A peregrine falcon which was found injured in Nottingham has been successfully reunited with its family.<\/p>\n
The young female bird was found on the ground near the Queen’s Medical Centre at the end of June, with injuries that meant it was unable to fly or perch.<\/p>\n
A joint effort by Brinsley Animal Rescue (BAR) in Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire Wildlife Hospital nursed the bird back to health and allowed it to practice flying.<\/p>\n
When released on Thursday, it quickly found its parents, with staff saying the reunion “brought tears to our eyes”.<\/p>\n
Release ‘a privilege’<\/p>\n
Jon Beresford, one of BAR’s founders, said finding a peregrine on the ground was unusual.<\/p>\n
“Unlike the vast majority of birds, when they fledge they don’t land on the ground, they have short flights from the nest and they go back to the nest.<\/p>\n
“So somehow she was found grounded and injured.<\/p>\n
“So I suspect during her first trips from the nest flying, she’s come a cropper, she’s hit something,” he said.<\/p>\n
It was found the bird was the offspring of a male peregrine successfully treated by BAR last year.<\/p>\n
But the shelter did not have the facilities for a young bird to continue to learn to fly, so it was taken to an aviary at Leicestershire Wildlife Hospital.<\/p>\n
Beresford said all the effort was worth it when the falcon had recovered.<\/p>\n
“It’s a privilege not only to treat such a magnificent bird as a peregrine falcon, but also to release her and see her fly again so well.”<\/p>\n
After hearing “some squawks”, she found her parents and siblings.<\/p>\n
“It really brought tears to our eyes,” said Beresford.<\/p>\n
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