Uk Peregrine Population Limit? (1 Viewer)

[Anthony Morton]

UK Peregrine Population Limit?

At the conclusion of his piece concerning The British Population Trend of Peregrine Falcons in The State Of The Nation's Birds, the late Chris Mead posed the question;

Is 2,000 Pairs The Limit?

What was his reason for mentioning this and what were his possible concerns?

See http://www.birdcare.com/bin/showsonb?peregrine for reference.

 

[StevieEvans]

At the conclusion of his piece concerning The British Population Trend of Peregrine Falcons in The State Of The Nation's Birds, the late Chris Mead posed the question;

Is 2,000 Pairs The Limit?

What was his reason for mentioning this and what were his possible concerns?

See http://www.birdcare.com/bin/showsonb?peregrine for reference.

What was his reason for mentioning this and what were his possible concerns?

Maybe he was worried that Londons Tourists would be terribly dissapointed if those nasty falcons ate all the Feral pigeons...... 3

Why ask this in particular?
What are YOUR CONCERNS about a native British raptor coming back from the brink & thriving alongside man & taking full advantage of the modern man-made landscape......? :eek!:

Steve

 

[Ben O]

I suspect Chris was simply hinting that a max population of 2,000 pairs was a unrealistically low figure now, given the changing landscape and adaptability of the species.

Ben

 

[London Birder]

Maybe he was worried that Londons Tourists would be terribly dissapointed if those nasty falcons ate all the Feral pigeons...... 3

Steve

not much chance of that ...

 

[James Lowther]

I suspect Chris was simply hinting that a max population of 2,000 pairs was a unrealistically low figure now, given the changing landscape and adaptability of the species.

Ben

I imagine that is indeed the case.

I can't see any evidence whatsoever from the article that he shared either Anthony's oft-professed concern that increasing peregrine numbers will adversely affect other wild bird populations or oft-suspected concern that increasing peregrine numbers will adversely affect a certain non-wild bird related hobby...

is one off-the-cuff and fairly ambiguous 5 word question going to be used as "proof" that one of the country's most eminent ornithologists was "concerned" about the spread of the peregrine??

 

[Richard D]

At the conclusion of his piece concerning The British Population Trend of Peregrine Falcons in The State Of The Nation's Birds, the late Chris Mead posed the question;

Is 2,000 Pairs The Limit?

What was his reason for mentioning this and what were his possible concerns?

See http://www.birdcare.com/bin/showsonb?peregrine for reference.

Where does he state, or even hint that he has concerns about the number of Peregrines? All he seems to be doing is asking what the population will grow to - I don't see implications that an increased population is in anyway a negative.

richard

 

[Edward woodwood]

it'll be plenty more than 2000 imho

and a good thing too

don't know whether we should kill the city feathered rats to stop diseases spreading or leave for the Peregrines to pick off... tough one.

Tim

 

[London Birder]

I'd say the latter ...

 

[Jane Turner]

I should imagine that there is room for a substantially increased Peregrine population. Until organo-pesticides, it was suitable nest locations that capped the population. High rise buildings and high tension pylons will open up a large area of lowland.

And jolly good I say. So I suspect did the late great Chris Mead.

 

[Jos Stratford]

I personally would be more worried about the artificially low limits being imposed on, for example, English Hen Harriers and various Scottish raptors by those who seem to view raptors as something evil amongst us. Long may the Peregrine population continue to climb to a level that is determined by the natural availability of prey, not by the whims of those that choose to persecute them.

 

[jurek]

I think peregrines have no effect on feral pigeon numbers.

There is over 200,000 pigeon pairs and 1,285 peregrine pairs, latter mostly living away from cities. Just not enough.

Definitely, food-wise, there is a room for growth.

 

[colonelboris]

Well, I guess for a maximum limit (within urban areas), you have to find:
* size of peregrine territory
* area of suitable habitat
* number of pigeons
* number of prigeons needed to sustain a peregrine for a year
* breeding rate of peregrines and pigeons

I'd imagine that a similar situation to the lion/prey scenario. If there are a lot of pigeons, soon after you will have a lot of peregrines. The large number of peregrines will eat most of the pigeons causing the pigeon population to drop, followed soon by a drop in the numbers of peregrines. Less peregrines means more pigeons can breed and so it continues...

 

[London Birder]

I personally would be more worried about the artificially low limits being imposed on, for example, English Hen Harriers and various Scottish raptors by those who seem to view raptors as something evil amongst us. Long may the Peregrine population continue to climb to a level that is determined by the natural availability of prey, not by the whims of those that choose to persecute them.

:clap:

 

[Hill_Walker]

I wish there were more Peregrines (lots more) in the Lakes near where i live, maybe they would kill off some of these noisy *loody wood pigeons i have to listen to all day ;-)

 

[Collster]

Just a quick comment AM, THERE WONT BE ANY FLEDGED FROM AT LEAST FIVE OF MY SITES THIS YEAR, could be weather , could be lack of food, or it could be the fact that some people just dont like having them around.

 

[djprest]

Just a quick comment AM, THERE WONT BE ANY FLEDGED FROM AT LEAST FIVE OF MY SITES THIS YEAR, could be weather , could be lack of food, or it could be the fact that some people just dont like having them around.

yes in west yorkshire we have big problem with people who dont like peregrines.
a few years ago we went to check a nesting peregrine,who's chicks were due fly that morning only to find the female sat forlorn on a rock in heavy rain,chicks stolen or killed :storm:
later we check on the remains below the nest 90% of the prey were racing pigeons.

if you go around releasing pigeons then expect them to be a meal for a peregrine

 

[mike from ebbw]

Just a quick comment AM, THERE WONT BE ANY FLEDGED FROM AT LEAST FIVE OF MY SITES THIS YEAR, could be weather , could be lack of food, or it could be the fact that some people just dont like having them around.

yes in west yorkshire we have big problem with people who dont like peregrines.
a few years ago we went to check a nesting peregrine,who's chicks were due fly that morning only to find the female sat forlorn on a rock in heavy rain,chicks stolen or killed :storm:
later we check on the remains below the nest 90% of the prey were racing pigeons.

if you go around releasing pigeons then expect them to be a meal for a peregrine

a few years ago after checking"my" peregrines,i was driving over the moor back home.i stopped to watch some pigeon boys release their birds.the result was carnage!two adult peregrines and four newly fledged chicks up in the air as well as the pigeons.the mens jaws hit the floor as their birds were scattered in all directions.WHY release birds knowing it is a well known peregrine hunting moor.i did have a little chuckle though.

 

[cayoncreekman]

That many peregrines in Britain? Give yourselves a well deserved pat on the back. It's a boost in morale to hear such a positive trend.

Pigeons are just not much of a hobby in our city. Between the Merlins in the neighborhoods, the Prairie falcons on the outskirts and the Peregrines on the tall buildings...it's tough to be a pigeon.

Do folks over there who raise pigeons really have a negative attitude towards falcons killing pigeons? The trend here has been more acceptance that hawks,coyotes, falcons, etc. need room to do there own thing . We don't want Wiley Coyote to eat Fluffy but fortunately today the coyote (or falcon, etc.) will get most people coming to his defense. 30 years ago the rifles would have come out. A few years ago there was a fellow on the news who was giving up raising pigeons and he quite magnaminously conceded defeat to the falcons. He said if you have to lose a fight it's not bad to lose for the right reasons.

Anyways, keep up the great conservation efforts. It be great to go birdwatching and hear someone say 'what's that...oh never mind, it's just another Peregrine'.

 

[London Birder]

tsk, I dunno .. I would've thought all this wonderful Peregrine action would've been an incentive for pigeon folk to breed 'Turbo Slum Doves', thereby enhancing their breeding/racing credentials within the pigeon world ... maybe even culminate in an annual dinner party where said breeder could be crowned 'Peregrine Avoider of the Year' and invited to give a speech entitled 'C. liva Trivia' ... then again, I'm a strange lad ..

 

[nirofo]

If the birds were left unmolested by certain fanciers then they would probably be breeding in every city in the country. If the fanciers and the keepers would leave them alone then they would probably be breeding in most areas in the rest of the UK. I think the present population, (now decreasing again) could triple or more if persecution could be eliminated!

nirofo.