They are known as agile, powerful and rapid flyers. But a young peregrine falcon has undermined the image of its species after an ungainly tumble from a cathedral tower.
Named Noble X3C, the bird is one of four that hatched high on Salisbury Cathedral this spring, and was days away from being big enough to soar gracefully into the Wiltshire sky.
But the chick found out the hard way that it wasn’t quite ready when it lost its footing and slipped from a stone perch high above the cathedral lawn.
Noble X3C – the letters and number refers to its leg identity ring – fell, or glided, 68 metres down from the south tower balcony and around 100 metres across to a garden opposite the cathedral’s west front.
Happily, the bird landed softly and the surprised garden owner rang the cathedral to report the mishap. A verger contacted the clerk of works, Gary Price, whose duties include caring for the fabric of the cathedral, and looking out for the falcons.
“We think he must have been blown off by a gust of wind and gracefully glided, or perhaps plummeted, to the ground,” said Price. “I put my superhero cape on and went to the rescue.”
Price was confronted with an alarmed bird. “It squawked and flapped a bit.” So he borrowed a towel and placed it over the falcon’s head to calm it. He then walked up the 332 steps back to the top of the tower to reunite it with its brother and two sisters.
The tumble was captured on a webcam focused on the balcony and has proved a hit with the many people who tune in to follow the birds’ progress.
Noble X3C took the plunge again on Tuesday – three days after the tumble – but this time managed to stay airborne.
Price proudly watched Noble X3C fly high above the cathedral with a parent. “In the next day or two, the other three should be flying around the spire too. Their parents will teach them how to hunt and then they’ll be off.”
The whole adventure has been well timed. The cathedral has launched a peregrine-themed “date With nature” event on the west lawn with a team of RSPB volunteers and specialists on hand with telescopes and information about the birds.
