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Perching on the side of an old power station chimney with St Paul’s Cathedral to the north and the Shard, Europe’s tallest building, to the east is not where you might expect to glimpse the world’s fastest bird. Yet Tate Modern, and London landmarks including Battersea Power Station and the Houses of Parliament, have been home for several years to peregrine falcons. A surprising flash of the wild in the heart of the city, the powerful bird of prey is also a specialised hunter of feral pigeons, considered such an urban pest that in 2003 a ban was imposed on feeding them in Trafalgar Square.With cities’ abundant food sources and tall buildings providing a predator-free equivalent of the species’ traditional cliff-side home, the raptor’s success has extended far beyond the capital. Having colonised urban areas from Aberdeen to Cardiff, ecologists now believe it is only a matter of time before peregrine falcons are breeding in every major UK town and city. “All those born and bred in cities, that’s their habitat that they’ve grown up in. When they’re drifting around the country, they find little towns and cities elsewhere … and that’s what they’re used to,” says David Goode, a veteran ecologist and author of a new book, Nature in Town and Cities. “That’s why I say it won’t be long until they’re in every place.”
Quote“That’s why I say it won’t be long until they’re in every place.”http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/mar/08/urban-wildlife-animals-in-city
“That’s why I say it won’t be long until they’re in every place.”
Yep, just had a look at http://upp.hawkandowl.org/norwich-peregrines/norwich-cathedral-peregrine-live-web-cam-2015/ and the bird on the nest sounds almost like it's got constant hiccups, sounds rather like a squeaky hinge. Other than that, seems pretty alert.
A pair of nesting ospreys is threatening the future of Scotland’s biggest music festival, T in the Park.The birds have been spotted close to Strathallan Castle in Perthshire, where the festival is due to take place in July. As a protected species, it is illegal to disturb them during breeding season.