Peregrine (gobirding.eu)

Peregrine (Peregrine Falcon) Falco peregrinus

This species has recovered well following a massive decline in the 60s and 70s. Formerly only a scarce winter visitor to south-eastern counties of the UK, there are now several pairs breeding. Some of these have selected busy urban settings for their nest sites, including the centre of London. In most places in Norfolk it's still relatively rare to encounter one outside of the winter period but very recently they have started to breed even here - for example a pair are nesting on Norwich Cathedral in 2011.


Peregrine, Porthgwarra (Cornwall, UK), 21st October 2010

Peregrine, Porthgwarra (Cornwall, UK), 7th October 2005


juvenile Peregrine, Lowestoft (Suffolk, UK), 30th January 2010



Peregrine, Porthgwarra (Cornwall, UK), 22nd October 2010

Peregrine, Kings Lynn (Norfolk, UK), 14th February 2009

Peregrine, Kings Lynn (Norfolk, UK), 22nd February 2009


Peregrine, Lowestoft (Suffolk, UK), 11th February 2012

Peregrine, Marazion Marsh (Cornwall, UK), 6th October 2007




Peregrine, Burnham Norton (Norfolk, UK), 13th March 2010 - with Carrion Crow except bottom right where with Marsh Harrier



Peregrines, Capo Caccia (Sardinia, Italy), 13th April 2008

Peregrine, undisclosed location (Norfolk, UK), 24th January 2009

Peregrine, Capo Caccia (Sardinia, Italy), 18th April 2008

Peregrine, Kings Lynn (Norfolk, UK), 25th January 2009


Peregrine, Burnham Norton (Norfolk, UK), 13th April 2009 - this bird seemed especially pale in the field

The species is fairly common in parts of North America. Three races occur here; all are different from European birds but the most widespread one is anatum, shown below. There are no accepted records of this race in the UK (two previously accepted records were recently reviewed and rejected) but there is a single intriguing report from near Norwich in 1986. This record allegedly involved an encounter with a falconer's trained bird - the story has it that the falconer's bird 'brought down' the North American Peregrine alive. Though the story sounds doubtful, the identification is certain, for the bird was carrying a metal leg ring which proved that it had been rung earlier in the same year in New Brunswick, Canada (British Birds 97:478-479).


North American Peregrine (race anatum), Point Reyes (California, USA), 2nd May 2005

North American Peregrine (race anatum), Point Reyes (California, USA), 2nd May 2005	North American Peregrine (race anatum), Davis Road, Salton Sea (California, USA), 24th April 2005

You might also be interested in...