Peregrinations. Again.
They soared, they dived, they harrassed seagulls and filled the sky with their antics. We stood, necks craned and swivelled our bodies to track them as they flew around the Tate Modern chimney, over the Thames, past Blackfriars Bridge and buzzed the dome of St Paul's Cathedral.
I am, of course, talking peregrines. The two adults and one of their young. He must be about six months old now so this aerial dance was about teaching him how to fly. A bit later the male landed on the Chimney and stayed for about an hour and a half. He's now getting to the age where he can look after himself. Staying on the chimney perch was, therefore, a mistake! The chimney is Mum and Dad's favourite perch in the middle of their territory.
We'd been calling people strolling along the South Bank over to our telescopes to show them the male peregrine living wild in the Capital. An amazing bird to see in a city. His parents were among the pioneers of peregrines that are increasingly choosing to live in cities on our high-rise buildings. We were all so engrossed and focused on the young male that we failed to notice Mum and Dad return. We heard them screech and then watched as they chased him away. This is THEIR spot. Soon the young male will be banished from their territory; sent off to find a mate and his own space.
This was all a very public performance but there's something intimate about it it too. A shared moment in a families life. We'd been joined by David Lindo of the BBC's The One Show. He was popular with visitors of all ages and his enjoyment and interest in the lives and abilities of the peregrines was infectious. David's travelled the world looking at birds but even he had to admit, the peregrines put on a great show for us.
One visitor started to tell her grand daughter that keeping birds of prey for falconry is still a common practice across the Middle East, especially among their Persian ancestors. Immediately a boy nearby chimed in that peregrines are the birds of kings and that lesser "nobles" weren't allowed to keep peregrines - the world's fastest living creatures. That's another one of the great things about our peregrine watch by the Millennium Bridge. People talk with each other in a way not commonly seen in London. By which I mean they make eye contact and actually have a conversation. Another lady, visiting from Bristol, told me of her close encounter with a young peregrine. She'd found it stunned after an apparent collision. Covering it with her jacket she was able to lift it up and take it for some expert treatment. The bird was later released, non the worse for its experience, back in to the wild in the Cheddar Gorge. What an encounter.
A common query we get on the South Bank is, "can you please tell me how to get to....". We have GPS, route finders and sat-nav's to help us get around but birds appear to have an innate ability to migrate from A to B, often over great distances, and still manage to take the most direct route. We're not sure how they do it but studies have revealed a range of tricks including navigating by the stars, using the Earth's magnetic fields, odours carried on the winds and visual landmarks. It seems birds use a variety of these methods to get around, and sometimes have to rely on alternatives; you can't navigate by the stars if it's too cloudy to see them!
We still have so much to learn from the birds, plants and other creatures that share our environment. Over the next couple of weeks this blog will be silent as I imitate a migrating European bird. I'll be bobbing over the Channel to France to forage for food and drink. I'll test a range of navigation systems to get me there and back and will endeavour to use as little energy as possible in the process. While I'm on my holiday, do pop down to the Tate to marvel at the birds of kings but remember to look at the birds around you too. Even the common starling can amaze and confound with its ability to mimmic different sounds or being able to fly in close formation with hundreds of its mates. Nature truly is amazing, but we need to work together to keep it this way.