft BT Tower and Fort Dunlop in Birmingham and at Derby Cathedral.
A local ornithologist said there were currently six known eyries in Birmingham but declined to say where they were.