I cam back from Belfast with an additional bird - a male peregrine falcon that someone gifted to me. Falcons are incredibly fast birds as they hunt primarily ‘on the wing'.
Imagine waking up one day and realising you have become an urban pigeon. The city is your world, providing multiple perches to watch as the humans below drop bits of their baked goods onto the ground. Your life is now simple - foraging for crumbs and snacks.
Now imagine flying over some buildings, blissfully unaware of the dangers that may loom from above. Not unlike a seal swimming off the southern African coast, unaware of the Great White shark that is swimming directly towards it from below, you are oblivious to the threat that's currently stopping above you.
When a falcon stoops, it changes it's shape into a jet-like, perfectly stream lined missile. With its large feet and sharp talons, the falcon strikes you with such force you are immediately dispatched.
Falcons have been recorded at speeds of over 240pmh, making it the fastest animal on the planet. Speed is their killing tool over any other attribute they posses.
My new challenge - to train the falcon I brought back from Ireland to fly free. I will train it to hunt ‘the lure' which is leather pouch attached to a rope that I swing around ti mimic the falcons' natural prey - a bird in flight.
You can watch the progress of the training by subscribing to our YouTube channel - just search ‘Owl Adventures'.