{"id":25655,"title":"The Rise of the Peregrine Falcon","description":"The Peregrine Falcon emerged into my childhood, during the eighties. I recall reports of declining numbers and concerned natural history presenters urging children to write to their MP to call for the falcons protection. Decades later I wanted to look again at what was going on then and now with the Peregrine and other birds of prey","content":"

\"wjjs5v9dfwxcg2kdx4hhacglazpcv0ejxco715rqa4aacv4l.jpg\"Peregrine Falcon drawn and gently referenced by Paul Harfleet<\/em><\/p>

The Peregrine Falcon emerged into my childhood, during the eighties. I recall reports of declining numbers and concerned natural history presenters urging children to write to their MP to call for the falcons protection. Decades later I wanted to look again at what was going on then and now with the Peregrine and other birds of prey.<\/p>

Here\u2019s what my beloved copy of British Birds says about the Peregrine Falcon: \u201cSoaring high above its hunting territory, the peregrine looks too remote to be menacing. But once it has singled out its prey - a rabbit perhaps, or an unsuspecting wood-pigeon- it arches through the sky in a breathtaking \u2018stoop\u2019, which give its quarry little chance of escape. Speeds of up to 180 mph have been claimed for the diving peregrine, and the bird\u2019s talons strike the victim with such shattering force that they may break off its head. If the victim somehow manages to dodge the attack, the peregrine often stoops again and again.<\/p>

Falconers have always prized these spectacular, efficient killers. In the reign of James II, a record \u00a31000 was paid for a pair of peregrines. But in the Second World War the birds suffered heavily because of their reputation as hunters. Large numbers were shot, because it was thought that they were a threat to carrier pigeons, used at a time when radio silence was imposed on submarine-spotting planes. As the peregrine population began to recover from this setback it was hit by a worse one: the birds were poisoned or made infertile by the accumulation in their bodies of pesticides sprayed on crops and eaten by their prey. In 1956, there were more than 650 pairs of peregrines in the British Isles, but six years later only 68 breeding pairs were left. Peregrines (the male is called a tiercel and the larger female is the peregrine falcon) mate for life, often returning year after year to the same eyrie.\u201d<\/p>

\"luenlgcifehihm2ed1aupqesjhvnxhhqrwoixspd2ba9on6x.jpg\"Peregrine Falcon from the RSPB<\/em><\/p>

According to the RSPB <\/a>the current UK population is estimated to be around 1,750 pairs. In America populations also suffered due to pesticides, by 1975 their populations fell to a shocking 39 pairs across the American continent, through various initiatives largely led by falconers, their populations have recovered to 2,400 pairs. Falconry is an ancient sport, thought to have originated in the Middle East 4000 years ago. Rock art depicting falconry in ancient Anatolia is thought to date back to 1300 BC. According to Tim Birkhead in \u2018Birds and US\u2019 <\/u><\/a>the exact origin of our relationship with birds of prey is hard to confirm. The art of falconry was largely the domain of wealthy land owners in Europe and was considered a status symbol. Tom Cade is an American falconer and academic and described falconry as \u2018intellectually demanding\u2019 and leading to a \u2018deep appreciation of nature\u2019. \u00a0<\/p>