PEREGRINE CONTROVERSY 1: FALCONER REVEALS WHY HE WANTS TO TAKE CHICKS FROM THE WILD

Although aware that it would generate controversy, Mr Wall (that's him on the right) has been entirely open about his project - he even posted a photograph of his Natural England licence on Facebook

THE falconer seeking to  to take peregrine falcon chicks from the wild has explained the motivation behind his controversial proposal.

Gary Wall who has persuaded Natural England to grant him a licence to take the birds - even though they are are protected - for falconry purposes.

Mr Wall has been a falconer for almost half a century, both breeding peregrines and supplying them to the Middle East where Arab sheikhs fly them at species such as Houbara bustards.

His current focus on the requirements of the British falconry scene.

He says he plans to plan to create a stud book population of native peregrines, providing British falconers with a native source of birds that would "reconnect with their cultural heritage".

Oversight of the project will be by Mr Wall and a "co-operative" of like-minded falconers to be known as the British Peregrine Conservancy.

It is understood that up to three chicks per season will be taken over the next  ten years to create a "foundation stock".

Peregrines have been bounced back since the 1960s when their population was decimated by chemicals and persecution.

Their breeding range has expanded from rocky cliffs to inner cities, and they regularly nest in cathedrals and churches.

According to Mr Wall, they have ceased to be endangered because there are reckoned to be 2,000 breeding pairs in the UK.

The licence stipulates that no birds may be taken without the consent of the landowner and none, under any circumstances from the counties of Cumbria, Northumberland, Durham and parts of the Pennines and Yorkshire.

The RSPB is Britain's largest wildlife charity, existing to safeguard the the interests of wild birds, but its chief executive, Beccy Speight, has so far refrained from public comment.

Also silent has been the BTO whose chief executive, Andy Clements, is a board member of Natural England.

The chairman of Natural England is Tony Juniper who has not made any comment specifically on Mr Wall's peregrine application.

However, taking a broad view, he states: "It is vital to highlight that Natural England, in discharging its general purpose, must take account of all the legitimate interests and points of view that exist in our society."

* How Arabs hunt Houbara bustards. See https://bit.ly/2y1p8RV