My home patch lies on the southern edge of Birmingham and straddles the West Midlands - Worcestershire county boundary. Sightings of Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus in this area have, for many years, been regular although not necessarily frequent. Given that this species breeds and frequents the Birmingham area, it’s not surprising that this should be the case, however, in recent years their occurrence in my home patch has increased considerably. An electricity pylon line is located nearby and while fly through visits are possibly the most frequent form of sightings, birds also alight on the pylon structures to rest, survey the scene or devour locally caught prey. Prey species that have been identified include: Feral Pigeon Columba livia; Homing Pigeon C. l. domestica (identified by distinctive plumage as being from a local loft/dovecote); Wood Pigeon Columba palumbus; Great Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos major; Common Starling Sturnus vulgaris and Blackbird Turdus merula.

The frequency of these sightings to which I refer, obviously arise from coincidence. However, our observations are also aided during the spring and summer months by Lesser Black-backed Gulls Larus fuscus from a nearby rooftop breeding colony who vocally announce their displeasure at the Peregrines presence, especially so if the falcon has prey, or has attempted to catch prey. Upon hearing the gulls uttering a threatening/ anxious ‘yelp’, it has become second nature for my wife and myself to immediately view the pylon structures where, on most occasions, we locate a Peregrine. Such was the frequency of these sightings in 2019 that I decided to undertake a search to find out if these birds were indeed more local than I had first imagined. My first attempt was to follow the pylon line that takes a roughly East-West route with the thought that platforms located high in the structure could provide a suitable nest location. Having travelled approximately two miles in each direction from a starting point near my home, each search proved fruitless. With the thought that the birds might be very local, going beyond two miles seemed slightly irrelevant to my aim.

My second attempt was to visit a fairly local council housing estate that contains 14 high rise residential tower blocks with the aim of checking rooftops for any Peregrine activity, despite my efforts, the searches again proved fruitless. The Covid 19 Coronavirus Pandemic and its associated lock-downs took place in 2020 and this put an end to my investigations, but not an end to Peregrine activity in the area.

What followed in 2023 was purely a chance comment in a conversation with Chris Millward (CM) who, in his capacity as WMBC Secretary, had visited me at my home. Having mentioned the frequency of Peregrine sightings in my area, CM later informed me that during a visit to the aforementioned housing estate on a business related project, he too had seen a Peregrine in that immediate area. The next set of circumstances can only be described as bizarre.

A member of the local residents group who CM was working with at the time of his sighting, reported that a bird of prey had been seen frequently at one of the tower blocks. Without any certainty of what species this might be, or indeed if the bird might have been captive, I investigated the location that CM provided for me. Upon arrival at the tower block I was greeted by the sight of an adult Peregrine perched on the balcony ledge of a 7th floor apartment, approximately midway between ground floor and roof. This was clearly not a captive bird but a free flying wild adult. During my stakeouts at the site I watched the activities of a pair of birds with the male making journeys in search of prey, while the female alternated between the occasional journey, sitting on the balcony ledge or presumably tending her clutch.

At one point the on guard male became noticeably agitated and took to the air in dashing flight; on looking up from my vantage point in the direction he was heading I noticed two other Peregrines soaring high above. The local male was instantly joined by the female from within the balcony and the intruders rapidly departed the scene upon their presence, with the resident birds soon resuming normal duties after the encounter. In connection with my earlier rooftop searches, it became clear that this mid-story balcony, unlike others, had not been screened off and had open access. This open access had clearly provided the Peregrines with an opportunity to take up residence in what is obviously a favourable area, prey species are abundant with a high concentration of Feral Pigeons in the immediate vicinity. Local breeding birds also include Wood Pigeon, a House Martin Delichon urbicum colony, Common Starling and Blackbird. Just a very short flight from their balcony home, the birds come across open countryside and an even wider variety of prey species.

Local rooftop nesting gulls seem able to coexist with the Peregrines much as they do in other areas, this however, as mentioned previously, can be a strained relationship and the falcons, as would be expected, are not the gulls preferred neighbour.

The next move proved to be both decisive and eye opening. Ben Dolan (BD) of the West Midlands Ringing Group (WMRG) was contacted and in turn Ben contacted me with the aim of gaining the exact location of the Peregrines together with any relevant information I had to offer. Armed with the information I had provided, BD then contacted the local authorities with the intention of gaining access to the apartment and assessing the situation. The result of the exercise carried out by BD found the apartment to be occupied, although not on a permanent basis and, that the Peregrines had a clutch of three eggs located within the confines of the balcony. The occupant of the apartment was aware of the birds presence and had taken it upon himself to be their guardian, he was however, extremely relieved and most grateful of BDs involvement.

Frequent conversation between BD and the apartment occupier resulted in BD and a team of WMRG members, together with myself as an onlooker, arriving at the apartment to ring the Peregrine chicks under BTO licence on Wednesday June 7th 2023.

On greeting the occupier and gaining a welcoming access into his apartment, we found that one chick had not made it and had sadly deceased. While there was obvious disappointment in witnessing this, it comes as little surprise when dealing with birds of prey, in the knowledge that this is likely to happen. The other two however, a male and female, were in fine health and as correctly calculated by BD, at perfect ringing age. Once the balcony had been entered the whole necessary procedure was swift and decisive as the team worked to BDs instructions by passing each chick from the balcony into the living room, thus minimising any potential noise from the chicks and stress to the adults. Without fuss the young Peregrines were returned to their balcony home none the worse after their experience and encounter with an alien life form.

Amongst the identifiable remains of prey around the nest was the expected variety of pigeon species and a flight feather from a Rose-ringed Parakeet Psittacula krameri, another increasingly regular visitor to the local bird scene. The ringing of Peregrine Falcon chicks in the living room of a high rise residential apartment block in suburban Birmingham must surely be regarded as a novelty. On my behalf it was something of a successful and certainly rewarding mission in finding the birds, albeit not in the circumstances that I had imagined. A bonus of this entire exercise was to watch the WMRG in action. Ben Dolan and his team were totally committed in their actions and professional to the finest detail, to the extent that all birds remained relatively stress free throughout the entire exercise that was carried out in minimal time and with great efficiency. It was certainly my privilege to be invited to join in on this memorable occasion.

So how many Peregrines are nesting in similar circumstances to these birds? Not many I suspect, but it does highlight their ingenuity and adaptability and certainly prompts the thought. It would seem that this is the first occurrence of breeding taking place on this particular balcony but as the occupier of the apartment explains, his residence at this address has been intermittent in recent times with some lengthy spells of absence, especially through the Covid lock-down periods. We cannot rule out of course that Peregrines have previously bred in this vicinity, or at least attempted to breed in similar circumstances to their present location; their occurrence in this area would support this thought. Wherever our contemplations take us, the fact that Peregrines have taken up residence and under these circumstances, has created a great deal of joy for those aware of their presence, myself included. Importantly, and most encouraging, is the fact that those local people who have been aware of these birds have taken an affectionate and protective attitude towards them.

I’m delighted to say that on Tuesday June 27th 2023 both juvenile birds fledged from their balcony nest site and took to the skies successfully. Frequent checks during the day until my last visit on the evening of this same date, found both youngsters perched comfortably on high rise apartment block rooftops, with both awaiting the next return of their food bearing parents.

In conclusion Local council authorities have, for obvious reason, suggested that breeding birds on domestically occupied high rise balconies are to be discouraged. They have also extended their suggestion to include provisions being made for nesting Peregrine Falcons to be accommodated in appropriately positioned, purpose made facilities in the immediate vicinity. Ben Dolan will act in an advisory capacity on this project.

Jim Winsper