Published in Scotland Magazine Issue 29 on 25/10/2006.

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Speed kings

There is no faster animal than the Peregrine Falcon. Graham Holliday looks at where you can find them in Scotland

The Peregrine Falcon is the fastest creature on the planet. With its one metre wide wings swept back, this slate grey blue bird of prey can stoop from very high, dropping like a stone reaching speeds of around 185mph.

The Peregrine is resident year round in Scotland. Despite a history of persecution mainly from landowners, egg collectors and through poisoning from pesticides the species is widespread throughout the whole of the country.

It tends to prefer rocky and remote sea coasts, however it can often be seen in nature reserves such as the Scottish Wildlife Trust reserve at the Falls of Clyde, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) reserves of Loch Gruinart on Islay, Loch Ruthven in the Highlands, and on Forestry Commission land such as in the glacial “V” carved glen of the Queen Elizabeth Forest Park in Stirling.

The fastest ever recorded Peregrine hit an astonishing 245mph. They dive at such fantastic speeds predominantly to attack songbirds and pigeons which form the major part of their diet.

They can kill birds as large as pheasants, geese and even swans. However, they make sure to attack the bird on the wing. Accuracy is key as hitting the body at such high speeds could prove fatal for both the hunted and the hunter.

There are around 700 breeding pairs of Peregrines in Scotland. The females are larger than the males and they lay a maximum of four eggs from mid-June onwards.

Each year the Falls Of Clyde reserve run Operation Peregrine during which v.....

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By Graham Holliday

Section : Scottish Wildlife

Page number : 22