Two peregrine chicks have now hatched at the Scottish Wildlife Trust’s Falls of Clyde Visitor Centre and Wildlife Reserve in New Lanark.
Hatching on Friday 30 and Saturday 1 May, the chicks arrive to the relief of wildlife enthusiasts who last year had to wait until 20 May to see the first eggs hatch from the resident peregrines, a pair which have been breeding at Falls of Clyde for 14 years now.
The chicks’ arrival marks a milestone in a 24hr round-the-clock stakeout by Scottish Wildlife Trust staff and volunteers, made possible thanks to the People’s Postcode Lottery. It aims to protect the birds through their breeding season.
Tom Hall, Scottish Wildlife Trust’s Peregrine Protection Officer, appointed thanks to funding from People’s Postcode Lottery, said: “The chicks’ arrived right on time this year, which is a great relief because it means our resident breeding peregrines are still very healthy and fertile.
“With the first arriving at 3.40 pm on Friday afternoon and the other hatching in the early hours of Saturday morning, this is good news for both chicks because they begin life close in age and will both hopefully be able to hold their own on the nest and share the food their parents bring in for them.
“We now have one egg left which is still being incubated on the nest, and we hope this will hatch any day now.”
The Falls of Clyde Wildlife Reserve and Visitor Centre offers some of the best views of breeding peregrines in the UK. Thanks to a gorge-side hide and HD camera, close-up footage of the birds can be seen in their natural habitat. A new visitor centre attraction, known as the Peregrine Experience, also opened last month which aims to allow people to watch the peregrines in an atmospheric setting in the Visitor Centre too.
The Scottish Wildlife Trust also runs an online nest camera and a wildlife blog, both of which can be followed at www.swt.org.uk.
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FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
Nicola McGovern, SWT PR Manager
0131 312 4742
NOTES TO EDITORS:
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 10:00 and 20:00 each day. Admission to the Visitor Centre is £2 per adult, £1 per concession, and free for the Scottish Wildlife Trust members.
Falls of Clyde Visitor Centre is one mile south of Lanark, off the A73. Follow signs for New Lanark Heritage Site. Scottish Wildlife Trust visitor centre is in the Old Mill Dyeworks in New Lanark, past the Robert Owen School.
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.
The Falls of Clyde Wildlife Reserve welcomes over 60,000 visitors each year [with 25,000 visitors to the visitor centre].
Scottish Wildlife Trust 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. Scottish Wildlife Trust seeks toraise public awareness of threatened habitats and species and manages over 120 reserves Scotland-wide.
Scottish Wildlife Trust receives financial assistance and support from a number of organisations, trusts, and individuals, including Scottish Natural Heritage and the People’s Postcode Lottery.