Police are investigating the disappearance of peregrine falcon chicks from a nest in the Moniaive area of Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. It appears they were stolen sometime around 25th May to 5th of June.
The police are appealing for anyone with information about the missing birds to come forward.
More on this story on the BBC news site.
How do they know they were stolen, if it’s the site that was on the Cook report in ’93 it’s quite possible foxes could access that nest. I have in fact shot foxes within 200 mtrs of that site when I used to stalk there nearly 20 years ago.
Editor’s comment. Thanks for this interesting info, yes foxws do kill and take peregrine chicks. I recall four decades ago finding an active peregrine eyrie located on the ground along a public footpath at the RSPB’s St Bees reserve. Foxes walked along the path and of course it was inevitable, when the nest was found with young chicks they killed the lot.
I think it’s important to consider all possibilities when chicks or eggs disappear. The Forestry Commission stopped controlling foxes 20 years ago so some of these sites are highly vulnerable to natural predators such as foxes.
It would be interesting to hear more from the guys monitoring that site. I’ve put a proposal to SNH to “manage” some of these vulnerable sites but they’re not interested !