Mal Taylor
Well-known member
I live in South West Lancashire, and consider myself fortunate to be able to see Peregrines on a regular basis hunting on the local mosslands. I have seen Peregrines before in this area, usually in the winter months, but they are now a regular and year round tick for local birders. What to me seems unusual is the habitat they have now been able to exploit in this region. The mosslands are as flat as a pancake, and devoid of trees apart from the Pheasant release woods. They are not what I would previously have considered to be ideal Peregrine territory. Despite this there are now several pairs breeding in the Merseyside area using urban structures for their nest sites. Urban birds are also much more tolerant of man and offer birders a better chance of a good and close up view. This year I watched a pair raise a brood of 4 young to fledgling from their nest in the middle of a housing / industrial estate, so obviously prey is not too difficult to come by. I have also witnessed Peregrines hunting the fields of my local patch on quite a few occassions during the last twelve months. A pair of juveniles, one male and one female have been present all year. These birds use a completely different method to hunt than I have seen before with Peregrines. Typically Peregrines will always use the advantage of height to surprise and out manouvre their prey, but these local birds very often 'still hunt' from the electricity pylons that span the landscape. I have seen birds in the Lake District 'still hunt' from high crags dropping off to stoop on their prey below, but a pylon does not off the same height advantage. Instead these birds, use the pylon only as a perch from which to spot prey and then drop from them to fly very close to the ground until they approach their prey. The quarry is simply grabbed in mid air as it attempts to evade capture. This 'cousing' style of hunting is more like the method adopted by Sparrowhawks or Merlins. The prey selected varies from Wood and Feral Pigeon upto a full grown Mallard which was the last prey that saw taken. There are hundreds of Pheasant in this area as most of the land is used by shoots, but I have seen only one attempt at them made by a juvenile Peregrine, which opted out of the tussle and looked very non-plussed as it landed alongside it. These birds do not have the benefit of the great thump that a stooping Peregrine usually inflicts on its prey. The female Mallard that was recently taken was simply plucked from the air only a couple of feet from the ground after the Peregrine had approached it from a distance of several hundred yards. In Derek Ratcliffes superb monograph on the Peregrine he makes no mention of this style of hunting, despite devoting a whole chapter to it. I would imagine that the Peregrines of mountain and moorland adopt this method as and when the opportunity arises, but these local birds use this style of hunting almost exclusively. Has anyone else seen Peregrines exploiting similar terrain in this way, as I would be interested to know. South West Lasncashire is fortunate to be close to the Peregrine strongholds of the Lakes and North Wales, so it may be that these 'local' regions have reached saturation point and Peregrines have to adapt, or move on. I would like to hear other birders views on the subject.
Best Regards
Mal Taylor
Best Regards
Mal Taylor