The bird-lover who located his missing bird of prey on Tory Island has been reunited with his rare falcon.
And Karl Lawlor was so worried about losing the bird again that he kept it in his hotel bedroom after catching it!
Karl (pictured right) had almost given up hope of finding his expensive Gyrxsaker Falcon after his fled his home in Slane, Co Meath two weeks ago.
He even hired a light aircraft to comb fields and hillsides around Co Meath hoping to locate the rare bird of prey but with no luck.
But this week a tourist out walking on the remote Donegal island spotted a bird with a bell and a ring on its legs.
Owen Clarke contacted Birdwatch Ireland who were aware that Karl had lost his bird.
Karl couldn’t believe his luck and hot-footed it to Tory last night.
Using a GPS system he was able to locate the bird on the island and had it captured within minutes.
A relieved Karl last night paid tribute to the people of the remote island who helped him find his missing bird.
He has even named the female falcon Tory in honour of the island and its people.
“In the end it was pretty easy when we got to the island because we had the GPS system and thankfully it was still working.
“I can’t tell you how delighted I was when I saw her. It was just brilliant.
“I kept her in my bedroom overnight. There was no way she was getting out of my sight again,” he laughed.
And he added “The people of Tory have been amazing. They met me off the ferry and were just so friendly and relaxed.
“I lost my bird but found it again and now I have a lot of new friends. It has been an amazing experience.
“This is my first time on Tory but it certainly won’t be my last.”
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