Sunday 4 May 2008

First Hatch!

Our first egg has pipped. Click image to enlarge. Whilst our new Peregrine DVD has only just hatched, another hatching has also just happened, too! A number of viewers have commented that Mum had been very unsettled on her eggs for the last 24 hours, and at half past midnight today we got a lucky glimpse when she left the nest for two minutes. There was just enough time to log on to our video server inside the Cathedral and to zoom the camera right in. It's clear that one of our egFeeding captured at 12 noon 4 May 2008gs had a small hole (pip) in it. Watching the live video stream at around 3 frames per second, I thought I could make out a very slight movement from within, too. Unfortunately the microphone was not working on the live feed, so I had no sound to listen to, but Mum has undoubtedly been agitated by the calls of the young chicks within for some time. By 05:50am I managed to capture this first picture, clearly showing the back end of a chick. It's too early to say if more thFirst sign of a chick.an one has hatched, but viewers will undoubtedly tell us more by leaving comments (by clicking the "comments" feature below this entry )


Over in Holland, Froona's blog contains a very detailed account of the hatching process, and she suggests it can take around 12 hours from pipping to hatching.

27 comments:

Anonymous said...

Pax B.C. 9.42pm
I may be wrong but I thought I saw something white underneath her!!!

Anonymous said...

So as not to flood your inbox, I've tucked a photo at
http://members.cox.net/katkolling/db.jpg
where you can download it if you want.

It's not very illuminating. It seems to show (best guess) a chick partly out of the leftmost egg, an empty? egg shell in the middle, and a possibly intact egg on the right.

Anonymous said...

One chick hatched and clearly visible whilst mum adjusts her position "congrats mum".

Anonymous said...

Clear view of one chick and egg shell at 8am this morning...so definitely one chick completely out of the egg! Great news!
Nick B

Anonymous said...

And a second egg has a hole in it too....
With luck all four eggs should hatch within about 48 hours according to the reference books....though, remembering last year when only two of the four eggs hatched successfully, we better not count our chickens yet had we?
The new hatched chick's eyes remain closed or only half open for about four days apparently so the developmental process is continuing as the parent bird keeps her tiny chicks warm beneath her.
Nick B

Anonymous said...

This is so fascinating to watch, I am going to get no housework done, I am also watching a site where there is a foal about to be born and osprey eggs to hatch and also barn owls hatching, not forgetting 4 baby goslings. Isn't nature wonderful. The site I am watching as well as derby is denbury farm in somerset.

Anonymous said...

Oh good - I won the bet I made with myself at bedtime last night!

Nestling by first thing this morning....

Time for a celebratory drink I think (well maybe a bit later).

Froona said...

Congrats everybody. Great news this first hatch. Just saw a glimps of the hatchling! Will be a day of close watching to catch some more than a glimpse :)

Froona

Anonymous said...

This is wonderful news..I have been watching now for over half hour with goosebumps. Wish there was sound. Papa came to visit but she wasn't ready to let him see anything but I think I spied another broken eggshell. She does look pleased with herself, doesn't she! I am sorry my ordered DVD didn't make it here yet. Patience, patience on all levels. Veronica in Cornwall.

Anonymous said...

Congrats to everyone at DWT and anyone involved in this project. I've been watching on & off since 530am this morning. Yet to catch a glimpse of any eyases but pleased to see both parents in attendance...they're obviously going to be very busy in the weeks ahead.

This must be one of the very best uses of the internet. As I write, there are greenfinches, tits, robins, wrens and other birds visiting my garden feeder but how else could I possibly hope to see these magnificent birds nesting and rearing their young 'uns.

Brilliant.

Anonymous said...

Stumbled upon this lovely film of a Peregrine feeding its young...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1E_jlYvOWQ

Anonymous said...

I just caught a photo of the first chick. It looks really healthy and fully fluffed and there's a pip in one of the three remaining and Papa has now taken over incubating. Nick I will send you the photos. Veronica

Anonymous said...

Feeding chick right now! Veronica

Anonymous said...

oh wow - I just watched as Dad brought some food in.. and mum moved and shes now feeding the chick.

Anonymous said...

Wow indeed..that was awesome. I think Nick was manning the camera and probably making a video? I think Papa must have had prey stashed close by because she came back so fast with that feeding. Thanks so much for the close ups. That made my day. Veronica

Anonymous said...

Yay! One chick confirmed.

As previously said, Dad brought some food in.

Anonymous said...

Just watched chick being fed.......absolutely wonderful... shall keep checking back all day now to see if other egg hatches today.

Froona said...

Got a lot of pics and a slide show of the first feeding on my Blog.

What a sweet little hatchling. Second egg just a pip. The little one has to rest first after the pip. But I do think it will hatch later this day.

Froona

Anonymous said...

Further to my post above I managed to capture some of the pics. Not sure if this is allowed (delete this post if not).. but Ive put the pics up here until the site gets time to publish.

chicks being fed

Anonymous said...

I'm so excited, I saw the irst chick while mum and dad changed over, what a wonderful sight. A second egg has a hole too :o)

Anonymous said...

Hi, A little web note. The derby popup that contains the comments can't be expanded, at least in Firefox (the whole page box on it is greyed out and dragging the edges is a no-op), so if someone posts a link like the chicks being fed one that can't be selected out into a full page url box (it lifts as chicks being fed, not the http under it), there is no way to see the resultant page except clipped.

Thanks...

Anonymous said...

Karen Anne, I use IE and have found that if I right click a link, select 'open in new tab', then I get the full page, as in Kitz forum above. Veronica

Anonymous said...

Karen Anne,

I use Firefox and find that if you open the comments using the middle button, it opens directly into a new tab. Otherwise use the right mouse button and select the "open in new tab" option.

Peregrine Project Member (Nick M.) said...

Perhaps Karen Anne can right-click the link to display the properties of any hyperlink shown, or she could open the full page by clicking on the header of that particular blog entry. The original entry and subsequent comments then all display on the same page.
Anyway the original url was: http://forum.kitz.co.uk/index.php?topic=1914.msg64803#msg64803

Can I appeal for people NOT to send me captured images that are over 100Kb in size. Bitmaps, word documents would normally be fine, but unfortunately they crash my employers Inbox which has a paltry 40Mb limit for all my work - not just peregrines.
I'll post a few more snapshots direct from the video servers later this afternoon.
Nick M.

MIchael said...

Amazing pictures of the chick being fed. This has become compulsive viewing. I thought we were going to have to join the PA - (Perigrines Anonimous) for help with our addiction! We Have solved the problem by connecting a laptop to a DVD recorder which has a RAM disc in it, so we can catch back whenever we want to, not to mention being able to pause and admire nature at its best. We have now managed to have our Sunday lunch! Many thanks for all your efforts for making this possible.

Anonymous said...

Thanks...

Anonymous said...

If this project doesn,t ephasize the full benefits of conservation,nothing will!

I know there is a long way to go, but congratulations to all concerned,Derby has something to be truly proud of in the natural world.Long may we have the benefit of their dedication and enthusiasm.

Dennis,local lad.