Urban Peregrines
For 28 years Ed has been studying urban peregrines, looking at what they eat and where young travel once they leave the nest – all part of long term diet research for his PhD at the University of Bristol.
What makes an urban peregrine tick?
Ed's book 'Urban Peregrines', the first of its kind, is available to buy here.
His extensive peregrine falcon research has helped confirm that:
Urban peregrines hunt at night in towns and cities taking nocturnal migrants such as woodcock, little grebe and water rails. His paper published in British Birds explains more.
Many colour-ringed peregrines hatched from nests in the west of England head to the east and north-east of the UK. See this link for his public access paper recently published in Ringing & Migration.
Over 100 species of bird are eaten by urban peregrines from kingfishers to blackcaps; feral/domesticated pigeons make up a third of the urban peregrine diet.
"Ed is an experienced and thoughtful communicator and his ideas on that subject come out through the pages of this book too – and are worth reading.
This book has loads of excellent photographs and is beautifully produced. If you like Peregrines then you ought to read it – and how can you not like Peregrines? So, read it!"
Mark Avery, Wildlife Conservationist & Campaigner
Studying peregrines, the fastest raptor in the world, for over 25 years.
Since 1998, Ed has been studying the diet of urban-dwelling peregrines. To do this, Ed and others collect the feathers, skulls, wings, and legs of birds left over at peregrine feeding sites. Each year, Ed identifies thousands of individual bird remains from locations including Exeter, Derby, Bristol, Bath, and London.
What do peregrines eat?
Peregrines eat over 100 species of bird in the UK. Many of these migrate under the cover of darkness and are hunted by peregrines at night. Peregrines use the light from street lamps to see and catch birds such as water rails, woodcock, and little grebes as they fly overhead.
Ed’s work on prey remains alluded to this behaviour, and it was confirmed when peregrines were filmed bringing back live woodcock, snipe, and teal to Derby Cathedral in the middle of the night.
This research resulted in several important papers being published by Ed, both independently and in collaboration with fellow peregrine expert Nick Dixon:
Publications:
- Dixon, N. & Drewitt, E. (2012). Devon Birds, 65(1).
- Drewitt, E. & Dixon, N. (2008). Diet and prey selection of urban-dwelling Peregrine Falcons Falco peregrinus in southern England. British Birds, 101: 58–67.
Magazine Feature:
- Drewitt, E. (2008). Meet the 24-hour falcon. BBC Wildlife, 26(4): 36–41.
Ed has also worked with the Avon Gorge & Downs Wildlife Project to produce a leaflet about the Avon Gorge Peregrines, which can be found here.
Colour-ringing Peregrine Chicks
Since 2007, Ed has been colour-ringing peregrine chicks with the support of the British Mountaineering Council and the Hawk and Owl Trust. This work helps to reveal more about the birds’ movements, survival, and interactions across the Bristol, Somerset, Dorset, and Devon regions.
Ed and colleagues have colour-ringed over 350 young peregrines. When the chicks are three weeks old, they are fitted with two rings: a unique numbered metal ring, issued by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), on the right leg, and a light blue plastic ring with two black letters on the left leg. The colour rings can be read from a distance without the birds needing to be recaptured. All chick handling is carried out under a special Schedule 1 licence, as peregrines are protected birds of prey.
The colour rings provide a fascinating insight into the lives of peregrines. For example, a male peregrine chick ringed in Bath has been the breeding male at the same nest site for 13 years. Other peregrines ringed in the Bristol region have later been found in the Malvern Hills, the Isle of Wight, Suffolk, the West and East Midlands, Hertfordshire, and the Chew Valley.
If you spot any ringed or colour-ringed peregrines, please send details of the bird and its rings to the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO).
Ed can be contacted here.