We’re pleased to hear from Bradford Council that our application for planning permission to install a nestbox and camera on Lister Mill has been approved. We now have a short window of availability to do the installation work before the nesting season. There are still significant challenges to solve but we hope to overcome them and proceed with the project. It may be too late for the Peregrines to discover and use the box this year, but we hope it will be helpful for them in the future. The news was reported by the BBC here:
We had fantastic support from local people for the project and we would like to say a big thank you to everyone who took the time to comment on the petition.
As well as support for our work there were also a significant number of comments against the application. It appears that many of these comments were prompted by misinformation or misunderstanding of the work we have planned and its impact. Many of the objectors to the application apparently raised the impact of the Peregrines on local songbirds. We would like to reassure these people that Peregrines will not have a significant impact on songbirds. One of the main reasons Peregrines are attracted to cities is the plentiful supply of Feral Pigeons - a bird that has been cited as a nuisance by local people in the Lister Mill area. Feral Pigeons make up a large part of an urban Peregrine’s diet. Impact on songbirds will be small. And in fact it should be noted that apex predators play an important role in the ecosystem.
Of course many of our song birds (and other species) are declining, with over 70 species on the UK red list. The reasons behind this are complex, but habitat loss is a major factor. Once common town and garden birds such as the House Sparrow, Swift and Starling have severely declined in numbers. Loss of nesting holes in buildings is a significant problem, as older buildings have been renovated and holes repaired. As gardens are paved over, lawns replaced with plastic grass and hedgerows removed, songbirds have lost the habitat they need to survive. Fitting Swift bricks or nest boxes is a great way to help these birds, as well as planting wildlife friendly plants in your garden.
We understand that some of the pigeon racing community feels threatened by the presence of birds of prey in urban areas and may be upset to hear that a new project might attract Peregrines to Bradford. In fact, Peregrine Falcons have been resident in the city for many years. We’ve written more about the perceived and actual impact on pigeon racing in our FAQ. We would of course be very happy to speak to any local pigeon racers who are concerned about the impact of Peregrines, and we can be contacted here.
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