Peregrines late hatching in the West Country

Like many other birds across the UK this year, Peregrines have been breeding later in some parts of the country. While pairs in the London area appear to be on time compared to previous years, those around Bristol are running a week or two later than they were in 2012. By now I would have normally ringed most of the Peregrine chicks available, but this year I am hoping to ring my first today! There are various reasons why this may be happening - it may relate to the condition of the adult birds after a cold winter; the availability of food (ie small birds); the cooler spring temperatures; and natural variation. Despite the late start, the chicks that hatched around three weeks ago appear to be doing well and are growing fast. More photos to follow of this year's young Peregrines. 

Waders on the menu for Bristol peregrines

Since the temperature has dropped in the last week or so, the Peregrines that are often seen around Bristol city centre appear to have become increasingly active. They must have been hunting and caching around the clock, as recently I have found the remains of a much wider variety of prey species under their perches than I have for months - many of which, would have only been flying over the city under the cover of darkness.

Last Sunday, it was a bumper haul, with Dunlin, Snipe, Little Grebe, Teal, and plenty of more common urban birds like Starling, Redwing, Goldfinch, and Feral Pigeon. Mid-week, I found some Lapwing tail feathers, and this weekend, a male Teal, alongside some nice Golden Plover and Woodcock feathers.

It might be that the cold snap has prompted the increased hunting frequency, and they are busy caching extra food, or it could be that the drop in temperature has caused some movement of waders and ducks.

The only other explanation could be that there is a new bird in town, who is more expert at hunting nocturnally. As Ed mentioned in the previous post, it is important to keep an eye on who’s who at this time of year. 

Just recently, I have noticed that a juvenile Peregrine that has been hanging around with the two adults in the centre of Bristol has no colour ring on its left leg. If this was the city centre pair's offspring from this year, we would expect it to be sporting a colour ring on its left leg with the letters FP, clearly visible here. Therefore, this young bird is either FP, and has lost his ring, perhaps after a high-speed strike, or it is a roaming juvenile that has temporarily taken up residence in Bristol. It’s hard to be sure without getting a look at the BTO metal ring on its right leg, but watching its behaviour - particularly its choice of perches that I’ve never seen FP use before - I’m inclined to agree with Ed that it is not a local bird. Frustrating situations like this illustrate why colour-ringing is so important to urban Peregrine studies

Peregrines are on the move - watch out for who's who

At this time of the year, Peregrines are on the move. Young birds hatched earlier in the year will be travelling around the UK, sometimes short distances, perhaps only a radius of 50 miles; others will be moving much further, up to 120 miles or more. 

Urban sites with wintering Peregrines may consist of not just local birds, but falcons from further afield. Of course, they look the same, but with some careful observations of age, sex, and other plumage markings, you may be able to tell the individuals apart. A city centre roost may have four or five individual Peregrines using the site, even though only one or two are seen at any one time. 

Many urban Peregrines are now marked with colour rings on their legs under a Schedule 1 Licence - these allow the birds to be identified from a distance. Others, particularly those ringed in quarries, may only sport a unique, BTO metal ring (which the colour-ringed birds will also have). 

Either way, the rings can tell us a lot about individual Peregrines, from where they have travelled from, to how old they are.  When spotting Peregrines, keep an eye or for their legs and any rings. With a good scope or camera, the colour rings can be read. The metal rings require powerful lenses, but if a bird is close enough, they can sometimes be read too. 

Report any rings and their codes to ring.ac and myself! The colour rings I use in the Bristol and Bath region are light blue with black letters.