The Port of Felixstowe

At last we were bathed in sunshine although it was chilly in the wind.  I had another one of those memorable days when I was not only privileged to be where I was but enjoying every moment.

Peter Merchant and I had to undergo a Safety Toolbox Talk, and then go through a security check where photographs were taken for our passes; we then picked up our hard hats, high viz clothing and beacon for the car.  Finally we met up with Alan Tinline, Environmental/Safety Manager from the Port of Felixstowe who escorted us to within the area of the old Landguard Terminal to observe the latest Peregrine Falcon developments.

The Falcons have made three derelict cranes their territorial area.  We were there to watch and observe and had no intentions of climbing any of the cranes.  However, that changed when we saw a large dead bird lodged in one of the foot wells high up in the cranes infrastructure.   Looking through a powerful telescope we came to the conclusion that the bird was a raptor.  We needed to investigate further; I have a schedule one licence for Peregrines so Alan and I climbed the crane in order to confirm our suspicions.

Sadly the bird was a female Peregrine that had a Belgian ring on its right leg and a marked colour ring on its left leg.  The bird had injuries to its back and had probably been taken out by another Peregrine.

We still have a pair of Peregrines within the Port that we will continue to monitor.

The new Landguard Terminal

Landguard Point

Fantastic views