IT survived life in tough urban tower blocks but a flight south has ended in the death of one of Greater Manchester's peregrine falcons.

The bird, born earlier this year on a Salford high rise, has been found dead in the grounds of a luxury hotel in Northamptonshire.

An identity ring, labelled F4, was attached to the bird. Those who found it are convinced it had been shot. But police have told the RSPB bird charity that it is believed it was hit by a vehicle. The young male was from a brood which hatched in late spring.

It was found by a man living in the village of Newnham, near Daventry. His friend took photographs of the bird soon after it was found and then alerted the RSPB and the police.

The falcon was pictured in the M.E.N. in May when it was ringed along with three other chicks. A pair of peregrines has bred in Manchester city centre for the last three years. Their progress was followed with a fly-on-the-wall broadcast live in the city centre. Cameras were set up to watch events in the birds' nest and beamed on to the Big Screen in Exchange Square.

The bird that died was photographed as a chick in Manchester by amateur ornithologist Adrian Dancy. He said: "I was devastated when I heard the news. I held it in my hand when it was ringed. It is so sad that one of our birds that gave so much pleasure to thousands of people in Manchester has had its life brought to an abrupt end."

The bird was found in the grounds of Fawsley Hall Hotel, an upmarket venue popular for wedding receptions.

The man who photographed the bird after it was found told the M.E.N: "I have seen pheasant after they have been shot and other birds. I have no doubt it had been shot, and neither does my friend who found the bird. It had a hole in its wing and two in its body."

But a vet who examined the bird after it was brought to them by police concluded it was a victim of a road accident.



Peregrines are the fastest animals in the world and are believed to reach speeds of up to 124 mph when plunging through the sky after prey.

A spokesman for Northamptonshire police said: "We can confirm the injuries were consistent with the bird being hit by a vehicle."

Peregrines are a protected by law. They can live for up to 15 years.