David Element
Wildlife Photography and Digital Video Images
_______________________________________________________________________________________________Birds 96 – Peregrine Falcons
PEREGRINE
FALCON Falco peregrinus (f)
PEREGRINE
FALCON Falco peregrinus (f)
PEREGRINE
FALCON Falco peregrinus (f)
PEREGRINE
FALCON Falco peregrinus (f)
PEREGRINE
FALCON Falco peregrinus (f)
PEREGRINE
FALCON Falco peregrinus (f)
PEREGRINE
FALCON Falco peregrinus (f)
PEREGRINE
FALCON Falco peregrinus (f)
PEREGRINE
FALCON Falco peregrinus (f)
PEREGRINE
FALCON Falco peregrinus (m)
PEREGRINE
FALCON Falco peregrinus (m)
PEREGRINE
FALCON Falco peregrinus (f)
PEREGRINE
FALCON Falco peregrinus (f)
PEREGRINE FALCON Falco peregrinus (f, juvenile), EURASIAN
MAGPIE Pica pica
PEREGRINE FALCON Falco peregrinus (f, juvenile), EURASIAN
MAGPIE Pica pica
PEREGRINE FALCON Falco peregrinus (f, juvenile), EURASIAN
MAGPIE Pica pica
PEREGRINE
FALCON Falco peregrinus (f, juvenile)
PEREGRINE
FALCONS Falco peregrinus (f,
juveniles)
PEREGRINE
FALCONS Falco peregrinus (f, juveniles)
PEREGRINE
FALCONS Falco peregrinus (f, juveniles)
PEREGRINE
FALCONS Falco peregrinus (f, juveniles)
PEREGRINE
FALCON Falco peregrinus (f)
PEREGRINE
FALCON Falco peregrinus (f, juvenile)
PEREGRINE
FALCON Falco peregrinus (f, juvenile)
PEREGRINE
FALCON Falco peregrinus (m, juvenile)
PEREGRINE
FALCON Falco peregrinus (f, juvenile)
PEREGRINE
FALCONS Falco peregrinus (f, m, juveniles)
PEREGRINE
FALCONS Falco peregrinus (f, m, juveniles)
PEREGRINE
FALCON Falco peregrinus (f, juvenile)
- Peregrine Falcons Falco peregrinus will
readily utilise man-made structures like electricity pylons or tall
buildings, either as nesting sites (if there are suitable platforms
available – with a bit of imagination these could be incorporated as part
of the structure by the constructors) or as lookout posts for hunting. The
presence of Peregrines may be betrayed by feathers, bills, or bones
scattered underneath one of these feeding-posts. The photographs of the
juvenile female falcon being confronted by one of a pair of Eurasian
Magpies Pica pica occurred shortly
after the youngster’s (presumed) maiden flight, about an hour before
sunset. She attempted to land on a vertical wall, lost height and landed
on the roof of a three-storey building, one with unforeseen hazards -
including pigeon-netting and deterrent spikes. She managed to take off
successfully the following morning, and therefore did not need to be
rescued. The adult female falcon illustrated on this page had earlier
ousted a long-term resident female at a very successful urban nest, following
seven years of successful breeding. The fate of the older bird, aged
almost nine at the time, is unknown, but fatalities are not uncommon when
females fight territorially, and if struck by the extremely sharp rear
talons then serious wounds could have been inflicted. In this case the
first egg had already been laid, so the agility of the older resident female
may have been compromised if she was just about to lay another egg. The
new falcon duly mated with the tiercel (males are loyal to the nest-site
rather than to their mates) and produced a clutch of three eggs. Interestingly,
no effort was made by the replacement female to destroy the original egg.
When a Peregrine walks on her eggs she will clench her toes to avoid
damaging them, but if she is competing for a nest site, she will keep her
talons open. This apparently ruthless behaviour may seem cruel, but the
fertility of a female will start to wane with time, and if one pair is
very successful at producing chicks, then there is a possibility that
in-breeding might occur. All three youngsters, two females and a male,
fledged successfully. Some of the photographs have been cropped, and all
were taken from a distance. Some pictures were taken shortly before
sunset, giving a wonderful golden glow to their plumage.
- David’s short films of Peregrine Falcons in action may be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4AirIEc0NodPU00nVRa3jzR_l-smKMLR.
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