As regular CFZ-watchers will know, for some time Corinna has been doing a column for Animals & Men and a regular segment on On The Track... particularly about out-of-place birds and rare vagrants. There seem to be more and more bird stories from all over the world hitting the news these days so, to make room for them all - and to give them all equal and worthy coverage - she has set up this new blog to cover all things feathery and Fortean.

Sunday, 15 November 2015

Shot Long Melford peregrine falcon released back into wild

1 November 2015

A shot and wounded bird of prey has been released back into the wild after a year of rehabilitation work on a wing and foot.

The peregrine falcon was found in Long Melford, Suffolk and vets removed six pieces of lead shot from her.

She has been nursed back to flying condition at the Raptor Foundation near St Ives, Cambridgeshire.

Simon Dudhill, foundation manager, said: "This release was better than we could have imagined - she'll be fine."

The bird was found by a member of the public near a stream in August 2014 and the foundation said it had taken hundreds of hours of work to get her ready for her return to the wild.

"The biggest problem was the pellet that was in the toe - and at that stage we didn't know if that foot, which is needed to catch prey, would ever work again," said Mr Dudhill.

"We will do all we can to combat this evil, for want of a better word, of people shooting these birds."

Upon release, the bird flew above a neighbouring field and immediately chased a pigeon.
She failed to catch it, but the centre said she was later spotted carrying a dead one.



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