Dorset Raptor Study Group Dorset Wildlife Trust Dorset Bird Club Devon Bird of Prey Research Raptor Aid CIO Chris Packham BBC Springwatch Brilliant

We have had a busy season so it has been rather quiet on our page this year. So here is an image of a local quarry bird which is very confiding as it is habituated to vehicles passing very close to its favourite perch. #peregrine #devon #wildlife #birdofprey

Perfect day for displaying raptors - a few hours on a viewpoint today brought dozens of Buzzards and 3 Goshawk pairs firming up their territories. Fingers crossed for a good breeding season.

LATEST INVESTIGATIONS BLOG - Two men who traded 22 wild Peregrine Falcons to the Middle East were sentenced to community punishment yesterday, read our thoughts on the urgent need for sentencing guidelines and the reinstatement of full registration. community.rspb.org.uk/ourwork/b/inve…

Part of our work in Devon and Somerset is the DNA swabbing of young peregrines to add to the database which can then be cross referenced to detect illegal wildlife crime (chick theft) such as in this case below. #wildlifecrime #peregrinefalcon

Arrived today from the wonderful nhbsBooks The Osprey, which will be a welcome addition to the Poyser family in my bookcase. #osprey #ospreybook

Here are a few more images of the first egg here in Taunton this morning.

Watching female ospreys care for their young is simply amazing. You wouldn’t think such a mighty bird could be so gentle but their level of grace while feeding their babies is impeccable. Look at that little helpless wobbly dinosaur!

Build it and they will come…. Pleased to be out installing Osprey nest platforms in south Devon recently with enthusiastic land owners. #osprey #devon #wildlifeconservation #devonospreypartnership

Fantastic video from one of our Osprey nest locations of a bird circling over the shoreline. It was observed fishing and feeding on the riverbank pines. It probably won’t stay for long, but we hope it remembers the location and saw the nest, you never know, it may return!

We also DNA swabbed them for the national peregrine dna database, which means they and any future offspring can be identified as wild birds. This is to help combat the rise in the theft of birds from the wild for the falconry market. Raptor Persecution UK Raptorforum ScotRaptorStudy

Three healthy peregrine chicks ringed and DNA swabbed today near Torquay. This was a female chick, GR, weighing 1050g and a large tarsus-toe measurement at 118mm which indicates female (f over 110mm) Torbay Coast & Countryside Trust BTO Devon Birds

Unfortunately it’s been a bleak breeding season for peregrines in south devon, possibly due to above av. April rainfall. We’ve still managed to ring and DNA swab some of this years offspring to further our research and to help prevent chick theft. BTO National Trust South West SASA

Despite a below average season for south Devon’s peregrines, we have managed to ring and DNA swab several birds, including 3 female chicks at a local quarry site. Great to see the staff so enthusiastic about the birds. 👍 #peregrine #quarry BTO

We have some news....🐣🦅 Two #WhiteTailedEagle chicks have fledged from a nest in England, only the 2nd time they have bred here for 240 years. The chicks are the offspring of white-tailed eagles released by the Forestry England Roy Dennis Foundation in 2020. 👉bit.ly/3WU4WKE

A real privilege to spend a couple of hours watching 2 #Ospreys on the Teign Estuary, Devon this afternoon. They favoured the area between Coombe Cellars and Passage House. Such a spectacle so close to home 🏠. Wonderful views. Great to share it with Mike P too! 👍