Falcon missing from Salisbury farm

Tuesday, 13 June 2023 01:00

Two Bird Experience are asking for our help in locating their missing Hybrid Falcon, Echo.

Echo went missing a couple of days ago. He is a Hybrid Falcon, in his case a Peregrine Falcon crossed with an American Kestrel).

Two Bird Experience run educational and experience workshops at River Bourne Community Farm, where Echo flies from.

He flew off on Saturday, 10th June, at around 7 pm as part of his normal exercise routine on the Laverstock water meadows.

Their birds wear GPS trackers, but unfortunately, Echo has lost his tracker, and his keepers are asking for us to help if we spot him.

Emily from Two Bird Experience told us what to look out for and what to do if we do spot him. We need to look out for him, she said, "Signs to look for- HIM! Plus any mobbings from other birds (especially brows, jackdaws and blackbirds), lots of calling and disturbance in and area or tree (movement and calling from birds)."

She continued, "Luckily all of our birds wear GPS trackers so we found Echo one road away sat in a tree. However, our bad luck continued and after a rain shower we found the tracker at the base of the tree and Echo had disappeared!

"Now we must reply on sightings from the public and traditional falconry tracking methods such as following the wind and knowledge of bird movements and calls to find our little man."

Emily explained why Echo flew off. "In the wild they are specialised to hunt other birds, stooping from above in surprise attacks. The peregrine falcon has been known to fly at speeds over 240mph- that’s 4 times as fast as a cheetah!

"When we fly them in captivity, we attach wings and meat to the end of a rope that we spin around for the bird to chase (this is called a lure). When we believe that the bird has done enough exercise and ‘the hunt’ is over we throw the lure into the air and shout ‘HO!’ which is a promise to the bird that this time they will receive the food.

"Over time, this style of flying/reward build up a trust relationship with the bird. Unfortunately in this case, when I shouted ‘HO’ to Echo, the lure snapped and he received no reward for his hard work and our trust was broken. This is what made him fly off."

Emily said that there is a lot of love for Echo in the team, "Echo is a stunning bird, completely unique, and an utter sweetheart. Losing him would be devastating for our team."

If you see Echo or any of the noise or disturbance described above, please contact Emily on 07376 032 589.

You are advised not to try and catch Echo or feed him, just to call and let the team know where and when.