The two chicks are both male and hatched a day apart. There was a clutch of three eggs in total but one of them failed to hatch. Both chicks developed quickly and were ringed on the 21 May to keep track of their progress as they find territories of their own. As they hatched so close together, staff had been expecting them to take flight on the same day. The first male set off at 7am followed by the second male at 10.30am.
Famed as the fastest creature on earth, peregrine falcons can reach speeds of over 150 miles per hour when diving to catch their prey. Over the next week, the fledged chicks at the Falls of Clyde will become adept flyers taking test flights across the gorge on the reserve before following their parents further into the countryside to learn how to hunt.
Willie Buttery, Scottish Wildlife Trust’s Falls of Clyde Visitor Centre Manager, said: “It’s usual for male chicks to take to the skies as soon as possible and both developed at an incredible rate this year, so we have been expecting them to fledge their nest imminently.
“Coming in to work and watching the first chick flying across the gorge was brilliant. We were then eagerly awaiting the second chick to follow suit and it wasn’t long before he set off. We’re all very pleased here at the centre as nothing beats the feeling of seeing them take flight.
“Once they’re airborne, our chicks will spend the next few weeks getting the hang of flying. So, it’s a great time to visit the reserve as you can watch them flying leisurely across the gorge and then returning to the nest site to be fed by the adult birds.”
Tom Hall, the Species Protection Officer funded People’s Postcode Lottery, said: “It’s great to see another successful year at the Falls of Clyde providing our resident peregrine pair with a safe and successful breeding environment. It’s the 14th consecutive year overall, which is an outstanding achievement thanks to our on-going vigilance to protect against wildlife crime.
“We watch our birds 24hours a day right through the breeding season. Seeing them gain their independence by flying on their own is therefore incredible after watching over them so closely. Visitors to the centre can still see close-up footage of the journey our peregrine chicks have almost completed. The views of the gorge nest site at the Falls of Clyde are also a must see and are some of the best in the UK.”