Young country diary: Peregrine v pigeon? There's only one winner | Olivier

Canary Wharf, London: I saw a young falcon a few months ago get itself trapped, I wonder if this was the same one, now grown up and a formidable hunterI was walking home from school when a group of pigeons scattered from their perch atop a nearby building. Then, out of the sky, dropping like a piece of shrapnel, was the source of the commotion. As the peregrine falcon levelled out of its stoop, it careered into one of the birds, the pair plummeting out of sight, the pigeon inevitably dead from the sheer force of the impact. The last remnant of the skirmish was a handful of small grey feathers that gently drifted to the ground where they lay, a testament to the hunting prowess of the falcon.The incident reminded me of one several months earlier. I had heard a crash from our balcony, and, looking out, I saw a juvenile peregrine falcon, which had maybe overshot while attempting to land and was now trapped there. It quickly righted itself and ruffled its wings, disgruntled and distressed. I watched as it managed to extricate itself, and wing its way back to Canary Wharf. Continue reading...