PEREGRINE falcons are the kings of the avian world, so it’s fitting that they should have five-star accommodation. Dúlra can reveal that a pair of peregrine falcons have taken up residence on Belfast’s Hilton Hotel.
These birds have an incredible claim to fame: they are not only the world’s fastest bird, but the fastest animal on the planet. And now passers-by and shoppers in Belfast city centre can, if they crane their necks skywards, see at first hand this force of nature.
Dúlra did exactly that this week. He didn’t take his bins along, so he couldn’t watch them up close and he didn’t have a good camera, so apologies for no picture. But he could clearly see them sitting on the edge of the 16-storey building, peering out over the city below. One of them actually hopped onto the giant Hilton sign. What a picture that would make!
At one stage a small flock of pigeons flew past and one of the peregrines flew out quickly towards them. The pigeons scattered in terror in all directions, but the peregrine must have had a full stomach and returned to its perch.
It's great that it's not a solitary bird, but a pair, and they will be laying eggs any day now.
In the past peregrines nested on cliff faces, the female scraping the ground to form a small cup to lay her eggs in. Today’s tall buildings must seem just like cliff faces to them.
Peregrines – fabhcún gorm or blue falcon in Irish – like to keep their nests away from each other so that they don’t compete for food. But that isn’t an issue in Belfast city centre, when the main food source – pigeons – are so common they have become pests. Oh, and starlings are often picked off by these raptors and the city’s main starling roost happens to be at Albert Bridge, around the corner from the Hilton.
By colonising cities, peregrine falcons have dragged themselves from the brink of extinction in Ireland. We love to persecute raptors – we got rid of the bigger ones like eagles and ospreys, but the smaller peregrine managed to hang on despite many of them being poisoned because of their love of hunting pigeons. Today their population is growing fast and there are at least 400 pairs across the island.
There is no way of knowing why they have chosen to nest on Belfast’s sixth-tallest building – the Hilton stands at 207ft – rather than its tallest, the Obel Tower, for example, or Divis Tower, which is in eighth place.
But we all know that the city centre is coming down with pigeons, a food source that seems inexhaustible.
Those same pigeons must live on their nerves, because they can be picked off at any minute. But if it’s any consolation to the pigeons, they won’t even see death coming.
Peregrines hunt with a deadly ‘stoop’, a high-speed dive where they soar to a great height and then dive-bomb their victim. They hit a pigeon’s wing so it hangs in the air limp, before grabbing it in their talons. Peregrines have a third eyelid which acts like a visor on a motorbike helmet, spreading tears and clearing debris as they dive.
It’s said they can hit 200mph during a stoop, making them earth’s fastest animal. The pair romance in mid-air, he passing her a dead pigeon from his talons to hers as she flies upside down. You’ll need binoculars to see that one!
Four eggs will be laid around now on a ledge at the Hilton – maybe even at one of their rooms rather than the rooftop itself. Now that would be some treat for anyone staying – a peregrine nesting at your window!
By the start of June, the chicks will be jumping off their nest and starting a new life – and eventually looking to make a nest of their own on another of Belfast’s tall buildings.
• If you have any nature questions or have taken any pictures of wildlife, you can contact Dúlra on 07801 414804.
