On a recent visit to Tewkesbury Abbey accompanied by one of our sons and his daughter we walked round the outside of the building hoping to see a peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus) on its specially provided perching point. And, what do you know? It was there! Of course, being at the height of the bell louvres on the crossing tower the bird was pretty much an elongated dark dot and certainly not identifiable by a non-birdwatcher at ground level. So I did what any good photography grandfather would do: I photographed the bird then showed my companions the image. A pair of peregrines are encouraged to nest at this position each year and they seem to oblige. For a peregrine the Romanesque and Gothic masterpiece is no more than cliff faces with suitable vantage points for catching pigeons and locations for nesting places.
photo © T. Boughen Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2
