Dr Tim Henderson birdwatching at Newhaven Wildlife Sanctuary
A Siberian Peregrine Falcon has been photographed within Australia’s arid zone for the first time, marking an extraordinary new record for the world’s fastest animal. The Peregrine Falcon subspecies, typically found across the frigid plains of the tundra, was captured on camera by ecologist Dr Tim Henderson at Newhaven Wildlife Sanctuary on Ngalia Walpiri and Luritja Country near Alice Springs.
Dr Henderson, an avid bird watcher who last year photographed the endangered Red Goshawk at the Australian Wildlife Conservancy sanctuary, said the sighting represents both the first record of the subspecies in the region, and the most inland record in the country.
Siberian Peregrine Falcon
“2025 was a great year for bird watching at Newhaven,” said Dr Henderson. “We recorded 17 species of diurnal raptors, including the rare migrant Siberian Peregrine Falcon which usually travels south after the northern summer into Asia and Indonesia.”
Dr Henderson believes the Siberian Peregrine Falcon’s unusual visit may be linked to significant rainfall and the inundation of large ephemeral wetlands, which have created temporary habitat for birdlife in what is traditionally a much drier landscape.
“In 2024, we received 637 mm of rainfall, the most we’ve had in a year since 2001, and the 5th wettest year on record” explained Dr Henderson. “This filled the wetlands and created temporary water sources that were able to support large congregations of prey species, resulting in high raptor diversity including the Falcon, the Goshawk and more.”
While the sighting alone was remarkable, Dr Henderson was equally proud to have photographed a falcon that can reach flight speeds of 300 km per hour, more than twice the land speed of a Cheetah.
“I’m honestly amazed that the image didn’t come out blurry,” laughed Dr Henderson. “I was out visiting one of the inundated claypans, when the Peregrine Falcon shot past.”
“The bird was moving far too quickly to identify in the field, but it looked different to the usual peregrine falcons we see in Australia and I’ve made a habit of snapping photos to review later. Especially with Peregrines, there’s always that chance a rare subspecies might appear – as was the case here!
“When I got back to the office, I immediately suspected it must be one of the rare migratory subspecies because of the thin stripe below its eye. I then confirmed with birdlife experts that it was the Siberian subspecies. I was thrilled to have captured both a sighting and a photograph of another bird rarely, if ever, seen in Central Australia – 2025 really was a lucky bird year!”
For more information on AWC’s work at Newhaven Wildlife Sanctuary, click here.
Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC) is a pragmatic, on-ground global conservation leader, conserving landscapes and providing hope for Australian wildlife. Informed by science, we deliver measurable conservation impact at scale to secure the future of our most endangered species and their habitats, including restoring degraded landscapes where necessary.
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