READING one of our correspondent’s surprise at finding a dead pheasant on top of a litter bin in Ruskin Avenue, I was astonished to find the severed head of a pheasant on the church steps of St Marks in Goldtops this morning.

We’ve found freshly killed bird remains here frequently, as the Peregrine Falcons that roost on the Civic Centre clock tower use St Marks as an alternative vantage point. This is probably no more than 150 yards as the crow flies (or perhaps as the crow shouldn’t fly if there are peregrines about) from Newport Station. I wonder where the falcon could have caught the pheasant so close to the town centre, and how far he could fly carrying such a large bird. I also wondered if he had a nice drop of port to wash the pheasant down with on top of our tower!

Charles Ferris Fields Park Avenue Newport