01
2012This remains one of my favourite images. Although clearly staged, the haunting loneliness implied by the bleak snowfall still contrasts magnificently with the ruthless and steely falcon eye and beak.
Peregrines can be seen all year round in UK uplands and rocky sea cliffs. They eat medium sized birds such as small ducks and wading birds as well as, of course, pigeons. The Peregrine will occasionally hunt small mammals, small reptiles, or even insects. Reaching sexual maturity at one year, it mates for life and nests in a scrape, normally on cliff edges or in tall man-made structures. The Peregrine, also known sometimes as the Duck Hawk, became an endangered species due to pesticides, notably DDT. Recovery has taken place since the early 1970s as a result of the ban on DDT, the protection of nesting places and releases back in to the wild.
For more information take a look at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peregrine_Falcon and http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/life/Peregrine_Falcon.
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