An injured bird of prey found abandoned at a railway station is looking forward to a Christmas in the lap of luxury at Perthshire’s iconic Gleneagles Hotel.
Pet Peregrine Falcon Uist joined the five-star hotel’s falconry school after being found by a member of the public in Alloa railway station in 2023.
The raptor – who had a split beak and tatty feathers – was taken in by Gleneagles falconry school after they were contacted by the Scottish SPCA.
Using his ring number and an independent bird register, it has been estimated Uist is between 10 and 11 years old.
Gleneagles Hotel head of falconry Richard Scott said Christmas Day will be a special one for Uist and all the birds of prey at the school.
He said: “Christmas is a slightly different day for all our birds. It is the only day we don’t run any activities at The Mews. I will go in with my children on Christmas Day to feed the birds – we don’t weigh the birds on Christmas Day, but they are fed according to their weight the previous morning.
“I usually fly the birds with my kids but otherwise they enjoy a day off and a bit of extra food – so they are content and full of Christmas cheer.”
Uist is now a thriving part of the Auchterarder school’s demonstration team of almost 40 birds who visit schools and very much part of the Gleneagles family.
Richard added: “I don’t usually say this about birds of prey but he is really sweet.
“He had been imprinted on people – and by that I mean hand-reared – so from the get-go he was calm, responsive and comfortable around humans.
“He would call to us and loves being around people.
“He’s also left-footed in that he prefers to use his left foot for various tasks like holding food and grasping objects.”
When Uist arrived at Gleneagles in 2023 the team treated his beak and assessed his flying abilities.
He then attended its bird ‘holiday home’ to regain weight and grow new feathers.
Richard said: “Our first job was to sort out his condition and assess his flying abilities.
“We treated his beak, which was at risk of getting worse and splitting further.
“This is called coping – helping a bird’s beak back to its ideal shape.
“If not coped, Uist would have continued to find it difficult to eat, and the beak would have been subject to further flaking and cracking.
“We also needed to support him in growing new feathers – to ensure he could fly OK – and help him to gain weight.
“He needed lots of good food to achieve this and get his condition back up.
“Uist has been staying at our Chambers which is off property and where our birds go for rest. He is now fully recovered and enjoying his new life.”
Peregrine falcons are among the fastest animals on the planet.
They can reach up to 200 miles per hour when diving down to take their prey in mid-air from a great height.
Their prey consists mostly of feral pigeons and collared doves.