Falcon missing after flying the nest from her Colchester home

11th January

By Robbie Bryson 

A majestic bird of prey and much-loved family pet has escaped from its quiet suburban home and won’t come back.

Comet, a three-year-old gyr-saker falcon, flew the nest from her home in Carus Crescent in Highwoods, Colchester, on Saturday afternoon.

Despite spending hours walking the streets and knocking on doors, her owners, experienced falconer Jay Poulter and his wife, Emma, have so far been unable to find the bird.

Mrs Poulter said: “She has not been very well over Christmas and the vets advised us to keep her inside overnight.

“We were getting her out of her aviary to bring her inside.

“She was tied on my husband’s gloves by a leash, but it came lose and she flew away.

“Jay instantly ran across the estate looking for her.

“We were out knocking on doors from around 4.30pm until 8.30pm.

“Then first thing on Sunday we were out again looking for her.

“She could be anywhere and she is probably a bit disorientated because she is not used to flying around houses and near people.”

After seeing a Facebook post about the missing animal, several eagle-eyed neighbours have contacted the family believing to have spotted Comet in Highwoods Country Park.

One resident even believes the disorientated bird may have landed on her conservatory roof.

Sightings have also been reported as far away as Boxted, Fingringhoe and Langham.

The family are becoming increasingly concerned for the rare bird, who is still recovering from her illness.

Mrs Poulter said: “She is a part of our family in the same way as a dog is to other people.

“My husband has spent the last two years training her and he has put a lot of time and love into it.

“We have some other birds of prey, two owls and a hawk, and so she is part of a pack.

“As she is ill she is not at her full strength and capacity which is worrying.”

A gyr-saker falcon is a hybrid between the saker falcon, which is native to the Middle East, and the largest type of falcon the gyr, which can be found in North America, Europe and Asia.

Continued  

Unusual bird expected to make Colchester appearance

FLOCKS of stunning birds are poised to appear in north Essex this winter.

Waxwings occasionally migrate from Scandinavia when a successful breeding season means their local berry supply is exhausted and do not winter every year.

But experts at the Essex Wildlife Trust are hopeful for an irruption this year, where the birds arrive in large numbers, and there has already been some sightings at Abbotts Hall Farm, Great Wigborough, and Fingringhoe Wick nature reserves, and also further south in Maldon and South Woodham Ferrers.

Slightly smaller than a starling Waxwings have a mix of colours with a prominent pinky crest from which it gets its nickname pink punk. It is reddish-brown with a black throat, a small black mask round its eye, yellow and white in the wings and a yellow-tipped tail. The wax refers to the red endings on the feather tips which help identify the age and sex of the bird.

Regular updates of Waxwing sightings will be given by Essex Wildlife Trust on their website.

The trust wants to collate records about Waxwing sightings in Essex this winter and people are asked to email details of their sightings and any photographs to records@essexwt.org.uk.

The email subject should be Waxwing and include your name, an accurate location including a postcode and if possible six-figure grid reference, who saw them, when, and how many birds were recorded.

http://www.gazette-news.co.uk/news/10096617.Unusual_bird_expected_to_make_Colchester_appearance/