Our female peregrine has been leading many of us a merry dance today. This morning we were convinced she was about to lay her first egg. But, after standing in the scrape for an hour or so, she moved away to reveal . . .nothing.At 20:30 here in the UK, she was once again on the nest scrape in darkness, lit only by a faint wash from the tower floodlights, and by our own infra-red illuminators. 
It did look like she might lay tonight, and sure enough exactly an hour later at 21:27 we caught a glimpse of her first egg. We hope you've all enjoy watching, and we hope we can capture some more great moments in the lives of these majestic birds during 2009. (Our thanks to Karen Anne in Canada who supplied a link to the jpg she'd saved of the first daylight glimpse of the new egg early on Tuesday morning. Under infra-red light the egg looks white, but in daylight we see the richness of its colour.)
It did look like she might lay tonight, and sure enough exactly an hour later at 21:27 we caught a glimpse of her first egg. We hope you've all enjoy watching, and we hope we can capture some more great moments in the lives of these majestic birds during 2009. (Our thanks to Karen Anne in Canada who supplied a link to the jpg she'd saved of the first daylight glimpse of the new egg early on Tuesday morning. Under infra-red light the egg looks white, but in daylight we see the richness of its colour.)
Three more excellent photos from Colin Pass have arrived - so here they are for you all to see. Hope you can cope with the first one so early on a Monday morning.......it hardly requires any comment!
The second shows one of the 'gargoyles' very well (the right hand one above the platform).
The third is a close up of th
e falcon just after mating.
e falcon just after mating.What a gorgeous shot!
Nick B ((DWT)
29 comments:
9.11 Monday morning just gone on to website and there they were mating again. Hope something will be happening soon.
That is one very puffed up bird in the nestbox. Is it possible this is First Egg Day?
Another peregrine very up close and personal at the web cam.
Yes, looking imminent!!
Nick B (DWT)
Mum is getting very fidgity I don't think it will be too much longer. At least we hope not. The excitement is just too much.Are we all ready? Ann ( Canada )
Very exciting.....mum is on the nest area now ..local uk time 19.14..and earlier it looked like a depression had been made in the gravel...hope nothing happens till I get home from work...it's only 3.10pm here!!
Steph (also in Canada)
Don't they line the nest with twigs or straw ?
Egg lAID
TIME 2127
local uk time 21.28....first egg in the nest!!!!!!
well done mum!!!
steph (canada)
Congrats everybody on the first egg!!!
Great!
Nick M actually watched her lay it but Nick B had just nipped to the kitchen for a drink when Nick M rang him with the good news....can't win 'em all.
Anyway, cangrats to the birds and to Nick M for getting the news and photo up on the blog in record time!!
Nick B (disgruntled of DWT!)
I was actually on the phone discussing the possibility of "had she" or "hadn't she" when she laid her egg. I put the news on the blog at the same time as talking to my friend so please forgive my message being half in capitals, half in normal typeface. I was that excited I typed the message with one hand as I wanted to get on the blog asap so if need be someone could look at the video tape to see the actual birth. Thanks to Nick Moyes for watching at the same time and getting exactly the same photo as myself when we saw the egg for the 1st time.
Just a note to thank everyone for watching so carefully and reporting on our first egg. In answer to anonymous question, peregrines don't make a nest, nor do they line it with the traditional idea of twigs; they simply create a scrape in whatever soil or gravel they can find on a cliff or mountain-top ledge. Our nest box is designed with one comfy side and one much less so, specifically to encourage the birds to nest underneath our best camera. (It has begun to stick a bit at times, so apologies if this affects your enjoyment of the images from time to time).
Just to allay any fears, don't be surprised if you see the egg(s) lying abandoned in the nest for an hour or more at a time. This is normal, and intensive incubation only really gets underway once all the eggs are laid. Then the clock is ticking for hatching.
is it just me ?the egg looks rather pail with no pigmentation or is this just down to the infra red light
Don't panic. I forgot to mention that peregrine eggs look white under infra-red light, but completely different in daylight.
Now you'll have to come back and check in the morning to see if I'm right.
The Female is holding the egg..and not sittin on it!
Its a very cold Night, I do hope this will not effect the warmth the egg needs.
1.09 am
Pax Canada 7.15pm DST B.C.
egg is visable, it is so exciting :-)
Photo of purple(?) egg:
click here for egg photo
pax Canada 12.10am
perfect view of the egg
This is brill more time watching peregrins and nothing getting done.
Does anyone know if Dad has been to have a look?
Very exciting - thanks for brightening up a wet and dreary Tuesday :-)
Thanks for supplying a link to the picture you captured of the egg, Karen Anne. This is actually the best way to supply me with images, rathre than overloading my Inbox at work with lots of bitmap files.
I've now converted it to a much smaller jpg format and have posted it on our blog. I'd say the eggs were more of a rich reddish brown or terracotta, rather than purple. (Perhaps to someone with green skin, this is an important distinction?)
Now Facebook has some real competition - Good Luck to Mum and Dad!!
Anna, Ripley
Just come back on and the egg is there all on its own, no parent birds? Is this ususal?
Doesn't seem to be much incubation going on does there? Am I right to be getting this sinking feeling...?
If you read the notes posted by project manager further up I believe you will have an answer to your question John B. They say the real incubation time starts when all eggs are laid. Hope this helps. Not to panick yet.
Ann ( Canada )
Oh well - she's back on duty at 15:13 anyway...
fantastic news lets hope for the same sucess as last year i will be watching a lot more now
Great to sse four eggs in the nest now and hope ahchings happebs soon, cant wait!!
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