ONE of the walks regularly enjoyed by my wife and I takes us along the escarpment at Sutton Bank Top near Thirsk. As age begins to take its toll, we enjoy this gently-paced trek because it is level and provides remarkable views into the Yorkshire Dales and even into County Durham. Now that the telescope that used to operate with sixpences being fed into it has been removed from its cliff-top location, a pair of good binoculars is strongly recommended because the vista can sometimes produce surprises.

And so it did on our most recent visit. On a pleasant January day, we had that route almost to ourselves and it was remarkably quiet. I commented to my wife that it was unnaturally silent because there was none of the usual birdsong and no indication of their presence. The reason should have been obvious to us because a notice-board along the route reminds us that peregrine falcons make good use of the cliffs at this point.

On previous visits, we had noticed that the shrubs, undergrowth and surrounding woodlands were thriving with busy birds – various finches and titmice, robins, blackbirds, perhaps a thrush or two or a wood pigeon.

There are others and we’ve often heard long-tailed tits twittering in the trees and noticed siskins hunting food among the birches and conifers. But on that day there was nothing.

At first, I attributed this to the winter season even though this year’s winter has been exceptionally mild.

Despite that, I reasoned that the usual quietness was not normal. There had to be another reason.

The answer came as we reached the sign advising us that peregrines favour the nearby cliffs. We noticed a peregrine. It was quartering the land at the base of the cliffs, flying and soaring on the thermals with amazing speed as it checked the acres between us and Thirsk. As we watched with our binoculars, it occasionally checked the cliff faces but appeared to be concentrating on the woods and fields below as, for a time, it flew lower than the level upon which we were standing.

We looked down upon it but only for the briefest of moments.

Quite suddenly it flew high into the calm sky, moving at a fast rate and then, astonishingly, it vanished before our very eyes.

Then it reappeared from a low cloud and I saw it suddenly perform what can only be described as a short but amazing aerobatic display. It seemed to halt, twist and turn all at once in mid-air, and then, with a flick of its wings, it had gone. As if by magic, it disappeared again.

It reminded me of a conjurer’s ability to make things vanish before one’s eyes and despite focusing my binoculars around the spot I had seen it, I never saw it again.

I think it must have dived earthwards in one of those astonishingly rapid swoops where its colours camouflaged it against the background of trees and scrubland.

I have no doubt its presence had alarmed the usual inhabitants of that area but its magical disappearance reminded me that this amazing bird can reach speeds of up to 180 miles per hour when diving to catch its prey. So rapid is this descent – known as a stoop – that observers have reported sounds of the wind whistling through its plumage and when it reaches its prey, the impact is so great that the victim’s neck or back can be broken. It will then circle for a while to check for safety before swooping down to the ground to collect the body of its victim.

A peregrine will catch small mammals and even birds larger than itself, plus some smaller species on the wing.

Peregrine falcons have long suffered at the hands of gamekeepers due to their attacks on game birds such as pheasants and grouse, especially their chicks. During the Second World War, their numbers were depleted because they attacked homing pigeons that were being used to carry messages as part of the war effort.

Another cause of their past decline was an accumulation of poison in their bodies due to eating prey that had consumed food which had been treated with pesticides.

Peregrines are now protected by law and this has led to an increase in numbers with many using remote and generally inaccessible cliffs for their nests. On occasions, however, they will nest on high buildings in city surrounds and I’ve seen those that nest on a ledge high above the streets near the top of Lincoln Cathedral. For some time now, they have been a tourist attraction but there is no doubt that the birds and their offspring feel very safe on this lofty but public location.

I’m not sure what the resident bird population feels about their presence.

THE wide view to the west from Sutton Bank Top is remarkable and there is a stone pillar with a brass plate on top which indicates the direction to look if you want to see, say, Knaresborough Castle, Harrogate, parts of Wensleydale or Swaledale, Richmond, the Pennine peaks or other locations within that view.

When Dorothy Wordsworth halted here in July 1802, she thought she could see “a minster unusually distinct”.

I doubt if York Minster can be seen from Sutton Bank Top although it may be visible from the White Horse of Kilburn. In the days of steam trains, it was said you could watch a train all the way from York to Darlington.

As I scanned the long distance views, I noticed small villages lining a far hillside and then picked out a tower of some kind. Much of this was invisible to the naked eye and I wondered what I was seeing. Then I realised there was a good clue.

Most of the buildings were coloured white which made them stand out in the clear winter sunshine of only two weeks ago, and that made me realise they were somewhere in County Durham, probably with links to Lord Barnard.

The story is that he was out riding one day and called at a farm to demand lunch.

The occupiers refused whereupon Lord Barnard said he owned the farm and so the occupants must obey him. However, he was strongly advised that he did not own that particular farm and with some embarrassment had to leave.

To ensure he would not make the same mistake again, it is said he ordered that all properties he owned should be painted white.

And so they were. I wondered, therefore, if I was looking at some of his properties from a great distance, but I could see a tower not painted white. Parish church, Raby Castle or the Mortham Tower? Unlike Dorothy Wordsworth, I cannot be sure but a good set of binoculars is a good idea when sightseeing from what is often said to be the finest viewpoint in England.