Ingenious rescue of injured peregrine falcon - thanks to a little bit of ribeye steak

AN INJURED peregrine falcon who flew into the walls of a cottage was coaxed into a box using a slice of steak.

Deb and Ian White needed to tempt the protected bird into the cardboard box so they could make sure it got the care it needed.

The couple, who own Bluebell Retreat Glamping in Malvern, are used to seeing peregrine falcons near their cottage, but not as close as this one.

On Saturday, June 22, a peregrine falcon came a little too close for comfort after trying to fly away but instead hitting their home.

Mr and Mrs White live near the Knapp and Papermill reserve.

Mrs White said: "We're used to seeing them around here, but never that close.

"It may have had a squabble with some crows and got hurt that way.

"I saw that it was injured so I called the Vale Wildlife Hospital in Tewkesbury.

"They were really keen to get someone out."

The family were now faced with the challenge of keeping the falcon safe while waiting for it to be taken to the animal hospital.

COAX: The injured peregrine was fed slices of steak to coax it into a box (Image: Contributed)

Mrs White explained: "We managed to coax it with my ribeye steak I was supposed to have for my tea.

"My husband, Ian, managed to get it into a cardboard box by using some more ribeye."

Read more: We saw Peregrine falcons at Worcester Cathedral's viewing

Read more: Who do you call for injured birds in the UK?

After being collected, the peregrine was taken to Vale Wildlife Hospital. The hospital cared for 7,740 casualties in 2023, with over 3,400 admitted so far in 2024.

A spokesperson for the animal hospital said: "She has soft tissue damage to her left shoulder but, thankfully, no fractures.

"She is a little underweight so will stay with us for treatment and to gain some weight.

"Unfortunately, it's impossible to give a timescale but she's on her first course of treatment of anti-inflammatories and painkillers for a week and then we'll assess from there."

Peregrine falcons are a rare species in the UK, with only 1750 breeding pairs in the country, making their safety all the more important.

A family of peregrines are currently nesting on Worcester Cathedral with a livestream and pop up viewing sessions for people to see the birds of prey.