They are known as agile, powerful and fast steering wheels. But a young peregrine falcon has undermined the image of its species after an unpleasant fall from a cathedral tower.
Named the Noble X3C, the bird is one of four that hatched in Salisbury Cathedral this spring and was just days old enough to fly gracefully in the Wiltshire sky.
But the chick noticed in the hardest way that he was not quite ready when he lost his footing and slipped from a very high stone pole on the lawn of the cathedral.
Noble X3C – the letters and number refer to his ID ring – fell, or glided, 68 meters down from the south tower balcony and about 100 meters to a garden in front of the west front of the cathedral.
Fortunately, the bird landed softly and the surprised owner of the garden called the cathedral to report the accident. An orchard was contacted by Construction Officer Gary Price, whose duties include caring for the fabric of the cathedral and guarding the hawks.
“We think it must have been blown away by a gust of wind and planned gracefully, or maybe it crashed to the ground,” Price said. “I put on my superhero cloak and went to the rescue.”
Price confronted an alarmed bird. “He screamed and got baptized a little bit.” So he borrowed a towel and put it on the hawk’s head to calm him down. He then climbed the 332 steps to the top of the tower to reunite her with his brother and two sisters.
The fall was captured with a webcam focused on the balcony and has been a hit with many people tuning in to watch the birds progress.
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Noble X3C pulled back on Tuesday, three days after the crash, but this time managed to stay in the air.
Price proudly saw the Noble X3C flying over the cathedral with a father. “The next day or two, the other three should also fly around the needle. Their parents will teach them to hunt and then get out.”
The whole adventure has been well timed. The cathedral has launched a pilgrimage-themed “appointment with nature” event on the west lawn with a team of RSPB volunteers and specialists in hand with telescopes and bird information.