Peregrine strike ???

[boogle]

Hi all !
Today i was in the trough of bowland ( again), whilst walking up a valley i saw from a distance a very fast moving bird of prey in the typical peregrine type stoop strike at something upon the ground... i have seen them strike mid-air knocking a unsuspecting pigeon for 6..but until today i have never seen them strike at anything on the ground...when i got to the spot where i had seen it strike all i found was half a dozen small white breast feathers...the ground cover was quite thick, about 15-20 inch of heather.
I suspect the victim was a grouse because in this valley there are plenty, especially in the heather and bracken.
i know we have other birds of prey in the area but this was a peregrine sized bird in a typical type of stoop hitting the ground fast and hard..anyone who knows the area will understand that by the time i had run to gain a better view and made my way towards the area where it had struck the bird had long gone.
in your opinion do peregrines strike at ground prey or do they tend to attck mid-air usually ?
many thanks in advance Boogle !

[Picidae]

Doesn't sound typical of a Pere hunt tbh but could have been. Just to say though, size can be difficult to judge in the field especially from a distance and a female Sparrowhawk can look easily the size of a male Peregrine (it's actually the same body size but with shorter wings) and can make very fast stoops to the ground from great heights. Sounds like the intended prey could have got away, perhaps the kill being disturbed by you running to the area or it was a songbird taken by a Sparrowhawk - I'd be surprised if it were a Grouse given the rather small number of feathers and they're rather large birds to carry off or even kill quickly. It's unlikely a Peregrine would attempt to kill a larger species of bird unless it stooped into it as an aerial attack killing it/knocking it unconscious in the air first. Breast feather loss is often the first area of body feathers that goes in a predation attack on larger birds as a struggling victim ends up on it's back in a defensive position, pinned down by the prey bird (which will then start to 'pluck' it to death if it hasn't been killed immediately!) so a few breast feathers is often the result of a failed attack.

[willing to learn]

I have sent you a Private message.
Regards
Colin

[Picidae]

Originally Posted by willing to learn

I have sent you a Private message.
Regards
Colin

Why Colin would you want to do that? Surely, if you feel you can add something to the thread, it can be posted in public? If a member posts a query on an open forum, not sure why there is a need to respond to a 'non-sensitive' discussion by sending private messages. Just a thought .... Also wondering why you feel the need to post a public message that you have sent someone a private one! If in your 'humble' opinion, you feel I've posted something you disagree with, please enlighten all of us!

[Jonathan]

Hi Boogle,

The peregrine may have stooped and knocked prey to the ground (as suggested), they often don't manage to 'bind' to their quarry mid-air. The quarry may then be dead, wounded or comparatively unharmed. Peregrines will usually attempt to capture such prey (if it's still alive) - I've seen them put in short stoops, hover over the bird, try to catch it on the ground, etc. If it was a grouse, they can be quite wiley and will often make their escape when the peregrine is in the worst possible place to chase the bird!

As Picidae suggests, it may have been a sparrowhawk (or even a gos in Bowland), which will dash in at speed and take quarry from the ground.

There isn't really any such thing as a 'typical peregrine-type stoop' in my opinion. Falconers see a great many 'classic', near-vertical stoops because, certainly when game hawking, circumstances are contrived to enable peregrines to make such stoops. In the wild, peregrines use a variety of hunting methods, only one of which could be described as 'waiting on', which tends to produce the classic stoop.

Peregrines don't generally 'pluck their prey to death' (but I do know what you mean Picidae), they have a tomial tooth on their beak which severs the spinal column in the neck of their victim. It's somewhat macabrely fascinating to watch a peregrine work it's way along the neck of it's prey with it's beak until it finds the right spot - then . . . crunch!

The Forest of Bowland is a cracking place for birding BTW Boogle, I visit regularly.

Cheers
Jonathan

[Jonsfotos]

Hi Boogle,
Having kept Racing pigeons for over 20yrs, i witnessed many Peregrine attacks with all prey being taken airborne.More Recently having worked on the new Liquefied Natural Gas complex at Milford Haven, to be more specific, on the Jetty, i was witness to many attacks on Collared doves, feral pigeons and other species by a Male Peregrine ( Tiercel ).What happened one Sunny June morning last year really surprised me.I watched the Male patrolling each side of the cliff edge on both sides of the Jetty.On the 3rd or 4th pass , he suddenly dived in on to the slope just off the cliff path and hit something which at first i thought was a bird.I was amazed to see that he had hit and was carrying off a baby rabbit.I have seen peregrines many times so it was not a case of mistaking Raptor identification, but i did not think rabbit was on the menu.In the past i have seen a pair of Peregrines working over the town, the Male flying in at rooftop level to frighten the town pigeons into the air with the female waiting above to make an attack.They are are a wonderful bird and i am glad to say, have made a recovery in numbers over the years especially in this part of Wales.I have yet to get a good photo of one but i live in hope..:-).

Jon

[boogle]

Hi again!.... and many thanks for the replies, let me clear a couple of points up please ....first of all i was on the opposite side of the valley to the strike and therefore had to descend before climbing towards the area i had seen the bird strike..i knew that even running what was in a basic straight line by eye would take me at least 10 minutes, enough time for the bird to pluck eat and smoke a cigarrette before i got within disturbance distance of its kill/strike.
in the past i have only seen peregrines attack mid-air knocking local wood pigeons and the likes out of the air and then cover them with cloaked wings ..i have also seen them fly back with prey to a favoured stripping spot near where they nest before handing over the kill to the nesting female who would be close by.
i don't really know how i can discribe this attack in true detail but i will try...from the right hand side of the valley that i was walking along it came into view from my right hand side at a 45 degree angle at tremendous speed and height obviously focused on a certain spot...at 10-20 yards from the ground i expected the wings to spread and for the bird to apply its brakes but it did'nt..it hit the ground at tremendous speed with its wings spread at the very last moment...this raised my first suspicion, yes it was a pergrine sized bird i was not miles away i was on the same level as the strike but on the opposite side of the valley..as i mentioned in my first post the heather/bracken in this area is quite deep and it flew straight into this with little regard for what i would consider its own safety.
i am deeply suspicous that this was a goshawk attack...simply because of what i have wittnessed in the past.
A few weeks ago on east lancs ornithologist website a member described two peregrines hunting as a team over the river calder with the male flying low along the river and the female higher and behind...he didn't mention how successful they did but this fact alone makes me believe they prefare ariel strikes !
on a differant note on the same day i spotted 2 dipper, several stonechat, 2 roe deer, green woodpecker, a singing wren on a fence post , fieldfare and redwing flocks in pasture fields gathering in numbers...one raven being mobbed by crows...2 male kestrels and 1 female in differant areas...plenty of red grouse and pheasant within the valley..then i went to see my mother who had made me a a lamb cassarole for dinner a good day all round i suspect !

[Boddie]

Originally Posted by Picidae

Why Colin would you want to do that? Surely, if you feel you can add something to the thread, it can be posted in public? If a member posts a query on an open forum, not sure why there is a need to respond to a 'non-sensitive' discussion by sending private messages. Just a thought .... Also wondering why you feel the need to post a public message that you have sent someone a private one! If in your 'humble' opinion, you feel I've posted something you disagree with, please enlighten all of us!

Hear Hear

[rossy]

well im glad boogie and jonsfotos have witnessed peregrines hunting in pairs as on a earlier thread the question was asked if bop hunt in pairs and i replied but no one else appeared to have. these are the ultimate machine in bird terms and a joy to watch. when the pair in manchester breed again i will gladly meet anyone who wants to come along and observe them with me. and boogie any of that casserole left ?

[Picidae]

Originally Posted by rossy

well im glad boogie and jonsfotos have witnessed peregrines hunting in pairs as on a earlier thread the question was asked if bop hunt in pairs and i replied but no one else appeared to have.

Perhaps others didn't see the thread rossy or didn't feel the need to add another confirmation They certainly do hunt in pairs although probably more common to see this in the breeding season, with parents having to feed young, or the fledged themselves working with parents. I agree, fantastic to watch. I'm fortunate enough to live in an area where I've observed them for many years in the wild. They are a common sight in our cities now and the RSPB regularly observe/live webcam nesting Peregrines as part of the ABB projects (which I've helped out with) allowing members of the public to watch nestboxes through scopes on ground. We have at least 4 nestbox sites in the city plus obviously a good population of natural sited Peregrine nests who've repopulated the old Fulmar sites along the cliffs in Sussex, as well as a some 10-15 pairs inland which have been breeding successfully since the ban of DDT's back in the 70's. I rarely go birding now in Sussex without seeing at least one Peregrine!

(just need to bear in mind that during the breeding season, other than the 'public' artificial nestbox areas, the other sites are still extremely sensitive and can't be disclosed to public at large/online etc)