We’ve recently shared the exciting annual milestone of ringing the latest brood of Peregrine Falcon chicks at the hospital nest in Ealing. Sadly, however, we also have some difficult news to share.
Yesterday evening, one of the chicks died after falling from the ledge while exploring away from the immediate nest area. At this stage of development young Peregrines become increasingly curious and mobile, often venturing further from the scrape before they are fully competent flyers. It is one of the most dangerous periods in a falcon’s life.
In this case, the chick appears to have worked its way around onto a much narrower front ledge of the building, an area with more obstacles and less room to manoeuvre safely. Unfortunately, accidents like this can happen in urban and rural nesting situations, even at otherwise highly successful sites. We’ve had 13 chicks in five years ringed from this nest with no such mishaps or misfortunes at the chick stage, which is incredibly lucky. We had one recently fledged bird back in the first or second year get entangled and die in anti-pigeon netting not too far away a few days after flying the nest.
The nest tray circled in red (with adult watching), and the front ledge of the building the chick fell from circled in yellow.
We’re aware that some people may immediately question whether the ringing process earlier that morning contributed to the accident. That is understandable, and it’s important to address openly. The chicks were ringed by experienced, licensed personnel following standard best practice guidelines used nationwide for Peregrine monitoring and conservation. After ringing, all chicks settled back down quickly and resumed normal behaviour, feeding and resting naturally with no signs of ongoing distress. We are confident in this and even shared a video of the full process yesterday evening, as we do most years, for educational purposes (see video link below).
The timing is understandably upsetting, but this exploratory phase is something all healthy Peregrine chicks go through as they build strength, coordination and confidence ahead of fledging. Sadly, not every young falcon survives it.
Ringing and sampling these chicks remains hugely important conservation work. The unique leg rings allow us to identify individuals throughout their lives, helping track dispersal, lifespan, breeding success and the wider recovery of Peregrines across London and the UK. It also helps us understand the fate of birds that later become injured or are found elsewhere.
In addition, DNA samples are collected to help establish genetic records of these birds. This can play an important role in investigating and potentially prosecuting wildlife crime in the future, including poisoning, illegal persecution or nest disturbance. Sadly, despite their recovery, Peregrines still face many threats. And this vital part of the work has already led to UK prosecutions.
While this loss is heartbreaking, it does not diminish what has otherwise been another remarkable breeding season for our Ealing Peregrines, Freddie and Dusty, nor the value of the monitoring and conservation work that helps protect them long term.
Nature can be both inspiring and brutally unforgiving at times. We share both the triumphs and the losses honestly, because that is the reality of wildlife conservation.
Below is a video of the ringing process which went absolutely smoothly. We had no cause for concern as we left, hopeful all three chicks would go on to fledge and succeed in a couple of weeks’ time. Let’s keep our fingers crossed for the remaining pair of chicks.
