Trossachs Bird of Prey Trail
, The Trossachs Stirling, United Kingdom
Peregrine
http://www.birdofpreytrail.com
10:28 05-Sep-2010
PEREGRINE
When is it here? There are a few birds here in the winter, but they’re more commonly seen in the spring, summer and autumn.
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How easy is it to see? Very difficult. Peregrines are the fastest living thing on earth and really live up to their reputation!
How big is it? Medium
What colour is it? Males and females are bluish grey above with a black moustache against a white throat.
What might I confuse it with? Peregrines are quite distinctive, but their dashing flight and colouration might be confused with a merlin or kestrel, though they’re much larger.
They’re most commonly seen near the crags at Aberfoyle and Callander. Although they nest in a different place every year, the Forestry Commission are often able to set up a camera on a peregrine nest and beam the live pictures of the chicks back to the David Marshall Lodge.
What are they normally doing? When caught on camera, the peregrines display very intimate behaviour, bringing food back for their chicks.
If you see them ‘live’ you may spot them diving on prey (particularly pigeons) at superfast speeds, or sitting on the crags looking out for a passing meal. In the breeding season, males and females can sometimes be seen making food passes to each other.