Percy In The News

[just ask me]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-11024315

 

watch the vid down the bottom what a wally this man is 1400 pairs is all is in the uk who is he joking with how can a middle ground be found with the rspb with this sort of crap lies being spouted about falcons i would guess its more around 50,000 pairs

 

makes me mad this really does

[Guest Tooshy Boy]

HE IS A CLOWN... TOOSHY BOY,//

[sapper756]

 

Breeding

 

Most of the brooding and feeding of small young is carried out by the female, while the male hunts to supply the food.

 

Peregrines are territorial, with each territory containing one or more nest sites. The territories are well-spaced, and their size is determined by the abundance of food.

 

The nest site, known as an eyrie, is usually on a grassy or earthen cliff-ledge, quarry or other inaccessible undisturbed location. Buildings and other constructions are increasingly being used. Old nests of other species such as ravens are used elsewhere in the world, but rarely in the UK.

 

The nest itself is a slight scrape in earth or old debris on the nest ledge. No material is brought in to build a nest. The female forms the scrape using her chest and legs.

 

The female normally lays a clutch of three or four eggs in late March or April at 2-3 day intervals. Both birds share the incubation, which begins with the last or penultimate egg, and takes 29-32 days per egg.

 

The chicks hatch over a period of a couple of days, and have smaller size differences than chicks of most raptor species. Most of the brooding and feeding of small young is carried out by the female, while the male hunts to supply the food. After the first couple of weeks, the female shares the hunting.

 

The young fledge at 35-42 days, and are independent two or more months later. During this time, the adult peregrines teach the young to hunt and handle prey in flight. Less than a third of peregrines reach breeding age. Those that do can expect to live 5-6 years. The oldest known peregrine was over 16 years old.

 

 

[Delboy]

Just watched the peregrines on news. Somebody trying to steal eggs in England and sell them to the middle east for thousands of pounds. They nabbed the guy and the RSPB hatched eleven of the eggs and put them under foster parents. WHERE ???? YOU GUESSED IT, SCOTLAND.

[sapper756]

 

Habitat and food

 

Recently peregrines have started to use man-made constructions, especially tall buildings, as nesting sites.

 

This ubiquitous falcon ranges from tropical forests to semi-desert to high Arctic, and from mountains down to sea level. It requires extensive open terrain for hunting. The precise type of surface habitat is less important than availability of suitable prey.

 

Suitable nesting sites restrict peregrines to areas where cliff-ledges, quarry faces, crags, or sea-cliffs are available. Recently, they have started to use man-made constructions, especially tall buildings. Tree nesting occurs only rarely in the UK.

 

The peregrine feeds primarily on birds, which it catches in flight. It spots the prey at distance and, once positioned correctly, it stoops at speeds of up to 180 kph for the catch. To enable the bird to breathe at this speed, it has special baffles in its nostrils, which control breathing.

 

The high-speed stoop means that the peregrine must catch its prey on the wing to avoid injuring itself on impact. Despite its speed and agility, the peregrine is not always successful – many stoops fail to secure prey. Sometimes, if a surprise attack is possible at lower speeds, it snatches prey from a perch or the ground. Little of the kill is wasted - usually all that is left are the intestines and the breastbone with the feathered wings.

 

Feral pigeons are favourite prey wherever they are freely available, though a wide range of birds are taken, ranging in size from goldcrest to grey heron. The larger females take larger prey than males. This generalist diet allows peregrines to exist wherever there are good mixed bird populations. They sometimes take mammals, and there are records of occasional amphibians, lizards and large insects.

 

 

 

 

Legal status

The peregrine is afforded the highest degree of legal protection under Schedule 1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

 

It is an offence to intentionally take, injure or kill a peregrine or to take, damage or destroy its nest, eggs or young. It is also an offence to intentionally or recklessly disturb the birds close to their nest during the breeding season. Violation of the law can attract fines up to £5,000 per offence and/or a prison sentence of up to six months.

 

The Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004 widens this protection and provides additional protection for the peregrine in Scotland.

 

 

 

 

Population trends

 

Peregrine numbers declined during the 19th and 20th centuries because of human persecution, which at times was relentless.

 

Peregrines are widespread in the UK through the western part of England, and in Wales, Scotland and Ireland. In southeast and east England they are found on a small number of isolated sites, though their range is slowly spreading.

 

They reach their highest densities in upland areas of Wales, southern Scotland and northwest England. The UK population was estimated at 1,400 pairs in 2002.

 

In the British Isles peregrines do not migrate, and the majority stay within 100 km of their birthplace, although some upland birds move to lower ground or the coast in winter. While the British and Irish populations mix, there is practically no exchange with continental birds. Some of the migratory Scandinavian birds winter in Britain.

 

 

Peregrine numbers declined during the 19th and 20th centuries because of illegal killing by humans, which at times was relentless. Widespread contamination by persistent toxic agricultural chemicals such as DDT caused the collapse of the peregrine population in the UK in the late 1950s.

 

These pesticides built up in the food chain and concentrated in peregrines and other birds of prey, causing increased adult mortality, eggshell thinning and reduced breeding performance. By 1963-64 80% of the UK peregrine population had been lost. Only birds in the remoter parts of Scottish Highlands were unaffected.

 

After the banning of these pesticides peregrine numbers slowly recovered, and by the late 1990s reached pre-decline levels over much of their former range. However, in southeast and east of England the bird has been slow to recover, and the range is now contracting again in northern Scotland.

 

 

 

ThreatsSince the ban on the majority of the persistent organochlorine pesticides over most of Europe, their effects on peregrines have diminished significantly, although populations of peregrines in other European countries are still at low levels.

 

Around 20% of the European peregrine population breeds in the UK and we therefore have an international responsibility to conserve this species.

 

The largest continuing threat to peregrines in the UK is from illegal persecution, particularly on grouse moors. Recent estimates by the Scottish Raptor Study Groups indicate that around a quarter of peregrine nests in southern and eastern parts of Scotland are subject to interference and killing.

 

The current population decline in northern Scotland may be the result of a reduction in prey availability caused by land use changes, or possibly the result of marine pollutants, including PCBs and mercury, present in the seabirds that form the diet of some peregrines in these areas.

 

As peregrine numbers have recovered, some pigeon fanciers and game interests have called for the removal of the legal protection given to peregrines. Maintenance of legal protection is required under European Birds Directive.

 

The RSPB believes that the highest level of protection is essential to the conservation of the peregrine, which remains comparatively rare, and is extremely vulnerable to human activities (including continued illegal persecution). Once the peregrine population declines, it takes many years to recover. The peregrine is a valuable indicator species of the health of the environment, but only if its numbers are not kept artificially low.

 

The peregrine is a widespread species, present at low densities. Because of this, targeted conservation action can be difficult. Broad scale habitat protection and reduction of pollution and chemical contaminants will benefit peregrines.

 

 

[Guest Tooshy Boy]

ANOTHER LODE OF CRAP...//

[sapper756]

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/staticfiles/NGS/Shared/StaticFiles/animals/images/primary/peregrine-falcon.jpg

 

http://www.sos.idaho.gov/ELECT/peregrine.jpg

 

http://www.worldinterestingfacts.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/peregrine-falcon-fastest-animal-in-the-world.jpg

[Guest Tooshy Boy]

YOU GOT TO ADMIT NICE BIRDS A LIKE THE WON IN THE RANGERS TOP TOOSHY BOY

[billt]

Those eggs were collected in Wales and the young were hand reared and as you say released in Scotland, What I would like to know is how those youngsters were trained to catch live food and let me guess which bird they would use because they certainly wouldn't have released them straight from hand-rearing, they would have stood little chance of survival

[just ask me]

i just cant belive that he is spouting so much lies

 

found this on another website

 

UK Status

Widespread in the UK through the western part of England, and in Wales, Scotland and Ireland. In southeast and east England they are found on a small number of isolated sites, though their range is slowly spreading. The UK population was estimated at 1,400 pairs in 2002.

 

 

so 1400 pairs in 2002 (lies also) AND 1400 pairs in 2010 so the population just stopped in 2002

[HOMER49]

Those eggs were collected in Wales and the young were hand reared and as you say released in Scotland, What I would like to know is how those youngsters were trained to catch live food and let me guess which bird they would use because they certainly wouldn't have released them straight from hand-rearing, they would have stood little chance of survival

 

Hi

RSPB hatched the chicks and placed 3 of them under the pair at NEW LANARK

they only hatched 2 and one did not survive

See the guy got 2 1/2 years me I would give him a reward

Cheers

Homer 49

[billt]

Hi

RSPB hatched the chicks and placed 3 of them under the pair at NEW LANARK

they only hatched 2 and one did not survive

See the guy got 2 1/2 years me I would give him a reward

Cheers

Homer 49

Yeh I was surprised at the sentence when serious criminals seem to get light sentences, just shows the power of RSPB and friends

[cemetary]

But why did they let them go up here, dont they no there is more than enough owe them besterds aroond us,

[billt]

But why did they let them go up here, dont they no there is more than enough owe them besterds aroond us,

They must think you have more food up there

[just ask me]

u wouldn't get as long inside for robing a old age person where is the justice

 

a birds eggs is worth more than a old age person feeling secure and safe

 

[Guest bigda]

what is the population if in 2002 is 1400 multiply that by the 8 years alone, gives you 11,200 pairs by now. and in young birds reproduced each year and 4 years breeding gone by will have now got a minimum of 22,400 pairs now breeding bop peregrines this years crop will see it have 33,300 pairs birds wanting fed from our lofts

thats 66,300 birds going missing daily just wait till they have eaten all the gulls then we will be out the game with in one day so lads help us help you help yer self

[geordie1234]

this is a joke see if someone is getting 2 and a half years for it what chance do we have

[Guest 67ghirl]

Just watched the peregrines on news. Somebody trying to steal eggs in England and sell them to the middle east for thousands of pounds. They nabbed the guy and the RSPB hatched eleven of the eggs and put them under foster parents. WHERE ???? YOU GUESSED IT, SCOTLAND.

 

 

 

 

My sentiments exactly when I heard this on the news

 

What's the score with the Vulture that flew off during a display in Lanarkshire??? Heard it on the radio the other night.

 

 

[Guest bigda]

http://www.bbc.co.uk...ingham-11024315

 

watch the vid down the bottom what a wally this man is 1400 pairs is all is in the uk who is he joking with how can a middle ground be found with the rspb with this sort of crap lies being spouted about falcons i would guess its more around 50,000 pairs

 

makes me mad this really does

 

some one is telling lies as here the telegraph has it as you can see they say 15,000 pairs

http://www.telegraph...2009-found.html

[Guest beautyhomer]

it says 1500 pairs not 15,000 in that article

[Guest bigda]

if there are 30,000 peregrines as we know there are more, what chance have the lanarkshire fed got in surviving

for more than 4 years and with 5.000 doos to have a go at, and that makes it your pigeon has only the 1 chance in every 6 birds is likley to make it unscathed for home leaving 3,000 birds for dead

[Guest bluemorning]

Those eggs were collected in Wales and the young were hand reared and as you say released in Scotland, What I would like to know is how those youngsters were trained to catch live food and let me guess which bird they would use because they certainly wouldn't have released them straight from hand-rearing, they would have stood little chance of survival

hi they will be put on hack allowed out all day food provided in some out of way place while they reach top fitness then reducce food intake make then a bit on the keen side which will turn the chase /hunting switch on job done.