Peregrine falcon lands in Sutton carpark (From Your Local Guardian)

3:20pm Wednesday 8th July 2009

When you are the fastest living creature in the world it is essential to have a trusty guidance mechanism.

This juvenile peregrine falcon, named Fallon, is recovering after taking a wrong turn and crash-landing into a multi-storey car park in Sutton.

Staff at Cheam Wildlife Care were amazed to find a member of one of Britain’s most endangered species after being called to the scene.

They took Fallon, dazed and confused, to their privately-run sanctuary in Frederick Avenue before handing him to licensed raptor specialists.

Paul Morin, founder of Cheam Wildlife Care, said: “Soon it will be back in the air terrorising other birds again.

"It’s not very often we get called out to reports of a kestrel and return with a peregrine falcon.

“We are aware of several pairs in central and Greater London, where these magnificent birds have found a safe home.

"It is nice to see a bird of prey occassionally without straps and rings.”

Scientists have claimed that the peregrine, which kills its prey with a single blow, can stoop vertically at up to 186mph.

After a population crash in the 1960s, its numbers have recovered steadily, with recent surveys revealing 1,500 peregrine pairs in the UK.

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