Manchester Peregrines hatch 4 chicks
PEREGRINE FALCON FACT FILE
- The peregrine is the largest of British breeding falcons. It is 38-48 cm long, and has a wingspan of 95-110 cm. The female is considerably larger than the male. The upper parts are dark blue-grey, and the under parts are pale with fine, dark bars. The head has a black ‘hood’ with black moustache-like markings on the face. Juvenile birds are browner and heavily streaked below.
- Peregrines typically pair for several years and may live up to 10 years old - the oldest on record was 15 years and 6 months old
- Both adult birds tend the young, which take their first flight after 5 or 6 weeks.
- Peregrines feed on medium sized birds, which they catch in high-speed aerial stoops – although more often than not they fail to make a kill.
- Peregrine numbers crashed in the 1960’s due to the impact of pesticides. Peregrines have now increased in numbers, to about 1,300 breeding pairs in the UK. A few pairs have chosen the city life and have set up nests on anything from chimneys to cathedrals to electricity pylons. These offer the same height and safety as their more typical crag and cliff nest sites.
The RSPB, BBC and Manchester City Council have joined forces to launch the ‘Manchester Peregrine Watch’ to bring live images from the nest of Manchester’s first pair of breeding peregrines to the heart of the city centre. Live images from the peregrine nest cam will be shown on the Big Screen every day and RSPB staff will be on hand in Exchange Square on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays between 11am and 6pm until Sunday 17 June to tell people more about the birds.
As well as watching the falcons on the Big Screen, shoppers, office workers and visitors to Manchester have been treated to some spectacular flying displays by the adult peregrines as they hunt and swoop over the city centre.
For all the latest news about Manchester’s fabulous falcons visit the peregrine blog at www.wildaboutmanchester.info and follow the links
