A YEAR THEIR LIFE
GREATER MANCHESTER'S URBAN PEREGRINE FALCONS IN 2009
Any comments are by Ian McKerchar unless otherwise stated.
Photographers involved in this article are Adrian Dancy, Geoff Hargreaves, Rob Smallwood and others whose names are withheld to protect the birds involved.
Images in this article are strictly copyright of the relevant photographer, I would welcome the receipt of images of urban Peregrines taken in Greater Manchester during the year for inclusion in this article.
This article intends to follow these urban Peregrines during a year in their life and all images were taken in 2009.
(Photo by Adrian Dancy)
Peregrine's first bred in Manchester City Centre in 2006, hatching 4 young all of which fledged although one was tragically found dead in the county at Dovestones on the 23rd September the same year. Since then they have become a regular attraction for birders and their breeding success has gone from strength to strength but in 2008 the county boasted another urban Peregrine success with a pair successfully raising three young in Bolton Town Centre and in 2009 a Peregrine nesting tray was erected in Rochdale town centre in a bid to attract birds seen there.
Below: The real champions of the skies above Greater Manchester. Peregrine Falcons and India 99, Greater Manchester Police Force's chopper! (Photo taken over Manchester City Centre by Adrian Dancy, June 2009)
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COURTSHIP AND THOSE EARLY
DAYS
Acknowledgments
I would sincerely like to thank all the photographers who have donated images to the galleries in this article, they are (up to the current time of publishing) Adrian Dancy (see more of Adrian's more artistic work here), Rob Smallwood, Ian McKerchar and Geoff Hargreaves.
Further images of Peregrine at various sites in Greater Manchester can be viewed here.
Further images of Manchester Peregrines in an article by Adrian Dancy can be viewed here.
Ian McKerchar, October 2009
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