The Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) suffered greatly at the hands of man in the twentieth century. Before 1939, its nests were routinely raided by egg collectors and those who saw it as a pest on shooting estates (1). During World War II its destruction was endorsed by the Government to protect carrier pigeons (2); and from the mid-1950s, new agricultural pesticides such as DDT, caused populations to crash by concentrating poisons in prey species and reducing reproductive success through the thinning of egg shells.

The peregrine continued to decline until 1964 when, with the banning of these pesticides and enhanced legal protection (3), the population slowly began to recover. Numbers now exceed the 1939 level (4) and they are no longer endangered, however the peregrine remains protected as there are still a few egg collectors and those who still see it as a threat to their livelihoods or pastimes.

Peregrines at Cann Quarry

For many decades, visitors to Plymbridge Woods have enjoyed the opportunity to observe the spectacular activities of nesting peregrines in Cann Quarry. It is thought that peregrines have nested on and off at this former slate quarry for fifty years or more. More recently records show them to be present every year since at least 1995.

In 1999, an unsuccessful attempt was made to poison the nesting peregrines just prior to fledging; in 2000, a similar attempt resulted in the confirmed deaths of the adult female and at least two young.

Those responsible were not caught and in 2001 the National Trust and a small group of local bird watchers set up a protection watch with the support of the RSPB to try to prevent further poisoning attempts. In addition, the presence of the volunteers made other people more aware of the plight of the peregrine and even more importantly more interested in protecting what at the time was a schedule 1 endangered species. This idea has proved to be very successful and with the exception of the 2008 season, the peregrines have produced chicks unharmed ever since.

The introduction of a volunteer watch has proved very popular with visitors to Plymbridge and as a result the project was able to secure funding from Natural England via the Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund. This made it possible to employ a National Trust Peregrine Warden to support the volunteer effort and raise the profile of the project in the community.

We are now in the 8th year of this project, and whilst the Peregrine Falcon is no longer endangered it is still a protected species. Once again the project succeeded in meeting its key objectives, which are to protect the peregrines and to educate and encourage members of the public to view the birds in their natural surroundings. The project is also collecting some important information on the habits and behaviour of the birds during the important breeding season.

The support and interest continues to grow, with over 25,000 visitors to the viaduct per annum. At present we have around 50 volunteers who give up their own time to protect these birds. However, with 24 hour surveillance needed at the viaduct, we are always looking for new volunteers to spare a little of their time to help protect these magnificent birds.

(1) Wildlife & Countryside Act, 1981 (with amendments.)

(2) Destruction of Peregrine Falcons Order, 1940.

(3) Protection of Birds Act 1954.

(4) The BTO National Peregrine Study, 2002