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Just how common are Peregrine falcon? (1 Viewer)

S

Stormbringer

Mad trucker
Hi all
As the title of this thread says, just how common are Peregrine Falcons?
It seems like I learn of a new pair/population every week.

Tia
Pete
 
Depends on where you are. If you're anywhere close to a grouse moor, very few if any left, all shot out. In larger urban areas, they're doing very well, because they're safe and there's plenty of pigeons and parakeets for them to eat.
 
Good numbers in Wales but recent studies show a drop off in occupied sites around several recently established windfalls. To early to reach a conclusion but as some of these sites have previously been occupied for years maybe windfarms are having an impact
 
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Empty said:
Good numbers in Wales but recent studies show a drop off in occupied sites around several recently established windfalls. To early to reach a conclusion but as some of these sites have previously been occupied for years maybe windfalls are having an impact
Click to expand...

A bit worrying that , I hadn’t realized that it wasn’t just the slower raptors that suffered.
Windfalls - Good old predictive text you mean windfarms I think ( either that or the apples are dangerously heavy in Wales;))
Cheers
Richard
 
My best siting was at the Richo Arena (watching a Wasps rugby match). The peregrine took out a pigeon on the edge of the pitch!

There is a breeding pair at the cathedral - you never know where they will turn up!
 
Richard Prior said:
A bit worrying that , I hadn’t realized that it wasn’t just the slower raptors that suffered.
Windfalls - Good old predictive text you mean windfarms I think ( either that or the apples are dangerously heavy in Wales;))
Cheers
Richard
Click to expand...
Cheers Richard corrected that. If you see where they have established windfarms here its easy to see that eventually there will be collisions.
Windfarm situated on a plateau Perrys nesting around it have to hunt over an area now containing well over a hundred turbines some apparently 400 ft tall.
 
Stormbringer said:
Hi all
As the title of this thread says, just how common are Peregrine Falcons?
It seems like I learn of a new pair/population every week.

Tia
Pete
Click to expand...

Locally we do have a fair number now, whereas when I started birding 35 years ago there were basically none (odd immatures passed through rapidly).

In addition to town breeders you can expect to encounter Peregrines at local reserves such as Moor Green Lakes from time to time - a keen birder out every weekend and on fine evenings ought to bump into one locally more than once a year.

It's still easier to find them on the coast, especially in winter.

John
 
The UK population must be approaching a historical high of ca2k pairs, numbers estimated at nearly 1800 breeding pairs in 2014. Even allowing for localised persecution. I would like a serious figure on ‘windfalls’ and not just conjecture.

When i started birding in the late 60’s the species was almost extinct away from the coast and was an incredibly rare Wintering bird in the South East where i grew up. I live in the Bird Denuded Triangle of the West Midlands now and encounter Peregrines locally more frequently than Kestrels - how times change:t:

Laurie -
 
Back in the early 80s, a gruelling trip to mid-Wales - almost inevitably in the rain - was needed to see Peregrine, Buzzard, Red Kite and Raven in one day, now I can see all of them within a few miles of home on a good day and almost guarantee three of them on an 'average' one! As Laurie says, at least some species are enjoying a degree of success - if they are adaptable enough to exploit more urban areas away from the illegal persecution on the uplands.

RB
 
Fortunatly numerous around here. We've got a few quarries and cliff faces where they breed as well as a nearby estuary full of prey- an ideal combination!
See them regulary and just recently, found three juveniles learning the ropes, practising swooping and diving on the estuary.
A local birdwatcher, in the know, tells me they've moved to the estuary in greater numbers[possibly at least four pairs] and away from the inland areas. That would tally with my experience. I haven't seen any in the local inland fell and valley areas for a long time now.
 
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Rotherbirder said:
Back in the early 80s, a gruelling trip to mid-Wales - almost inevitably in the rain - was needed to see Peregrine, Buzzard, Red Kite and Raven in one day, now I can see all of them within a few miles of home on a good day and almost guarantee three of them on an 'average' one! As Laurie says, at least some species are enjoying a degree of success - if they are adaptable enough to exploit more urban areas away from the illegal persecution on the uplands.

RB
Click to expand...

We used to do the 'pilgrimage' to mid-Wales every year, but I've now got all those four on my garden list.
 
I often go up the beacons ,mid wales etc but today I stayed local (merthyr) and went to the edge of a large opencast and landfill site, there is an old cooling pond there and always a few ducks, grebes, comorants etc, within 10 mins I had seen a kestrel a kite and a peregrine, I was just about to set up my camera and the heavens opened up. It is such an underrated desolate place I cant understand why it has not been turned into a a sanctury so much to see there
 
rollingthunder said:
The UK population must be approaching a historical high of ca2k pairs, numbers estimated at nearly 1800 breeding pairs in 2014.
Laurie -
Click to expand...

I too remember when the chances of seeing a peregrine were almost vanishingly small. Its worth remembering though that a UK population of ca. 2k pairs is still relatively small, compared to minimum estimates of 57k buzzard and 46k kestrel pairs (BTO 2013 figures).
 
Hi Kb57,

kb57 said:
I too remember when the chances of seeing a peregrine were almost vanishingly small. Its worth remembering though that a UK population of ca. 2k pairs is still relatively small, compared to minimum estimates of 57k buzzard and 46k kestrel pairs (BTO 2013 figures).
Click to expand...

Thanks for the numbers ... for comparison, in Germany it's:

Peregrine: 1000 - 1200 pairs
Kestrel: 44000 - 74000 pairs
Common Buzzard: 80000 - 135000 pairs

(Adebar 2014 figures)

Just saw a Peregrine fly past from my office window, which was a first (for this office)! :)

Regards,

Henning
 
When i started birding Peregrines having recovered from wartime persecution then got hit by eggshell thinning due to pesticides. This is all well documented but now Peregrines are at historical highs and although concentrated prey found in towns and cities means more available food it remains to be seen how much breeding places are available. I do not know what the carrying capacity of the UK could potentially be but having nearly twice as many as a country the size of Germany is a lot of Peregrines - at least double the amount of birds after the breeding season in addition to non-breeding individuals...

Anybody care to suggest the carrying capacity of the UK’s coastline, quarries and tower blocks?

Laurie:t:
 
Hi Laurie,

rollingthunder said:
When I do not know what the carrying capacity of the UK could potentially be but having nearly twice as many as a country the size of Germany is a lot of Peregrines - at least double the amount of birds after the breeding season in addition to non-breeding individuals...
Click to expand...

After reading the Adebar article, it seems that the German Peregrine population was 825 pairs in the early 1950s, plummeted down to "a few" in the mid-1970s, and increased to about 70 pairs in 1980 (FRG only, GDR numbers not mentioned).

From the graph for the years 1995 to 2010, it looks like there was pretty much exponential population growth going on, and from the map, it looks as if the German Peregrine population is mainly concentrated in the south-western part of the country.

So I'd guess full carrying capacity hasn't been reached yet in Germany (by the data of the 2014 Adebar at least, which reflects the situation of about 2010).

Regards,

Henning
 
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