Guest blog: Sept 2025
Watching peregrines can be an amazing experience and now something possible surprisingly close to home. See peregrines through the eyes of a local enthusiast as welcome to our first guest blog by local peregrine enthusiast Hellie Foot.
4 fabulous juvenile peregrines
My peregrine summer
"I am fairly certain that I saw my first ever Peregrine falcon on a walk over Warbarrow Down in the early 2000s. I remember the distinctive way in which the bird flew, first gliding then with powerful wing beats before diving out of sight at high speed. That first glimpse piqued my interest and stirred a fascination with these awesome creatures but it wasn’t until they started nesting nearby in my home town of Poole, in particular on the Barclays House building, that my curiosity went into over-drive.
Peregrines love big cliffs with great views. And at 8 floors high, the Barclays building was perfect, tall enough to enable the Peregrines a 360 vista of the harbour, town and beyond. The adult birds would often be spotted on the 8th floor balcony, feeding on freshly caught prey, or simply peering down on the George Roundabout. Meanwhile, the abundant pigeons close by seemed oblivious to what lurked up above!
I actually worked at Barclays House during the 1990s and it is a building which I am very fond of. With its 1970s strong Brutalist appearance it was always rather a 'love it or loathe it' type of structure. But I think the majority of Poole residents would agree that it is iconic for our town, very much here to stay with a new exciting development pending. What a place then to be chosen by these fabulous peregrines falcons to make home and breed!
Peregrine sitting on floor 8 balcony of the old Barclays building
In 2024 the peregrines failed to raise chicks there and redevelopment plans required some clever thinking. Peregrines are protected under law both as a breeding bird and also as a Schedule 1, rare species. Taking advice from the Dorset Raptor Study Group, the wildlife-savvy developers used non-invasive measures to deter the birds from the building. The birds spend spent more and more time at another tall building, the Harbour Sail, an 11 story building owned by Stonewater, right next to the big ASDA supermarket.
With all the excitement surrounding the peregrines, I finally decided to invest in a second-hand Nikon D200 camera and zoom lens to get a closer look at these beauties. I began spending as much time as my full-time job would allow down at the Harbour Sail building, watching and getting to know them and their habits and where they liked to perch.
Peregrines (see white arrows) on Harbour Sail building
The following spring it was with delight that I saw on DRSG's Bluesky socials the peregrine pair was breeding again. The four eggs had hatched successfully in early May and as soon as I'd heard, I'd go there very early before work, and after work, and sometimes in my lunchbreak too! I was trying to get the ideal lighting for a better photographic shot, and of course most importantly, some exciting Peregrine action. There was rarely a visit whereby I didn’t see them and as a result my camera memory card is full to bursting of images of these raptors.
"It has been an amazing summer observing the peregrines. Many people didn’t realise peregrine falcons lived in their town, let alone up on a building adjacent to the supermarket they use each week! So I would often let people take a look through my binoculars, just so that they could view their first peregrine."
The four chicks, three female and one male, quickly began to grow and move out of the nest and soon they began to make shy personal appearances on edge of the roof, similar to a new royal baby being glimpsed by the public for the first time. You would only get a quick look though, then they would duck back in with much screeching and drama.
Young peregrine scratching an itch
Waiting for dinner
Dorset Raptor Study Group had also installed nest boxes and a nest camera. The boxes, especially the one facing out towards Holes Bay, seemed to encourage the adults inside. It looked very safe and cosy, and a great shelter from the wind which must howl through up at that height. This box would become the place from which I took some of my favourite photographs of the falcons.
The weather was beautiful, hot and sunny, and made for great opportunity for bettering my photography skills. As the days and weeks passed by, the parents were hugely busy bringing in prey. So much so that most days, a walk around the foot of the Harbour Sail Building revealed a pigeon and wader bird graveyard, with bones and feathers of various prey items scattered all over the tarmac. It made for a very interesting insight into what the peregrines were feeding on. I found remnants of oystercatcher, duck, and plenty of pigeons. Others were unidentifiable but it was whilst looking that I found a personal little treasure – a peregrine feather, now washed and given pride of place in my foraged feather collection at home.
Remains of a young black-headed gull
Prey remains from a peregrine eyrie
As the birds began to fledge and venture out, their distinctive calls and squabbling on top of the roof, made for such excitement from down below. Often, when stood there, camera faced to the skies, many passers by would stop and ask what I was looking at. It was interesting to discover how many people didn’t realise peregrine falcons lived in their town, let alone up on a building adjacent to the supermarket they use each week! I would often let people take a look through my binoculars, just so that they could view their first peregrine.
A lovely family on holiday with two teenage sons stopped to ask what I was looking at. One of their sons was a keen birder and photographer. It was so special to be able to let the son know that there were Peregrines up above. He couldn’t believe his luck, and he raced back to his hotel room brought his camera and tripod with him, and “took some of the most special photos he had ever taken.” Suffice to say, peregrines were now his favourite bird of prey, he confirmed. I am hopeful that moments like this inspire young enthusiasts to go on in life to help protect and preserve birds of prey, and encourage others of their generation to do the same.
The young peregrines testing out their wings
My time spent down at Harbour Sail over the spring and summer has been extremely special to me, and I have really become hugely fond of these birds. Indeed, I soon considered my daily visits as 'checking in on them' to ensure they were all ok. I intend to keep on learning about these highflyers and to get involved in their protection and monitoring. I feel so lucky to live so close by to the structures on which they choose to live, and so honoured to be able to photograph them in all their majesty and glory.
There are of course other peregrines breeding in south Dorset too. I was also lucky enough to see the Corfe Castle pair on several occasions, and spent time sat on the cliff tops of Portland watching the peregrines this summer.
Female peregrine breeding in an old raven nest at Corfe Castle.
Every time I approach the ASDA car park in Poole to look up and see a peregrine, I feel as though the day is made better by the sight of them. Their very presence has the ability to lift me up if, perhaps I have had a bad day at work, and their presence inspires me onwards in my amateur wildlife photography.
It really has been an amazing summer observing the adults and the four chicks. I got to watch all 6 birds in the air together and I understand so much better now how awesome peregrine falcons truly are. Did you know that in flight they can reach stooping speeds of 200-240mph plus making them one of the fastest, if not the fastest creature on Earth. And their eyes are eight times sharper than humans.
Young peregrines do their exercises!
Adult peregrine watching from up high
Now it is mid-September and the chicks, long since fledged, are proficient fliers. So, while there may not be as much activity and excitement, you can still spot one or two of the birds up on the balconies. They are often just sat up there on the roof, still, observing, watching, keeping an eye on Poole as we all busy ourselves below at ground level, unaware of those piercing yellow and black eyes watching us.
Peregrines are wonderful to have around Dorset, I really do hope their presence will be felt for many more years to come. Hopefully, as more local residents and visitors begin to learn of the Peregrines life here, maybe they too will feel inspired and encouraged to ‘check in’ on these awesome birds of prey once in a while. Of course, Poole also has osprey and white-tailed eagles which are very much on its tourist tick list but, for me, the peregrine falcon will always be the ultimate raptor in our local area.
Young peregrines in flight