The young female peregrine falcon was found injured on the ground near the Queen's Medical Centre at the end of June and was unable to fly or perch. After being treated by Brinsley Animal Rescue (BAR) in Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire Wildlife Hospital, she was released on Thursday and quickly reunited with her family.
Staff said the reunion “brought tears to our eyes”. The bird had needed a large aviary to practise flying before she was ready to return to the wild.
Why was the peregrine on the ground?
Jon Beresford, one of BAR's founders, said it was unusual to find a peregrine on the ground. He said peregrines do not normally land there when they fledge and instead make short flights from the nest before returning.
“Unlike the vast majority of birds, when they fledge they don't land on the ground, they have short flights from the nest and they go back to the nest.
“So somehow she was found grounded and injured.
“So I suspect during her first trips from the nest flying, she's come a cropper, she's hit something,”
The bird was later found to be the offspring of a male peregrine that BAR had successfully treated last year. BAR did not have the facilities for a young bird to continue learning to fly, so she was moved to an aviary at Leicestershire Wildlife Hospital.
What happened when she was released?
Beresford said the effort to care for the bird was worthwhile once she had recovered and was able to fly again. When she was released on Thursday, she quickly found her parents after hearing “some squawks” and was also reunited with her siblings.
“It's a privilege not only to treat such a magnificent bird as a peregrine falcon, but also to release her and see her fly again so well.”
“It really brought tears to our eyes,”
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Related internet links
Leicestershire Wildlife Hospital
