A professional falconer has made a desperate plea to trace one of his birds after it escaped from his Angus aviary.
Darren Pennie says there have been several possible sightings of the distinctive Gyr/Saker falcon since she broke free on Tuesday afternoon.
But he has been unable to get to two-year-old Khalisi – which is bigger than a buzzard – to try and lure her back.
And the 28-year-old fears the bird’s chances of survival are diminishing the longer she is out in the wilds of Angus.
Pest control expert
Darren currently has four falcons which he uses for pest control.
Much of his work involves gull management on buildings in the Aberdeen area.
He said Khalisi escaped after breaking free from her leash.
“She was in the aviary and managed to claw off her leash,” he said.
“So at the time of opening the door I didn’t realise that and she was able to go.
“She still has her leather jesses attached to a swivel so she could potentially be caught up in a tree.
“She is very recognisable being almost pure white with black and brown speckles.
“She’s about two and a half pounds and bigger than a buzzard.
“But unlike a buzzard which has almost fingertip like wings, a falcon’s is shaped more like a blade.”
Reported sightings
“I’ve been out chasing sightings around Ferryden and House of Dun but haven’t been able to get to her,” he said.
People should not try to feed the falcon and Darren is urging anyone who sees the bird to call him immediately on 07544 266492.
“If anyone sees her then I would ask them to phone me day or night – if it’s two in the morning I’m not going to be upset as long as there is a chance to get to her,” he said.
“I would say not to try to feed her because there are certain things she should not eat.
“Her usual diet is day-old chicks and if I can get a sighting of her I would have that on the lure and hope to bring her back with that.
“It would be normality for her – at the moment she is out flying and doesn’t really know anything’s wrong.
“But she is a pest control bird and we try not to encourage hunting of other birds or animals.
“So the longer she is out there the chances of her surviving on her own are very slim.”
Conversation