The
Chichester Peregrines
by Harry Rowe
There
are a few ‘wow’ birds. This may be due
to rarity value, plumage, or behaviour. It is hard
for a poor old Dunlin, flying in a flock with 3 thousand
others, to establish celebrity status. The advantage
of being a rare bird is that we might watch it for
hours, and consequently observe weird behaviour, but
it would be hard to follow the lifestyle of an individual
Dunlin. Maybe we subconsciously assume that birds
or creatures who are always in flocks are somehow
diminished, have less individuality, less character,
they are more programmed as automatons.
These
wow birds are those who when shown to the public,
are usually greeted with the excited exclamation,
‘Wow, I’ve always wanted to see one of
those’, The Osprey, Puffin, Peregrine and always
top of the list, the Kingfisher, spring to mind.
But
if regular birdwatchers see these birds 50 times a
year, they too get 50 thrills. (Others could be added
to the list, such as the Golden and the White-tailed
Eagle, but these are only to be found in the Highlands.)
There
are those who do not quite make the list but never
fail to give a buzz. The Wheatear, always so poised
and elegant. Whinchats, Wood Larks, Tree Pipits, Gannets,
Barn Owls, Divers, Harriers, if you tire of any of
these, you may as well jack it in, put on your fluffy
slippers, await your next cup of cocoa, life is finished.
To
return to the Peregrine, this not only the fastest
bird; it is the fastest living anything on earth.
Like many birds of prey, it is doing well. Every spring,
a pair return to mate and breed in the cathedral,
and for years now they have been successful, with
3 or 4 fledged chicks every year.
To find the location, go to the centre of the city
and, well; quite frankly, if you need a grid reference
to find the cathedral, then perhaps natural history
is not for you.
Assuming
you find it, you will of course have your binoculars
with you, just look and listen. The adults are usually
to be found flying and calling or perched on one of
the towers. You will not get a better view anywhere
and what a backdrop; one of the great gothic Norman
cathedrals.
-----------------------------
The
Chichester Peregrines
Aren’t
birds brilliant? Well they certainly are and if you
have an hour to spare between the 10th May and 24th
June 2006, do drop into Chichester Cathedral. There
if you are lucky, you will see one of our most brilliant
birds of prey, the Peregrine Falcon. This fabulous
raptor can touch speeds of up to 240 km per hour when
they attack their prey in a breathtaking stoop.
The
flight of a Peregrine across an estuary will cause
panic among gulls and waders, which will take to the
air, with the result that one of them may end up as
prey. Flocks will turn and weave, rise and drop to
confuse the predator, but if one can’t keep
up, or falls out of synch, then it had better beware.
Whilst you are not going to witness this at the cathedral,
you should get good views of these raptors. For several
years the RSPB has set up a viewing point within the
cathedral grounds, as the Peregrines have nested actually
inside the Cathedral spire. The viewing point is manned
by some permanent staff and many RSPB members, who
volunteer to show the Peregrine to the public.
There
are telescopes and binoculars for you to use and experienced
people to show you the birds and explain technical
points. There is also a camera focused on the nest
site where you can watch the live action. As you can
imagine there is great excitement when the eggs hatch,
reaching a highlight when the young Peregrines flex
their wings and take to the air for the first time.
I was privileged to be a volunteer two years ago and
people came from far and wide to the viewing site.
The image remains with me of people’s faces
lighting up in excitement, especially the young children,
when they look through the telescope and see these
brilliant birds.
See
you there,
Harry
Rowe
-----------------------------------
Go to the canteen at the rear of
the cathedral. You can sit in the sun, drinking tea,
eating cake, in cathedral grounds, watching birds
displaying and calling above you.
What
a life!
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