Saturday 28 March 2009

Egg number three!


(Almost) right on cue - and the third egg is laid. That man Colin knows his peregrine breeding biology for sure!



And his prediction for egg number four is 12.30 am on Tuesday...not the best of times for us UK-watchers!

Thanks to Coconut for the picture.

The female laid three eggs in 2006 - her first breeding season we feel sure, 4 in both 2007 and 08.

Nick B (DWT)

48 comments:

Anonymous said...

7.35p.m. and just looking at Peregrin site, and yes there are the 3 eggs, parent bird just walking around. Great. Joy

Fabien said...

Fantastic, a third!
I spent the afternoon observing a site in the north-east of France (Vosges mountains) where peregrines are pretty rare. I saw one 3 times in 6 hours, that made my day ;}
Btw, your cameras do a great job (always on 24/7), I wrote an article (french) on my website and I'm visiting it daily.
Derby peregrines rule!

Fabien
http://feub.net/photonature

Anonymous said...

Excellent prediction, Colin, I'm impressed! I shall be looking out for egg 4 when you say. It was a really interesting explanation about the egg production biology too - thank you. I missed egg 3 but I have a good excuse. I went to a wonderful talk, entitled "Darwin, a local connection" by a man who worked with Lady Nora Barlow, the great man's grand-daughter and one time resident of Wendover, where I live.
What I wish you could predict for me is when Bucks County Hall (my chosen picture) is going to see the return of our elusive peregrines! Derby is just sooooo lucky to be blessed with their pair.

Anonymous said...

I texted my daughter at 1633hrs to tell her there are now 3 eggs in the nest.

Nick Brown (DWT) said...

Nice comment Fabien and welcome to the site - do promote it to your French bird watcher friends eh?
In answer to previous comments, the male now does all the hunting and provides food for the female right through incubation. Once incubation starts, she just leaves the eggs to feed, preen and have short breaks since she does most of the sitting.
Nick B (DWT)

Jayne said...

I cannot believe how hooked on this website I've become and I would like to thank all of the experts there who are helping with the endless questions I have in my head - your knowledge is really being put to some use for me. you must know these magnificent birds very well - Thankyou
Jayne

Terri said...

It's great to see the falcon sitting on her eggs on this lovely sunny morning in Derby. Do the church bells cause her any concern I wonder? I would have thought it gets rather noisy up there when they're ringing away, especially on a Sunday morning. Or do they get muted/suspended during peregrine breeding season! ;)

Anonymous said...

great pictures for sure.
here is a question

how long will it take for the eggs to hatch once female start to intensily incubate?

Terri said...

About 5 weeks?

Karen Anne said...

Colin,

Did someone say there was a time change soon in the UK? I am wondering how to translate the possible next egg time to EST U.S. ? (We went thru the time change a few weeks ago here.)

Thank you.

Ann ( Canada ) said...

Karen Ann.
Look at the time on the camera. They are now 5 hrs. ahead. As of last night. Check your local time and see the difference . Hope that helps.Regards Ann

Anonymous said...

At around 31 1/2 days the chick should pip the sell. This is caused by the carbon dioxide level building up in the egg this makes the large hatch muscles at the back of the neck go into spasm and force the egg tooth to push against the inside of the shell and a lift a little piece of shell.
Over the next 24 hours or so the chick will start to switch to breathing air. Once it is breathing the chick can call and sqeak in the egg. The next stage is to draw in the yolk and blood through the navel. The chick then perhaps some 48 to 60hrs after pipping cuts its way out the shell using its egg tooth as it turns in the shell the navel is stimulated and it shut's down. The chick finally pusher's it self clear of the shell.
Regards
Colin

Anonymous said...

Colin, don,t know if i missed you at the cathedraj this morning. It was lovely down in the sun, although the peregrines were,nt putting in as much as they did last sunday. Andy.

Anonymous said...

Is there something wrong with one of the cameras as I can't and haven't had a clear picture all day? Thaks Joy

Ann ( Canada ) said...

Yes it was the same yesterday. I asked about it but as of yet no answer has been given.
Exciting day yesterday right?
Hope we get to see another egg. Here in Ontario we are now 5 hrs. behind you in Britain. Good chance of catching it, if there is one.
Ann.

Anna Flintstone said...

To Joy and Ann
I think the 'mist' on the pudding cam is greasy smudge from a Peregrine, there was one, Dad I assume, very close to it yesterday.

I think it could be that 'cause a pigeon crashed into my patio window a couple of months ago and I could see a greasy outline of the bird on the window plus a very dead flea. It was quite amazing how much detail the bird had left on the window.

Anna, Ripley, Derbyshire

Anonymous said...

Not quite sure if this will work?
Peregrine Hatch
Regards
Colin
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e260/falconquester/Perehatch.jpg

Anonymous said...

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e260/falconquester/Perehatch.jpg
Sorry try to copy above link
Regards
Colin

Ann ( Canada ) ex Derby girl said...

Thanks so much Anna. Yesterday it looked like a big patch of fog just lingering in that spot looked quite funny. It was like it all day yesterday. Hopefully they can clean it up. We have to move house and I should be packing ha ha ha. This is much more interesting. Came to Derby last Nov, had an interesting tour thanks to Tony the Verger. Lets wish for good luck with another egg.
Thanks again

slider said...

Came across this site late last year & been hooked ever since. My wife & i think its fantastic & check everyday on progress. Cant wait to see the chicks hatch. Thankyou to the whole team for giving us this very special pleasure
regards slider

Project Member (Derby Cathedral) said...

I have just got home from the Cathedral - don't believe anyone who says Sunday is a day of rest!!- and saw the question about the bells. The answer is that they are not muted or suspended for the breeding season but the Peregrines are not disturbed by them. The nest tray is actually at the bottom of the Bell Chamber louvers so the noise, to mere mortals, would be horrendous but obviously not to Peregrines!
By the way, the Cathedral has the oldest peal of 10 bells in the country - the oldest of which dates back to about 1540, the same date as the building of the Tower.
the main body of the cathedral (the Nave)dates from 1725 and the 'new' extension (the Retro Choir) was built in the early 1970's.
Just thought you might like a little bit of the history!!

Tony

Anonymous said...

It's a wonderful photobucket picture of the chick hatching, with its egg tooth very clear. Thank you for the link.

Earlier I watched the osprey at Loch of the Lowes mating.

Anonymous said...

Pax Canada
Karen Ann you are on the east coast
so you will be five hours behind
Derby, here on the west coast I am eight hours behind them, and three
hours behind you and Karen, hope that helps :-)

Anonymous said...

Pax Canada
oops I am three hours behind Karen and Anne

Anonymous said...

Well Just wanted to say that this is the first year I have been interested in the Peregrins. An due to some excellent insider information from my other half Andy (who has been great at explaining things and very imformative...Thank you Andy) I have become hooked. Its amazing to watch and cant wait until they begin to hatch.
Colin also wanted to say how great I have found your comments explaing things very useful Thank you. It does make a difference to have someone explain what is going on and helps to keep me coming back for more.
Great job everyone and I look forward to following with interest.
A new interested Derby lass

Anonymous said...

Colin,
I have been reading your blogs and wonder how you know so much about the peregrine? Some how I don't think you are a plumber unless you are a very enthusiastic plumber.
Mike.

Karen Anne said...

Has the nestbox camera slipped its focus in? It's 1 am over there, right? You aren't adjusting the focus at this hour, are you?

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

Wow - 80 comments in two days, and such helpful information from everyone, especially Colin, our local peregrine expert. Unfortunately I missed all the action this weekend, but am excited to be able to meet "Jennie from Hong Kong" in a few hours time when she arrives in Derby for a whirlwind visit before heading off back home. (There are a few members of the press keen to meet her, too!)
Sorry if the nighttime camera view was a bit fuzzy - the camera can't autofocus at night as well as it can in daylight when it's zoomed in. As for "pudding cam" on top of the tower, I suspect this is either a bad case of condensation or that some of the birds' old prey remains near the camera have blown over and are partly obscuring the lens. This may take a few days to get fixed, and we now have to work carefully as it's against the law for anyone (including us) to disturb a peregrine on its nest without authority.

John B (not the sloop) said...

Well this is all very efficient so far, and I look forward to number four landing on the shingle with better predictability than your average train.

But what's happened to the weather? "The tower crane" view at the moment looks like something from a Hollywood disaster movie.....

Fabien said...

Nick, no problem to promote the website!
I'm eager to be in 3-something weeks ;}

Fabien
http://feub.net/photonature

Terri said...

I used to live in Derby about 20 years ago for several years and I have a huge soft spot for the city, so I'm finding this peregrine watch rather heart warming.
Anyway, I was just going to ask, when did you say the next egg is due? Will it be tonight, very late at night or early in the morning (to quote Harry Enfield) so we'll expect to see it tomorrow morning over breakfast?

LYNNE said...

Hi Terri

According to Colin (Quote)

And his prediction for egg number four is 12.30 am on Tuesday...not the best of times for us UK-watchers!


11.08am

Anonymous said...

I could be completely wrong with my guess and i,ll eat humble pie if i am.Having spent many years watching, observing and learning about peregrines, not just here in Derby, it looks too me as though both the adult birds are spending alot more time sitting on the eggs, could this be that incubation has possibly started, and we will not get a 4th egg?. (Just a quess though!!!!!! whats your opinion colin). Andy.

Roger (Vienna) said...

I have not seen him bring her any breakfast. How often does she need to eat? She looks like she is dreaming about a nice juicy rat.

Anonymous said...

Does anybody ie. any of the nicks or colin have any response to my theory about incubation starting? Andy.

Anonymous said...

Andy I said the same to Nick a few days ago, I thought she was very attentive to the 2 eggs she had at the time? I guess will have to wait and see. But as you I have a niggle in the back of my mind that 3 eggs could be it for 2009.
Regards
Colin

Anonymous said...

Thanks colin, its not just me thinking the same then! Andy

Anonymous said...

Just wittnessed the changeover of the sitting on eggs, the male has been sitting on the eggs for rather a long spell, and has just left,the female has returned to the nest and eggs almost right away and sat on them. This would suggest that my theory about incubation has started. Looks like 3 eggs for 2009. Andy.

Anonymous said...

I took part in a concert at the Cathedral on Saturday night, which was at times very loud. Someone wondered if the music would bother the peregrines. I said that if they could put up with the church bells, a bit of Mahler wasn't going to bother them!

Kate (Derby)

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

I tend to agree with Andy and Colin (though I'm really no expert!). The two birds seem to have been sitting contantly over the last 12 hours, and a quick look at the webcam footage inside the Cathedral tower this lunchtimne (with Jennie from Hong Kong) also showed very quick changeovers. None of your casual "I don't care if these eggs lie about a bit whilst I consider waddling over, or maybe nip out for a snack first". So I also think it's three eggs for 2009. We'll know for sure by tomorrow.

Karen Anne said...

How about a photo of Jennie, I think we'd like to "meet" the visitors.

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

Oh, Karen Anne, hold your horses! I'll put a blog entry together later tonight with some shots of ourlatest special visitor (not that every visitor , real or virtual, isn't special, or course).
Meanwhile I'm just about to listen to an interview with her on Radio Derby in a few minutes.

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

Lister live/listen again at http://www.bbc.co.uk/derby -links in bottom right corner.

Terri said...

I'd also noticed that both birds have been rather more attentive and one or other of them has been hanging around rather a lot waiting for 'shift change'. So maybe incubation has already started or is about to start in earnest (following the laying of a possible 4th egg). I think I've read somewhere that incubation can actually start just before the final egg is laid... Sure we'll know the answer in the morning! Three eggs is fine as long as all the chicks turn out healthy :)

Anonymous said...

Pax Canada 9.53am
Yes remembering from last year, I wondered if she had finished laying eggs.
Nick, hope you had your pic. taking with J. and at some time you can post it, with her permission of course, I realise you also work to keep body and soul together :-)
It is so nice to see more people joining us to watch the falcons.

Anonymous said...

Andy I would expect incubation to start after the third egg or perhaps the day after if she was to lay four. But she seemed to start incubating after the second.
Which would indicate 3.Has she been covering or incubating? only time will tell.One thing I have noticed off photos from 2008 and my recently photos, last year her condition and colour seemed better.
Regards
Colin

Anonymous said...

Well, I shall blame you, Colin when I sit up till 12:30 and nothing happens (lol) There's certainly not a lot happening right now, one dozing peregrine on the three eggs. Lucky Jenny to get the red carpet rolled out - I guess it's well deserved for being such a faithful supporter all the way from Hong Kong. Buckinghamshire is quite a long way away too, you know ......

jo said...

colin do you mean her condition is better this year or last year and what do's this tell us about our female thanks jo