# Peregrine Falcons...Beginners luck?!



## Testudo Man (Aug 3, 2005)

I'd heard local people talk about these Peregrine Falcons, so since I was working in the area, I decided to check it out for myself. I took my trusty camera with me to work this Friday, and after work, I got to the site about 4.00pm, not knowing if I was going to get a couple of lucky shots in, or even see them?!...I spent an hour standing in the local churchyard, which is right next to the "Tower" and took well over 100 photos...My camera is basic, so the quality is not that good, and because of the vast distance involved, the lens was at its maximum for the majority of the time...Beginners luck?!...maybe: victory:

The stakeout/Tower...you can see here, the distance involved...










Zoomed in, and what do you know...










Then there were two...


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## Testudo Man (Aug 3, 2005)

I'm sure they could see me, they kept looking in my direction...










Being vocal...










When you watch birds(or most animals) you get to know when they are going to make a move, I knew it was about to launch, so I focused, held the position, and got the shot, just!...


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## boabloketony (Jan 22, 2007)

Great pictures !!!


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## HABU (Mar 21, 2007)

the irony... i saw one yesterday flying over before the storm...

amazing things... they are making a big comeback. there are nesting pairs in many cities here.... they like the big buildings...

i see a bald eagle here every now and then... one was flying by the downtown area last summer...


great pictures!:no1:

i need an SLR with a long lens... my crap camera is a point and shoot job... i can't do birds.

i would have dropped what i was doing to watch those guys.... the one i saw was just flying overhead... but we have lots of high cliffs here... i've never seen one on a perch.... just flying for a few seconds...


normally all you see here are sparrow hawks and red tailed hawks...

i keep getting more and more impressed with the u.k.'s wildlife... there's all the makings for some fine wilderness there... those rich guys need to donate lots of land for wildlife and wilderness areas...

the u.k. could have some seriously wild & wooley places if it wanted to...


i like the last shot where the falcon is looking dead at you!!!:2thumb:


good thing there aren't many hunters there like here... these bozos would take a shot at any hawk or falcon they saw just for kicks...:whip:


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## xvickyx (Jul 21, 2009)

Great shots


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## jamestheball (Apr 28, 2009)

good shots!!!, i've been watching birds of prey for a year now and i've only seen two fleeting glances of peregrine in the uk, although i have seen a perched one like that down in Australia. and it would have seen long before you saw it, they have 8 times stronger vision than us.
its a pity we don't have much wilderness left, and also all the bisons,wolves,bears were all hunted to extinction, but they are releasing a few pairs of moose in the next few months.


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## laurencea (Aug 28, 2009)

great shots!


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## Testudo Man (Aug 3, 2005)

boabloketony said:


> Great pictures !!!


Thanks...



HABU said:


> the irony... i saw one yesterday flying over before the storm...
> 
> amazing things... they are making a big comeback. there are nesting pairs in many cities here.... they like the big buildings...
> 
> ...


My camera is nothing special, I just use the standard lens...The only thing I have to be sure of, is not to move the camera more than a few millimeters, because at that distance, you will not get the subject in view...It takes a bit of practice, but I find if I just keep shooting pics, then I'm sure to get some good ones:blush:



xvickyx said:


> Great shots


Cheers...



jamestheball said:


> good shots!!!, i've been watching birds of prey for a year now and i've only seen two fleeting glances of peregrine in the uk, although i have seen a perched one like that down in Australia. and it would have seen long before you saw it, they have 8 times stronger vision than us.
> its a pity we don't have much wilderness left, and also all the bisons,wolves,bears were all hunted to extinction, but they are releasing a few pairs of moose in the next few months.


Thanks.......I know these birds have an incredible eye sight, so Im sure they could see my every move.



laurencea said:


> great shots!


Cheers...I'm kicking myself a bit, because I missed out on some in flight shots, but they just moved too quick for the likes of me:blush:...At one point, one of them flew above my head, and scattered several wood pigeons in the tree tops above me......More pics to follow.


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## Testudo Man (Aug 3, 2005)

Some more pics then...

The one on the metal bracket(with the blue sky background) starts to look down and gets very vocal...










So I pan down with the camera, and see the other one down there...










In this last pic, if you look under the falcon, it looks like a fresh kill has been made?...


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## Zoo-Man (Apr 12, 2008)

You jammy git! :mf_dribble:


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## Ozgi (Jun 1, 2008)

Very good shots! I haven't seen a peregrine for a few years now, the last one was on holiday in Crete. There are a few in London but I haven't managed to spot any when I've been there.

You got yourself some binoculars yet?


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## bobby (Sep 26, 2006)

Never seen a wild one before, seen one chasing a lure, very impressive, the fastest recorded Peregrine was doing just over *240*mph!


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## fergie (Oct 27, 2007)

Excellent pics T.T. :2thumb:

You're a very lucky man. Hopefully they have a successful breeding season.


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## Poddy (Sep 6, 2009)

Zoo-Man said:


> You jammy git! :mf_dribble:


these birds are awesome.
cool pix m8


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## Testudo Man (Aug 3, 2005)

Zoo-Man said:


> You jammy git! :mf_dribble:


I guess I am a bit:whistling2:...There is a saying though- "You make your own luck"



Ozgi said:


> Very good shots! I haven't seen a peregrine for a few years now, the last one was on holiday in Crete. There are a few in London but I haven't managed to spot any when I've been there.
> 
> You got yourself some binoculars yet?


These are the 1st Peregrines for me, and I only live approx. 10 miles away from the site:no1:...and yes, I take my binoculars out with me all the time now...



bobby said:


> Never seen a wild one before, seen one chasing a lure, very impressive, the fastest recorded Peregrine was doing just over *240*mph!


That seems stupidly fast, are you sure it was mph? and not 240km's ph?



fergie said:


> Excellent pics T.T. :2thumb:
> 
> 
> You're a very lucky man. Hopefully they have a successful breeding season.


Thanks mate, I had a feeling you would like these pics...You being a birder an all...A local did tell me that there was a nest site last year, so fingers crossed...There is also talk of a restoration planned for the tower, but now they have to be very careful, and consider the Peregrines...



Poddy said:


> these birds are awesome.
> cool pix m8


Cheers.


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## bobby (Sep 26, 2006)

Testudo Man said:


> That seems stupidly fast, are you sure it was mph? and not 240km's ph?


They are very, very quick. The speed is breathtaking when you see them dive!

Quoted from Extreme science.com! 



> The peregrine is the fastest bird on record reaching horizontal cruising speeds of 65-90 kph ( 40-55 mph) and not exceeding speeds of 105-110 kph (65-68 mph). When stooping, the peregrine flies at much greater speeds, however, *varying from 160-440 kph (99-273 mph)*!


Quoted from wikipedia:



> The Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus), also known as the Peregrine,[2] and historically as the "Duck Hawk" in North America,[3] is a cosmopolitan bird of prey in the family Falconidae. It is a large, crow-sized falcon, with a blue-gray back, barred white underparts, and a black head and "moustache". It can reach speeds over *320 km/h (200 mph)* in a stoop,[4] making it the fastest creature on the planet.


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## Testudo Man (Aug 3, 2005)

bobby said:


> They are very, very quick. The speed is breathtaking when you see them dive!
> 
> Quoted from Extreme science.com!
> 
> ...


Cant argue with those stats then:no1:...

Here's another pic...I didn't notice the other bird in the distance, when I took the shot, it was only when I viewed the photos later that I saw it...Looks like the Peregrine might be eying it up too?!


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## bobby (Sep 26, 2006)

Testudo Man said:


> Cant argue with those stats then:no1:...
> 
> Here's another pic...I didn't notice the other bird in the distance, when I took the shot, it was only when I viewed the photos later that I saw it...Looks like the Peregrine might be eying it up too?!
> 
> image


They are so impressive, did you know the Hayabusa motorcycle was named after the Peregrine? I think the busa is still the fastest bike in production (previously the black bird, the busa is often referred to as "the black bird eater").

Here's a picture of the animal in question


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## fergie (Oct 27, 2007)

Testudo Man said:


> Thanks mate, I had a feeling you would like these pics...You being a birder an all...A local did tell me that there was a nest site last year, so fingers crossed...There is also talk of a restoration planned for the tower, but now they have to be very careful, and consider the Peregrines...


Very jealous indeed mate. I've been lucky enough to see a couple of Sparrowhawks ambush a few unsuspecting victims the past couple of weeks and watching the Buzzards catching a few updrafts. 

I would kill to see a Peregrine in full attack mode. Maybe someday : victory:

Keep the pics coming. See if you can get the lend of a DSLR and telephoto lens and get some even better pics posted up


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## Testudo Man (Aug 3, 2005)

bobby said:


> They are so impressive, did you know the Hayabusa motorcycle was named after the Peregrine? I think the busa is still the fastest bike in production (previously the black bird, the busa is often referred to as "the black bird eater").
> 
> Here's a picture of the animal in question
> 
> image


I dont see that pic you posted......Yeah, my mate owned two Busa's: victory:



fergie said:


> Very jealous indeed mate. I've been lucky enough to see a couple of Sparrowhawks ambush a few unsuspecting victims the past couple of weeks and watching the Buzzards catching a few updrafts.
> 
> I would kill to see a Peregrine in full attack mode. Maybe someday : victory:
> 
> Keep the pics coming. See if you can get the lend of a DSLR and telephoto lens and get some even better pics posted up


Id like to spend some time at the Tower, just in case I got to witness a full on attack, but the chances of seeing that would be slim. Although the locals who live nearby, talk of the Peregrines taking out the pigeons/doves on a regular basis, so you just never know. I also went on a hike, around the other side of the tower(which gets me closer still) but they seem to favour the church side of the Tower, rather than the field side.

And yes, if I could get some shots with a decent telephoto lens/camera, then that would be great.


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## Big Red One (Oct 17, 2007)

Quality spotting - would love to see that sort of thing !

Been looking at going peregrine spotting up here, the 'Manchester' pair have moved to a new nest site this year so I may go take a look pretty soon...

My sister works at a local industrial estate and the guards are 'bird spotters', she saw a 'peregrine' catch a dove the other week, had it in the car park apparently.

I'm a tad suspicious though as I have seen sparrowhawks locally take out collared doves, so it may be mistaken identity.

I remember a few years back doing a falconry day at a local site, the Great Greay Owl I had stopped moving and looked upwards and foze. The falconer doing the day looked up and spotted a peregrine up high, looking for lunch !

The owl had clocked it, no doubt it had clocked everything for miles around, they have unbelievable eyesight !!!! :gasp:

Congrats anyway - lovely spot.


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## Testudo Man (Aug 3, 2005)

Big Red One said:


> Quality spotting - would love to see that sort of thing !
> 
> Been looking at going peregrine spotting up here, the 'Manchester' pair have moved to a new nest site this year so I may go take a look pretty soon...
> 
> ...


 
Cheers for your comments, and just maybe, there are more Peregrines around than we think?...

So it had to happen, I was working close to the Tower today...

I was on top of a flat roof looking out at the tower, and just thinking where those peregrines might be?...when all of a sudden there was this whoosh noise, and within a couple of seconds, one had thrashed past me, and grabbed either a starling or a dove from the next doors garage roof, then it sped off in between the other house...This all took 2 to 3 seconds max....It was an unbelievable sight, just so bloody quick, and at one point, I would say the peregrine was no more than 10 feet away from me...fantastic...


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## bobby (Sep 26, 2006)

Testudo Man said:


> Cheers for your comments, and just maybe, there are more Peregrines around than we think?...
> 
> So it had to happen, I was working close to the Tower today...
> 
> I was on top of a flat roof looking out at the tower, and just thinking where those peregrines might be?...when all of a sudden there was this whoosh noise, and within a couple of seconds, one had thrashed past me, and grabbed either a starling or a dove from the next doors garage roof, then it sped off in between the other house...This all took 2 to 3 seconds max....It was an unbelievable sight, just so bloody quick, and at one point, I would say the peregrine was no more than 10 feet away from me...fantastic...


Do you doubt my figures now then? 
:lol2:


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## Testudo Man (Aug 3, 2005)

bobby said:


> Do you doubt my figures now then?
> :lol2:


It was just amazing, the speed was insane...

It negotiated between 2 houses, thrashed past me, grabbed its prey, then only had a small gap to get through, because of the neighbours camper van, then out through the other houses, this was all done at low level, because I was on a flat roof, it was below me...

Just count to 3, thats how long it took to pull that off:gasp:


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## bobby (Sep 26, 2006)

Testudo Man said:


> It was just amazing, the speed was insane...
> 
> It negotiated between 2 houses, thrashed past me, grabbed its prey, then only had a small gap to get through, because of the neighbours camper van, then out through the other houses, this was all done at low level, because I was on a flat roof, it was below me...
> 
> Just count to 3, thats how long it took to pull that off:gasp:


I've seen them at displays mate, the speed they dive at makes me sick, they look like they are going to splatter all over the ground :lol2:


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## Testudo Man (Aug 3, 2005)

bobby said:


> I've seen them at displays mate, the speed they dive at makes me sick, they look like they are going to splatter all over the ground :lol2:


Apart from the noise it made going past me, everything else was done in silence...funny enough, all the birds around me went silent too...it took them a few minutes to start chirping/moving around again.


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## bobby (Sep 26, 2006)

Testudo Man said:


> Apart from the noise it made going past me, everything else was done in silence...funny enough, all the birds around me went silent too...it took them a few minutes to start chirping/moving around again.


haha, you'd hush up too if you were a pigeon and there was one of them around :lol2:


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