Falcon death blamed on cat

Falcon advocate Mary Chaffey holds the remains of what she believes is the female falcon that has been nesting at the Albert Town recreation reserve.

A cat is being blamed for the death of one of a pair of falcons in the reserve, near Wanaka. Ms Chaffey discovered the feet of a falcon in the nest, under a log, yesterday and said they were likely to be from the female of the pair.

An examination of the remains indicated a cat, rather than a dog or a ferret, was responsible.

The falcon pair raised two chicks in the nest last summer, protected from people and dogs by a fence.