Monday 13 October 2008

Children and peregrines

Last summer many schools used the webcam images to show their children what was happening on the cathedral tower....and there is so much educational learning potential quite apart from the sheer enjoyment of watching peregrines at the nest!


The drawings here are by infants from Brigg Infant School in South Normanton.
Their teacher, Helen Naylor has really used the peregrines in so many ways with her class - and the artwork they have produced is great for children so young, even if the cathedral (and the birds) appear in some interesting and lively
shapes!


Last summer the Derbyshire Wildlife Trust organised some family events at the cathedral aimed at children between about 7 and 12 and these went down very well.

The Wildlife Watch Club, the junior branch of The Wildlife Trusts, used our Derby peregrine story in their national magazine more than once.

If you have children of this age then why not join the Trust as family members or just join your children into Watch Club? Details are on the Trust's website at http://www.derbyshirewildlifetrust.org/.




The national Trusts magazine, called Natural World, will have a feature article about our peregrines in the next issue which is due out shortly, so if you belong to the Derbyshire or another county trust, keep an eye open for that.

Nick Brown (DWT)
Ps. A peregrine is back on East Mill in Belper today, just above my DWT office window in fact (though I can't see it except from the outside....)

26 comments:

Terry, Herts UK said...

Just caught a brief glimpse of both Peregrines on the nest box.

The falcon tidying up the scrape and the tiercel perched on the box ledge.

Shortly afterwards, the tiercel flew up to the ledge and was visible on pud-cam whilst the falcon stopped tidying and perched on the ledge of the next box, looking around for him.

Best wishes to all :)

Anonymous said...

The occurence of breeding behaviour at this time of year is normal and occurs in a number of other species - especially on warm, sunny days such as today! Come November (or next week even!) and a return to cooler weather, frost and (even more) rain, and it will soon cease!
I guess it serves to maintain and strengthen the pair bond.
Last Sunday morning when I was there, it was the female on the ledge and the male up above...hard to tell which of them is where this afternoon in the shade but I'd guess the same way.....
Nick B (DWT)

Terry, Herts UK said...

Thanks, Nick.

That confirms what I thought I was seeing. It's always great to see both of the Peregrines together in one way or another.

My knowledge of these birds only comes from what I see (thanks to sites like this) but sometimes, when watching, I do get the sense that there is a close bonding, even though they don't actually get so physically close to one another. Brilliant.

Anonymous said...

pax Canada 12.21am
falcon on the scrape

Anonymous said...

Just to let you know nick that the peregrine on east mill can be seen there on most days now, i was at the mill with barry over the weekend and there were two peregrines on the mill a young looking male and deffinately an adult female. Only yesterday i witnessed a peregrine fying over belper town centre. It looks good for the future. regards andy simpson

Anonymous said...

pax Canada 12.14am
I think the cameras are frozen

Anonymous said...

pax Canada 9.05am
falcon on the scrape

Karen Anne said...

There's a peregrine near the scrape, facing away with something white in front of him/her, or maybe that's just a feather.

Live stream loads but just displays black. I have not had sound on it for some time.

Anonymous said...

pax Canada 9.23am
falcon on the scrape

Karen Anne said...

Peregrine on the nestbox and at the pudding cam.

Anonymous said...

pax Canada 8.57am
falcon on the pudding cam

Karen Anne said...

Someone's on the ledge below the nestbox.

Anonymous said...

pax Canada 12.04
something on the pudding cam, is it a bird?

Anonymous said...

pax Canada 12.16am
falcon on pudding cam having breakfast

Anonymous said...

pax Canada 9.30am
falcon on the scrape, and one on the scrape

Anonymous said...

pax Canada 12.21am
falcon on the pudding cam

Anonymous said...

pax Canada 9.10am
falcon on the pudding cam

Karen Anne said...

Someone's so close to the pudding cam that I'm not sure s/he's a peregrine.

Just thought, that crane has been there quite awhile. Any idea when it's work will be done?

Anonymous said...

pax Canada 10.01am
falcon close up on the pudding cam

Karen Anne said...

Peregrine on the nest box, fluffed up and preening. Unfortunately, out of view of the live stream.

Thanks so much for keeping the cameras active in "off season."

Anonymous said...

pax Canada 12.25am
two falcons on the pudding cam, nice to see them together :-)

Anonymous said...

pax Canada, maybe one is not a falcon????

Anonymous said...

Didn't see the birds but very unlikely to be anything but one of the two peregrines I think...unless it was a raven or a pigeon but the peregrines would certainly not tolerate the former and the latter would be very unlikely to sit so close to an adult peregrine.
Nick B (DWT)

Anonymous said...

pax 9.05am
falcon on the scrape.
thanks Nick, yes once the falcon closer to the cam flew off it was clear the 2nd one was also a falcon :-)

Anonymous said...

pax 12.46am
wonderful shot of a falcon on the pudding cam

Karen Anne said...

Magnificent peregrine on the nest box, and the live steam is working (except sound.)