Saturday 17 August 2013

FEATHERS FLY OVER FALCONS

..Or a real conflict of interests


PEREGRINE: Searching for prey
WHEN I first moved to the Borders and heard a high-pitched screech overhead I became quite excited because I knew we had birds of prey nearby ... to my delight, a few months later, I caught sight of a pair of nesting Peregrine Falcons. I felt so privileged to share the same space with these magnificent, protected birds and congratulated myself on being so lucky as to be able to view them on an almost daily basis as they played the thermals and circled overhead showing their shallow but impressive wing beats. However, the harsh reality of living with one of Nature's most efficient killing machines is now coming back to haunt me. The Peregrine is a big and powerful falcon, and the pair that live nearby have viewed my beautiful white fantails as food!

FLYING SOLO: Feeling a tad
paranoid ... the last fantail
This picture on the left, taken shortly before sunset last week, is the last shot of my family of snow white fantails together. They had just gotten used to their dovecot and were enjoying short bursts of flight around the garden after spending the last few weeks under a protective net.
 They looked so eye-catching and dramatic and it never occurred to me that this amazing spectacle was also being followed closely as well ....by the Peregrines!
 Two mornings in succession a bird disappeared and I couldn't work out what had happened since there were no tel-tale feathers of a struggle nearby.
 I mentioned this to a veteran fantail breeder and he asked me about birds of prey ... as soon as I mentioned the Peregrines the penny dropped.

 Now I have a dilemma on my hands. The last remaining fantail has taken to the dovecot and ventures out other than to peck the corn I sprinkle by the entrance. He/she looks so solitary and alone and I fear depression is setting in because they are flock birds by nature. So do I risk bringing in more birds only for the Peregrines to view them as a regular source of food or is there anyway to get fantails and/or white doves that are more savvy about overhead predators?
 Someone suggested I get an eagle to scare off the falcons!
 Any sensible tips would be most welcome.

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3 comments:

  1. saad17 August 2013 at 23:43

    I think you should gift this loner to some one and instead raise a pet parrot .they are very resilient.

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  2. David Mogford18 August 2013 at 08:12

    Well, there's a 50% chance that the survivor is a female, and if so she may well be pregnant - remember Winnie Mandela attributing Aids in the townships to boredom at night? Anyway, perhaps a bit of outcrossing to more street-wise pigeons might help, or else it's a dovecote for sale..
    http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2011/12/pigeon-vs-peregrine-falcon.php
    Cheers..

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  3. Yvonne Ridley18 August 2013 at 13:49

    thank you so much David for the BBC footage - that was simply amazing, incredible and breath-taking.
    I find it very difficult to get angry over what has happened but I am going to get some more companions for the fantail - interesting it could be a she. Poor thing spends most of her time in and around the dovecot not straying too far.
    Whatever took the fantails could've snatched Elvis the quail, as well.

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