Parish Helps Protect Pilgrim Peregrines
01 August 2008
People at St John the Evangelist church in the heart of Bath are helping some of the world’s fastest birds. A family of peregrine falcons live on the spire at St John’s thanks to the support of the local Catholic community.
cliftondiocese.com went to St John’s to meet top ornithologist Ed Drewitt and St John’s parishioner and keen birdwatcher Valerie James. You can find out more by listening to our podcast in the multimedia panel on the right.
The name peregrine derives from the Latin perigrinus which means wanderer or pilgrim and refers the birds’ worldwide range - as peregrines can be found on every continent except Antarctica.
Our image gallery shows you some examples of the remains of the peregrines prey - just click on the small photographs for the full picture. Louise Hazelton of the Hawk and Owl Trust has been a dedicated visitor to St John’s gathering feathers and bird skulls which help build-up a picture the peregrines lifestyle. Louise is a familiar and popular figure around the parish and many Bath parishioners add to Louise’s vital collections.
Mary Colwell, the Clifton Cathedral parishioner and award-winning natural history TV producer told cliftondiocese.com a bit more about these amazing birds, “Peregrine falcons have been called nature’s finest flying machine. They are nature’s fastest fliers and have been clocked at speeds of up to 220 miles per hour.
“Their eyesight is eight times better than humans and can spot a bird flying 1000 feet below.
“Peregrine falcons feed primarily on birds they take in the air. Their prey includes ducks, pheasants, and pigeons.”
Mary who is the inspiration behind Sound of Many Waters, the Cathedral’s exiting work engaging with the environment, also told us about people’s fascination with this particular falcon throughout the ages.
“Notable falconers and enthusiasts include Frederick the Second (who wrote what some consider the first book of ornithology), William Shakespeare, Marco Polo, and Ghengis Khan.
“As well as St John’s in Bath, there are peregrines nesting in the centre of Bristol and on the cliffs of the Avon Gorge.”
Summer is a good time to try and spot peregrines as young are just now trying to imitate their parent’s behaviour and master the art of flying, before they are ready to leave the nest in the autumn.
People at St John the Evangelist church in the heart of Bath are helping some of the world’s fastest birds. A family of peregrine falcons live on the spire at St John’s thanks to the support of the local Catholic community.
cliftondiocese.com went to St John’s to meet top ornithologist Ed Drewitt and St John’s parishioner and keen birdwatcher Valerie James. You can find out more by listening to our podcast in the multimedia panel on the right.
The name peregrine derives from the Latin perigrinus which means wanderer or pilgrim and refers the birds’ worldwide range - as peregrines can be found on every continent except Antarctica.
Our image gallery shows you some examples of the remains of the peregrines prey - just click on the small photographs for the full picture. Louise Hazelton of the Hawk and Owl Trust has been a dedicated visitor to St John’s gathering feathers and bird skulls which help build-up a picture the peregrines lifestyle. Louise is a familiar and popular figure around the parish and many Bath parishioners add to Louise’s vital collections.
Mary Colwell, the Clifton Cathedral parishioner and award-winning natural history TV producer told cliftondiocese.com a bit more about these amazing birds, “Peregrine falcons have been called nature’s finest flying machine. They are nature’s fastest fliers and have been clocked at speeds of up to 220 miles per hour.
“Their eyesight is eight times better than humans and can spot a bird flying 1000 feet below.
“Peregrine falcons feed primarily on birds they take in the air. Their prey includes ducks, pheasants, and pigeons.”
Mary who is the inspiration behind Sound of Many Waters, the Cathedral’s exiting work engaging with the environment, also told us about people’s fascination with this particular falcon throughout the ages.
“Notable falconers and enthusiasts include Frederick the Second (who wrote what some consider the first book of ornithology), William Shakespeare, Marco Polo, and Ghengis Khan.
“As well as St John’s in Bath, there are peregrines nesting in the centre of Bristol and on the cliffs of the Avon Gorge.”
Summer is a good time to try and spot peregrines as young are just now trying to imitate their parent’s behaviour and master the art of flying, before they are ready to leave the nest in the autumn.
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