Fletcher

One of our most popular birds, and a personal favourite of mine, Fletcher the peregrine, has died suddenly from a heart attack. It’s a big loss for us, but losses are inevitable, of course. However, Fletcher’s death was really unusual, as I’ll describe for you later in this post.

First, a little look back at Fletcher’s life and career with the Scottish Countryman | Inspired Falconry team.

Many of you know Fletcher well, having attended one of Steve’s displays at Strontian, Resipole, Fort William, Evanton, Kinlochard, Falkland, Craigtoun, Kirkcaldy, Lower Largo, Bellwade, or maybe you’ve enjoyed a bird of prey experience at our base, first at Pitscottie and now near Crail.

If so, you’ll have met Fletcher because he was a popular member of our team and a key member since Inspired Falconry started. Steve bought Fletcher at just 10 weeks of age in 2007, from a falconer in the north of England. We named him Fletcher after the arrow-makers of medieval times (the feathers at the end of the arrow, that make it fly straighter and further, is called a ‘fletch’, hence a ‘fletcher’). If you’ve seen Fletcher in a fast stoop, or watched peregrines on TV, you’ll probably have seen the arrow-head shape that they make when they dive vertically to catch their prey.

I took these images of Fletch at Laudale, probably in 2009 or 2010.

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Although Fletch was fast, he turned out to be perfect for the display team Steve put together in 2008 because it turned out he wasn’t that good as a game hawk! Instead, he became wedded to the lure and was not so interested in heading off to chase game for himself. Although - he did, on occasion, head off during a display… (Did you ever go to an event and see him do that?! Tell us about your Fletcher memories in the comments below.)

Fletcher trained most days with Steve, when the weather would allow, and they became very comfortable with and confident in each other, getting to know their routine. Fletch was never the classiest eater, however, and Steve had to apologise for his wheezy, awkward eating style on several occasions; it certainly wasn’t something you wanted to see if you were about to eat!

When Steve moved the business across to Fife in 2011, Fletcher quickly settled in to his new flying ground, working at our base in Pitscottie and also on a short-term pest-control contract in Perthshire.

He was a big hit at the displays Steve was invited to do at nearby Craigtoun Park, and at the summer fete in Lower Largo. Through these middle years, Fletcher’s plumage was stunning - that rich, slate grey and a gorgeous golden eye-surround, seer and feet. He was healthy, fit and full of vigour.

Here he is photographed by my brother in 2014, looking feather-perfect:

As you may know, Steve started out as a game-hawker, working initially with a buzzard to learn his falconry, but always with the aim of flying a Scottish peregrine, the ultimate British falcon and prized around the world for its speed and prowess in the air.

In more than 30 years as a falconer, Steve has been lucky enough to experience some exceptional game-hawking with peregrines, notably a tiercel named Miller and a falcon called Midge, but it is Fletcher, the lure-bound peregrine, that - over almost 12 years of service - has introduced thousands of people to this exceptional species.

It is because of Fletcher, a 1lb 5oz tiercel (under 600 grams), that many hundreds now know what a peregrine looks like up close; now know the speeds they can attain in the stoop, know the role of peregrines in Scotland’s eco-system, or know their prey species, or the fact that the males (tiercels) are one third smaller than the females (falcons), or know the differences in their immature and mature plumages, or know just how captivating and thrilling they are to watch in full flight. People like these, and many, many others:

Steve really enjoyed flying Fletcher. He was, in the main, bomb-proof, dependable. He was always happy to fly, even if the weather was bad, the wind gusting or swirling, even if the crowds were close or huge (like the many hundreds at Fort William’s Highland Games), even if he wasn’t at his optimum flying weight - it didn’t matter. And the reason he was so reliable, so great, is that he absolutely loved working with Steve: Fletcher loved his job!

Fletcher was a fast, assured, intense flyer with the slickest of turns; he was a full-on showman with a strategically low, cheeky dip mid-display that saw him skim just inches above the heads of his audience, making them all duck and whoop and smile! Fletcher was a real crowd-pleaser, but he would fly that way with or without a crowd - he just loved his matador-style lure contests with Steve and, as you can tell from the photos, Steve loved to see him fly.

Just last month, we posted this on our facebook page, showcasing some great photos that Wendy Dury took of Fletcher during her bird of prey experience. Here is the full set of images, showing Fletcher in his hood, pre-flight, his pre-flight checks on Steve’s raised glove, and his post-flight feed. You can tell he’s a mature bird: he looks older. He was getting old.

Last week, just after a fantastic, characteristically energetic and enthralling lure flight with Steve, Fletcher landed and Steve retrieved him from the lure. Fletcher was eating his reward, a piece of chicken meat provided to him by Steve, when he stretched a little, looked up at Steve and then closed his eyes and fell gently sideways. Stone-dead, from a heart attack.

The chances of Fletch having a heart attack whilst Steve still had him on the glove are incredibly small, but his remarkable end seems entirely fitting for a true foot-soldier of Steve’s business. As you will remember if you ever saw them fly together, Steve and Fletcher had a bond; they worked together for a long time and they knew each other well.

Fletcher was there from the very start and he’s been a brilliant asset and talisman for the team. We had the delight of seeing him fly for 12 years and we will always remember him very fondly. This spring and summer, if you visit The Scottish Countryman’s base, you’ll see Steve’s small memorial to Fletcher the Scottish peregrine. You’ll also (hopefully) see his successor in the team, young Logan, who’s currently under training with Steve.

Until then, here’s Fletcher, a peregrine and a gentleman, doing what he loved most: