We have updated our Privacy Policy Please take a moment to review it. By continuing to use this site, you agree to the terms of our updated Privacy Policy.

Peregrine Falcons

So, there are peregrine falcons nesting on top of Tate Modern.  About six couples, the nice lady from the RNIB with the telescope said, waving me in the general direction of the tower of the Tate.  They like to nest, it turns out, somewhere high, with an excellent and reliable supply of food near by, and while I instinctively imagined that this meant a diet of discarded cheeseburgers, I am now prepared to no longer be surprised if, sitting one day by St. Pauls Catherdral watching the pigeons, one vanishes without a cluck into the out-stretched talons of a huge sod-off bird of prey.

I suppose upon retrospect that there’s no reason why falcons can’t flourish in London.  There was even a government scheme to introduce falcons into Trafalgar Square to curb the pigeon population, although perhaps upon second thought the great tourist banner – ‘come to Trafalgar Square and watch small grey birds get gutted in front of you and all your family by a bigger grey bird’ – didn’t wash with the London Tourist Board.

Anyway, just thought I’d share that peculiar, slightly surreal thought with anyone who likes their birds of prey big, fast and in London transport zone 1.

Tate Modern 3

 

Type a message