Peregrine Falcon action plan

Aims
1. To assist the colonisation of London by peregrines, so that current and future generations of Londoners have the opportunity to see this magnificent bird over their city.



The peregrine falcon is currently colonising London as part of a national recovery from serious declines in the middle of the 20th century, caused largely by poisoning from organochlorine pesticides such as DDT. The current UK population is estimated to be 1,402 breeding pairs (BTO National Peregrine Survey 2002).

Largely a cliff-nesting species throughout its world range, peregrines are now taking to nesting on large buildings in urban areas. In the UK, peregrines nest on bridges, gasometers, pylons and a variety of buildings, often in artificial nest-boxes. The 2002 BTO survey identified 62 man made sites (i.e. buildings, bridges and pylons) across the UK where peregrines were breeding.

Although there are unconfirmed reports of peregrines having nested on St Paul's cathedral in the 1860s, the first pair to breed in modern times was probably the pair that fledged two young in 1998 on the derelict Spillers Millennium Mills building in the Royal Docks. Although single birds and pairs have subsequently frequented Beddington Farmlands (Sutton); the Wetland Centre, Barnes; Bankside Power Station (now Tate Modern) and the nearby Kings Reach Tower, no breeding was recorded until a pair bred successfully at Battersea Power Station in 2000. A pair has bred successfully on the site every year since.

Contact
The Lead for this species is English Nature.
Peter Massini
English Nature
Devon House
12-15 Dartmouth Street
London SW1H 9BL

Tel: 020 7340 4870
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.english-nature.org.uk