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Worcester peregrines hit by family tragedy as chick diesLast modified: 24 June 2009
The RSPB and Worcester City Council have received the sad news that one of the young peregrines has died. The female fledgling that was recently named Potter in a local competition, has been put to sleep by vets after a mouth tumour was discovered which would have lead to the peregrine slowly starving to death. The bird was found near Deansway on Friday, not far from St. Andrew’s Spire. The two-month-old bird appeared injured and a local police officer took her to a local vet practice. The vets found a large tumour in the bird’s mouth, which made eating difficult and she already seemed thin and malnourished. The tumour wasn’t deemed treatable, and as it would have continued to grow, the vets decided that putting her down would be the most humane option as the alternative would have been starvation. Chris Dobbs from Worcester City Council said: “This is going to be heartbreaking news to everyone involved with the project, including the thousands of webcam viewers from around the world, but judging from the prognosis, in this case it was certainly the best thing for the bird.” Tumours occur naturally in wild birds but the cause of Potter’s tumour is still unknown. The RSPB and Worcester City Council have arranged for a full autopsy of the bird, which will be done at Lancaster University as part of a research programme into birds of prey. The RSPB’s Andrew Sheppard said: “Potter seemed very quiet for the past week or so and was reluctant to fly, but we were surprised to find out that she was seriously ill. Until we get the results from the autopsy, we won’t know what caused the tumour but it can have been triggered by an injury, a genetic effect or possibly some sort of disease. “While this latest twist in the Worcester peregrine saga is really upsetting news, it’s important to understand that reaching adulthood is fraught with difficulties for peregrines and other wild birds and the number of young hatched each year usually reflects this.” The peregrine viewing point that was delivered by the RSPB in partnership with Worcester City Council has ended for the season. But with Bobbin, Charlie and Tinker working on mastering the art of flying, there’ll still lots of action to be seen in the air above the Spire and the cathedral for several more weeks before they set off and leave Worcester to explore the countryside. The council’s webcam is still live on www.worcester.gov.uk/peregrine. Also many of the excellent photographs taken this year are now available for purchase through a link from the website with all proceeds going towards supporting the project in future years. What can I do?Birds of prey continue to be mercilessly killed, despite the fact that it is illegal and has been for decades. Please add your name to our online pledge and say 'the killing must stop'. |
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Curlew feeding in grassy field - Steve Round
Red admiral on Michaelmas daisy - Chris Gomersall (rspb-images.com)
Bird illustrations by Mike Langman (RSPB)