A new chick which will grow up to become the fastest living creature on earth has now made a late arrival by hatching at the Scottish Wildlife Trust’s (SWT) Falls of Clyde Visitor Centre and Wildlife Reserve in New Lanark to the relief of wildlife enthusiasts. 

Spotted on Monday 17 May at 11.43 am popping its head out of its gorge-side nest site, the arrival of the peregrine chick marks a milestone in a 24hr round-the-clock stakeout by SWT staff and volunteers to protect the birds through their breeding season. 

Becky Priestley, SWT’s Peregrine Protection Officer appointed thanks to funding from People’s Postcode Lottery, was first to spot the new chick as she completed her regular checks on the birds and their breeding ground.

Priestley said:  “I was so thrilled to finally see a chick in the nest because we have waiting and expecting the chicks to hatch any day now for over two weeks.  As time passed by without their arrival, we were all growing tense and nervous. 

“Peregrines have been breeding successfully at Falls of Clyde for 13 years now and it would have been so sad to have spent the last two months watching our resident breeding peregrine pair put in all that hard work to prepare their nest and look after their eggs only to find that they’d come up short.

“But thankfully, with a little help from SWT and funding from People’s Postcode Lottery, our peregrines have done it again.  Since 29 March, our Operation Peregrine Project has been watching the nest at all times to protect our birds and their eggs from vandals and egg thieves.  We will now continue this effort to protect the nest as our chicks hopefully hatch and until they develop and are old enough to leave the nest at the end of June.”

Visitors to SWT Falls of Clyde Visitor Centre can enjoy watching the majestic birds’ famous dive for food on the reserve.  Famed as the fastest living creature on earth, peregrines can dive at speeds of up to approximately 150 mph to catch their prey of small and medium-sized birds. 

Close-up images of the peregrines and their chicks thanks to CCTV technology which streams live images from the nest site can also be viewed on a big screen in the Centre or online at www.swt.org.uk.

Today, only about 2,000 pairs of peregrine falcons remain in the UK, after their numbers fell rapidly in the 1950s due to the effects of DDT, a pesticide which decreased reproductive success through thinning of eggshells.  This number accounts for 20% of the EU breeding population and approximately two-thirds of these nest in Scotland.

People’s Postcode Lottery, a community lottery where players play with their postcode to win prizes and support local charities, supports the Scottish Wildlife Trust.  Recently raising over £1million to help protect Scotland’s wildlife and wild places, People’s Postcode Lottery support now funds SWT’s Peregrine Protection Officer and helps the Trust maintain over 123 wildlife reserves in postcodes across Scotland. 
***ENDS***
 

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Nicola McGovern, SWT PR Officer
0131 312 4742; nmcgovern@swt.org.uk

NOTES TO EDITORS:

1. Willie Buttery, Visitor Centre Manager, and Becky Priestley, Peregrine Protection Officer, are available for comment on 01555 665262.

2. The Falls of Clyde Visitor Centre is open between 11 am and 5 pm throughout the year, excepting January and February when opening hours are reduced to 12 noon to 4 pm. The peregrine viewing area is manned between 0700 and dusk each day. Admission to the reserve is £1 per adult, 50p per concession, and free for SWT members.

3. Falls of Clyde Visitor Centre is one mile south of Lanark, off the A73. Follow signs for New Lanark Heritage Site. SWT visitor centre is in the Old Mill Dyeworks in New Lanark, past the Robert Owen School.

4. Operation Peregrine is managed in conjunction with The Partnership for Action against Wildlife Crime initiative (PAW). This partnership is run by Scottish Natural Heritage and has the support of the Scottish Executive, the Scottish Police forces and wildlife organisations such as the Scottish Wildlife Trust.

5. The Falls of Clyde Wildlife Reserve welcomes over 60,000 visitors each year [with 25,000 visitors to the visitor centre].

6. SWT is the largest voluntary body working for all the wildlife of Scotland, representing more than 35,000 members who care for wildlife and the environment. SWT seeks to raise public awareness of threatened habitats and species and manages over 120 reserves Scotland-wide.

7. SWT receives financial assistance and support from Scottish Natural Heritage and the People’s Postcode Lottery.