By Graham Wellstead.

In 1994 I was called to the Isle of Sheppey on the Kent coast to recover a female Peregrine in trouble. She had been found filthy and starving, trying to kill a chicken.

I gathered her up and returned home. She was not wearing Government issued ring, therefore was not traceable, and in very poor condition. She was however, very steady, and clearly a hand reared (imprinted on humans) bird, and allowed me to treat her unrestrained. Her main wing feathers were broken and covered in her own filth as was her tail. However, the worst concern was the condition of her feet, the ball of her feet and toes were badly swollen with large scabs and infection. Swollen and badly infected, which is a condition known as Bumblefoot, which if untreated can result in the loss of the foot, and death. Falcons rely on holding their food in their feet, and then pull bit sized pieces off. Bumblefoot is usually caused by constantly standing on the same perch, with a hard impervious surface. Rubber or artificial turf are two surfaces which help avoid the problem. Because of her unknown history, I called her “Mystic Meg”.

I set about cleaning up, disinfecting her feet and softening the scabs to allow antiseptic cream to soak into them and left her to rest. Because any Peregrine falcon in captivity had to be registered with Defra and I had no idea of her history, except she had been allowed to get into a worse state than any falcon I had handled before. I asked for her to be registered as a disabled imprint, for she was unlikely to be able to use her feet properly – which turned out to be the case, and therefore unfit for release.

An inspection by a Defra vet and the Head of Quarantine at Heathrow suggested she was not an imprinted bird, suspecting I was hoping to keep and profit from her. I strongly rejected their view as it was clear to me her steady demeanour, particularly with my dog, showed she was. The two men were asked to leave, and my application produced the required document. I had no wish to keep her, rather, after 6 months and a moult, plus partial recovery of her damaged feet, passed her on to a breeding programme. Further proof of her hand-rearing came when she accepted artificial insemination readily, laid four eggs, one of which was soft-shelled, then, sadly died. Only one egg survived to hatch.

Graham Wellstead