Abseiling wildlife rangers in Kielder Water & Forest Park have come to the aid of the peregrine falcon – until recently one of the most persecuted birds in Britain.
The Forestry Commission has sent in a specially trained team to excavate a new nesting site on the side of a sheer rock face in the 62,000-hectare (155,000-acre) Northumberland woodland.
The new peregrine penthouse replaces a natural stony ledge, which crumbled away due to erosion earlier this year, threatening what had been a highly successful nesting site in recent years. Crowbars were used to chip away at the rock, creating a spacious new ledge that has been covered with turf.
Peregrines are among the swiftest birds in the world, swooping on their prey at speeds of over 110mph. They build their nests, or eyries, on cliff-ledges, quarry faces, crags and sea-cliffs, where young are protected from predators. Kielder has 13 pairs and last summer seven of these bred, producing a dozen chicks, all of which were ringed before they fledged allowing experts to keep tabs on their welfare. The local population is now stable after fighting back from the brink of extinction just a few years ago.
Tom Dearnley, Forestry Commission Ecologist, said: “The peregrine is a Kielder success story thanks to careful monitoring and conservation measures. The new ledge will, hopefully, provide a base for more chicks to get a good start in life next spring.”
The peregrine is a ‘schedule one’ species, meaning it enjoys the highest legal protection from disturbance. Egg theft, persecution and the use of pesticides all contributed to its previous downfall. When a pair nested in Kielder in the early 1990s a 24-hour security operation was mounted to protect the site, similar to security set up over the past two years for hen harriers.
Philip Spottiswood, Chief Wildlife Ranger, added: “The project was only possible because we have a small team of wildlife rangers intensively trained in climbing and abseiling skills. Since Kielder was planted in 1926 it has become a haven for bats, red squirrels and birds of prey.”