Peregrines at home in city and country
If ever there was a bird that is simply the epitome of wildness, surely that bird is the peregrine falcon.
For one thing, this is the fastest of them all, achieving speeds in excess of 200 miles per hour in its dramatic stoop. If you are lucky enough to get close up to a peregrine, its gaze is enough to drop the temperature of one’s blood by a degree or two and you would certainly thank your lucky stars that you are not a member of the avian clan!
For those down the centuries who have practiced the noble art of falconry, the peregrine is the king of all. That sheer speed makes it the very apple of the falconer’s eye.
Some time ago, I enjoyed a close encounter of a feathered kind when unexpectedly such a bird turned up in this neck of the woods. The bird flew in, perched on a fencepost and proceeded to swear at the surrounding countryside … for no apparent reason. Meanwhile, a buzzard partaking of its usual aerial patrol came gliding into view, no doubt innocently on the look out for stray voles or perhaps the odd bit of carrion. Buzzards drift across this lowland landscape regularly without any hassle. However, the sight of the buzzard seemed to enrage the falcon beyond reason and it took off from the fencepost and made a beeline for it.
It is easy to think of buzzards as relatively easy-going creatures. They sail about the sky appearing to be unconcerned for the most part … that is until a peregrine in a bad mood intervenes. And boy did it do that! It flew directly at the buzzard, so directly that the buzzard for a moment seemed utterly confused. Like a bullet the peregrine hurled itself at the bird, screeching as it did so and forcing the buzzard to call on all its reserve powers of flight to avoid a direct hit.
It flipped first one way and then the other but to no avail as the peregrine having missed its target flew round in a tight circle and attacked again.
By now, I had the definite impression that the buzzard was in panic mode. Again, and again, the peregrine flew at the now utterly discombobulated buzzard which was soon seeking refuge in the branches of an ancient ash tree that adorns the fence-line between two fields. Undeterred, the peregrine continued to fly at the now miserable looking bird, which ducked each time the falcon made a pass until suddenly the fraught attacker wheeled away presumably to look for another target for its ire.
Pausing briefly to perch on a nearby fence post and rattle off another volley of peregrine swear words, it then took off and flew away to make a nuisance of itself somewhere else. The buzzard lingered long enough to make sure the coast was clear, then also flew off, doubtless relieved that no contact had been made and that its assailant had gone!
And yet, you might just as well see such a peregrine flying between the buildings of a city as here in the countryside, by coastal cliffs or high up in the hills and mountains. For peregrines have sussed out that there is plenty of good eating to be had right in the middle of our cities in the form of substantial flocks of feral pigeons. Although some of these multi-coloured pigeons may owe some of their ancestry to the rock dove, their main progenitors are probably the pigeons, which for hundreds of years were kept in doo-cots as a source of high protein meat. Up and down the country there are many old, ruined doo-cots where once these birds were kept.
Famously they live in vast numbers in cities such as London and Glasgow and therefore that is where you will also find peregrine falcons, nesting perhaps on some surrogate cliff face such as one of the city high-rise concrete edifices.
However, as far as I know, they don’t swoop down on Trafalgar Square to take the odd pigeon. In any case, Trafalgar Square seems to be almost permanently occupied by protestors of one sort or another these days. But, just as in Stirling’s city centre you will often see flocks of pigeons flying round in their massed ranks, that is when the peregrines strike.
If visitors to cities may find themselves fined if they proffer food to the feral pigeons that stalk the streets, peregrines are not penalized for their predation, which may in fact be welcomed by the city fathers!
My own peregrine watching experiences have however, not been above city centres but either along coastal cliffs or indeed, among the Scottish hills and mountains. I well remember, not far away from here, watching a whole bunch of crossbills at first feeding on cones on the ground and extracting the seeds in their unique way before, as one, suddenly taking off and hurrying out over neighbouring fields in a typically tightly packed, undulating little flock.
This was simply because a peregrine had taken off from the hill high above and soared over where they had been exploiting those fallen cones.
The sight of what for them must have signaled a deadly shape, was enough to send them into a panic, relieved only when they realised that the falcon, perhaps with other, larger prey in mind, was heading elsewhere. They turned and bounced back!
More amusing, way out on a group of islands off the west coast, was the sight of a family of ravens when a peregrine appeared high above.
One of the adult ravens proceeded to roll over so that it was flying upside down – a curious sight – as if it were challenging the falcon to come and have a go but always with the afterthought of ‘just watch out for my very substantial beak’!
Another occasion enabled me to see from above, the passage of a peregrine which had taken off from a cliff face above me in a familiar glen and set of in pursuit of a little posse of wood pigeons far below in the glen. I had a super view and watched the peregrine descend towards the pigeons, accelerating all the time before eventually singling out and making a beeline for one of them before striking it, as if with a mailed fist, just behind the head.
The pigeon, very dead, spiraled down to the floor of the glen, followed by the peregrine. Dinner had been well and truly served!
I haven’t ever seen a peregrine in Stirling’s city centre. I’ve seen sparrowhawks and on the castle rock, kestrels. But it wouldn’t surprise me if from time to time there were incursions. I watched with some amusement a whole line of pigeons perched along roofs of a motley assortment of buildings the other evening. There are peregrines within a mile or so of them and clearly a very healthy food supply.
Watch out, for in that line up were many breakfasts, luncheons and dinners for our neighbourhood peregrines!
The sight of what for them must have signalled a deadly shape, was enough to send them into a panic, relieved only when they realised that the falcon was heading elsewhere