Peregrines in London

“All of us, regardless of age, can enjoy nature. You just need to do one simple thing: look up.”

David Lindo, The Urban Birder (2011)

David Lindo is, of course, right. Looking up is the easiest way to notice and appreciate birds, and that’s as true in the middle of a city as it is in rural areas. Who knows what you might see?

Well, the RSPB knows what you might see on Bankside and they’ve got some telescopes down there to make sure that everyone does. The telescopes are focussed on the tower of the Tate Modern (formerly Bankside Power Station), and they’re aimed at the preferred summer hunting spot of a pair of peregrines.

The largest species of falcon in Britain, the peregrine is the fastest bird in the world (during its characteristic stoop – a high-speed dive – it can reach 200 mph). They usually like open country, preferring to nest on cliffs. However, in recent years they’ve started to move into towns, where feral pigeons make for easy pickings.

Their use of the Tate Modern has been a thing for over a decade now, and this summer the RSPB is once again on hand to provide information about, and the chance to look up at, these magnificent birds.

The telescopes will be there until 5^th September.