More amazing work by Brent Lodge

Today I had the pleasure of meeting Sam and Bethany to ring some passerines that had been rehabillitated for a variety of reasons. Some were from nests which had been destroyed by bad weather, others found on the floor by members of the public and some were cat attack survivors.

All of them had been moved into outdoor aviaries ready for the last stage of rehabillitation prior to their release either at Brent Lodge or at Goodwood Estate.

Between us we processed and ringed around 40 birds including starlings, blackbirds, house sparrows, goldfinches and a beautiful young grey wagtail.

Sam then surprised me with 3 tawny owl chicks which were found and brought in by members of the public. These were ringed and processed ready for the next part of their adventure when they are soft released.

Young tawny owlet

Then I was taken to another aviary which housed a peregrine falcon who had been brought in by Wadars after it was found on the ground with a fractured wing. I’m delighted to say that she was ringed and will be xrayed later this week with a view to releasing her if everything is healed in her wing.

Peregrines are the UKs largest falcon. Males are smaller than females but otherwise they look alike.

Peregrines tend to take medium sized birds such as wading birds and pigeons but have also been known to take smaller birds and occasionally bats. They can reach up to 390km/hour in maximum dive.

Peregrines are Green listed in the UK and we have 1,750 pairs in the UK. The typical lifespan is 7 years but the longevity record was set in 2016 by a ringed bird aged 21 years 10 months and 24 days (BTO, 2025).

(poor quality photo) Peregrine Falcon