A boat skipper saved Britain’s rarest bird after it plunged into the sea.
The bedraggled, young peregrine falcon was worse for wear after falling from cliffs.
It had hauled itself out onto rocks but was in danger of being swept away by waves.
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Luckily, it was spotted by a passing boat skipper, Tristan Northway, who managed to net it and take it on board.
It happened off Berry Head, Brixham, Devon, as reported What’s The Jam.
Tristan said: “I stopped what I was doing to save this peregrine.
“It had been in the water.
“It was completely drenched and injured.
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“It was trying to climb up the cliff – but there’s no way it was going to get up the cliff.
“I’m sure it’s one of the first two chicks ever born at Berry Head.
“So I will do what I can to help it.”
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He later added it had been taken to an expert in Ivybridge to recover and will be released back into the wild.
The peregrine falcon is the fastest animal on earth, reaching a maximum recorded speed of 242 mph during its high-speed hunting dive.
Peregrine falcons are rare in the UK, with an estimated 1,500 to 1,750 breeding pairs.
They are fully protected.
They are a Schedule 1 species under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, making it a criminal offence to intentionally disturb them at their nests.
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