Friday 3 April 2009

There Are More Questions Than Answers . . .

Webcam image captured Friday 3rd AprilDerby's peregrine falcons are now incubating four eggs. After all the recent activity and excitement it will be a reasonably quiet time now on the webcameras. The periods when the eggs are all on view like this will be short, indeed.

A vast number of comments have been left recently. Thanks to everyone who either asked or answered them for us. To read or leave comments, simply go to the bottom of the current blog entry and click "COMMENTS". It's always worth scrolling down through them to see what has been said recently. If your question is a topical one, you may well find it's already been answered. Simply complete the comments box and type in the word verification letters, which prevents spamming. This is a blog about peregrines, and it's rare for the Project Team to feel the need to remove off-topic remarks, as common sense usually prevails.

Don't forget the "Search Blog" box on the top left of the page to look through two years of amazingly interesting past articles! You might find much of what you're looking for there, plus some superb past photographs from a wide range of local photographers, too.

Here are answers to a few other recent comments that either need answering or repeating here:



Pudding cam just needs a clean - it's never really that murky over Derby!Mucky Lens View of tower cam (aka pudding cam) showing how close the peregrines get to it. We'll clean it as soon as we can
The smudgy tower-cam lens (peregrine poo, we think) will be cleaned sometime next week, weather and health permitting. This will mean having to dismantle the mounting one lunchtime, so be prepared for some unusual camera shots. Why does it get called Pudding Cam? - well, you can find out here on our archive for January 16 2008 and January 24th 2008. Or investigate how far we've come in two years by looking back at our archive for January and February 2007 when we were busy blogging about trying to install our very first cameras. (Archive links are on the far left side of this page. )


Video Server
The "Multi-Image View" from our three camera feeds was swapped around yesterday because one of its video-processing circuits keeps freezing up. This has been happening for some time. We took advice from our suppliers about replacing the video server, but were advised against it for now. This work-around seemed the best solution, and now logically puts the tower cam at the top. But we're still finding one video stream freezes from time to time, but hope this leaves the main nest cam least affected. Just leave a comment if you notice this. We'll reboot the video server as soon as we can.

Someone asked via Comments how do you save webcam shots using a Mac. A reply was left to this effect: "Hold cmd + shift + 3 You should here a camera shutter sound and then the picture will be saved to your desktop with the name 'Picture 1' Hope that helps. Post up some pictures if you can."
Please ensure you send jpgs, not huge bitmap files - better still, send them to a website and post us the link!


WC Facilities in Derby Cathedral:
Tony Grantham, the Cathedral's Head Verger, replied to one question about whether disabled toilet facilities are available in the Cathedral. He says the easiest access to disabled toilets is when the Cathedral's Coffee Shop is open across the road. The Cathedral itself is also very disabled-friendly as 90% is on one level (if you disregard the tower). If WC facilities are required when in the Cathedral, just have a quick word with a member of staff who will make them available for you.

Derby Cathedral from the newly redesigned Cathedral Green. Photo by Nick Brown. Its use on other sites has not been authorised by the Project Team.Is it The Real Thing?
Finally, we do need to point out that the only web-pages you'll find on the internet with genuine input from the Peregrine Project Team are this blog and related pages on our partner organisations' websites. (see "Partner Links" on left of blog). All other web pages or social network sites you may encounter are neither managed nor endorsed by us, even if they do link to us, embed our "feeds" or use our photos and text.

Everyone's enthusiasm for Derby's peregrines is really appreciated, but you'd be surprised the problems it can cause when official-looking web pages are created without involving us. Please remember that copyright also applies. In particular, we don't want to upset the photographers who generously send us their pictures. If you can't see a photo credit to repeat, just assume it's one of the Team's -so a helpful credit to the "Derby Cathedral Peregrine Project" is then much appreciated. A quick approach to us, explaining what you want to do, is often the best way to find out if there's likely to be an issue - we'll tell you. (email: peregrines@derby.gov.uk). Of course, done in the right way, we welcome all the links, promotion and support our amazing peregrine falcons can get!

28 comments:

chrisx said...

Thanks for the timely reminder about copyright! I paint - and as soon as I find (or take) a suitable photo I will be back to ask permission :-) Needless to say I will give due credit to the DWT and the fantastic DCPP webcam!

Nick Brown (DWT) said...

Thanks Chrisx: just to remind everyone that the project was conceived and set up by Nick B (working for Derbyshire Wildlife Trust) and Nick M (working for Derby City Council in his role as Keeper of Natural History at Derby Museum and Art Gallery) with fantastic support and help from Tony Grantham, the Head Verger at Derby Cathedral.
Subsequently we set up a working partnership between all three organisations and the current project is entirely the result of that fruitful and happy three-way link.
We have had excellent suppport from many local (mostly DWT) watch point volunteers and also from photographers such as John Salloway, Colin Pass and Graham Whitmore among many others whose photos have been featured on many occasions on the blog and in numerous articles.
We have also had tremendous encouragement and help from peregrine people elsewhere - Nick Dixon in Devon for his advice especially in the early days and Ed Drewitt at Bristol Museum for identifying hundreds of prey items for us.
Nick Evans built the platform and, with Nick M, installed it and helped to maintain it in each subsequent year. Martin Roome and Ant Messenger have ringed the chicks each year and hopefully will do so again this summer if all goes well.
Finally we have enjoyed meeting (and getting donations from) many thousands of 'real' and 'virtual' visitors since May 2006, when Nick B set up the very first watch point event on the old Cathedral Green.
And if you are reading this in some distant land, then I must take my hat off to Nick M for his brilliant work setting up the web cams and the blog in 2007. Without his technical skills and unbelievable dedication, often in his own time and into the early hours, we wouldn't even have a nest platform, let alone the opportunity for people round the planet to log on and watch what goes on up there!
I hope I've not missed anyone from that roll call! They'll doubtless let me know if I have....
Nick B (DWT)

Biff said...

Thanks Nick for this nice roundup. Can I suggest Flickr for hosting photos? If everyone tagged their pictures 'derby peregrines' that would create a nice little feed.

Richard Birkin

Anonymous said...

I am really enjoying following the falcons this year. cant wait to see the chicks hatched out.

Terri said...

I always check the webcam pics first thing in the morning to make sure everything's been OK with our birds overnight. Have really become quite attached to them :)

Anonymous said...

Thanks for all of the reminder information. When I see questions, I generally know that somebody somewhere asked before and the answer is back on the archive - just like this batch will someday be. I wonder if it would eventually be possible to have a link with all of this basic info - plus perhaps the table of dates of significant events in previous years, so we can all see the trends over time. Ha ha, as if you don't all have enough to do! The whole team has indeed done fantastically well and I know much of it is way above and beyond the call of duty - in fact a real labour of love. Thank you team - and hope all are well on the way to complete recovery. I look forward to an early opportunity to come and see you all in the flesh!

Karen Anne said...

Thanks for all that useful info!

Perhaps a note about the hours the coffee shop is open?

Perhaps a permanent link on the home page to who's who with photos? Nick, which Nick is that...

Anonymous said...

Be interesting to see the sex of the chicks this year. Andy are you popping down sunday morning. I will be down. No rugby this weekend as Joe my son is in south africa with "balls to poverty"
Regards
Colin

Terri said...

Sue, if you look in the Diary Archive on the left hand side of the blog page, you can find a 'Calendar of the Breeding Season' entered in March 2009. The key dates are in there for the 2007 & 2008 breeding season but I agree it would be nice to see an updated table with the 2009 dates in too for comparison.

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

Yes, we are already planning a photo pool in the near future. But when that happens we'll announce it properly on the blog, and certainly not here in the comments.

Lovely and sunny here today in Derby - but what we really need is some nice heavy rain to clean the cameras!

Project Member (Derby Cathedral) said...

The Award Winning Cathedral Coffee Shop is open every day, except Sunday and Bank Holidays, 10.00am - 4.00pm (9.30 - 4.00 on Saturday). It has just undergone a complete refurbishment and has started to offer a takeaway service.
More details can be found by following the link to Derby Cathedral on the home page and clicking on Cathedral Centre.

Anonymous said...

Colin
Yes will nip down to see you Sunday am about 10 ish.
Regards Andy

Project Member (Derby Cathedral) said...

Exciting news for all those who cannot bear being away from the computer but need to be in Derby - I can now announce that there is a screen in the Cathedral Coffee Shop (loaned to us by a neighbouring shop) which is showing the live pictures. So, grab a coffee and keep up to date!
Tony

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

Not to be outdone, I should also plug the live webcam feed we have on the monitor next to our vivarium in the Derbyshire Nature Gallery within Derby Museum & Art Gallery. It's just 4 minutes walk from the Cathedral. No coffees but some great exhibitions.

Anonymous said...

For numerous 'Froona' fans. She is now off the ventilation machine and breathing on her own. However her condition is still very serious.

Terry, Herts said...

I am so sorry to hear about Froona's illness & wish her a speedy and full recovery.

Anonymous said...

Thanks, Terri, for the tip about the link to the breeding season notes. I am however such a sad case that I don't need that particular one because I wrote it all down at the time! So glad to hear some better news about Froona. I continue to wish her well - it's so strange and sad not to be getting her input. We have a lovely day down here too, Nick. I have no excuse for not having been up the allotment and put in my seed potatoes! I MUST do so tomorrow and not sit here looking at peregrines!!! And thanks for the further news about the cathedral - I really look forward to re-visiting there too, not least because of your fine musical tradition (I'm also a choral singer - my choir are coming up to a performance of Haydn's "Creation" - a fine counterpoint to this, Darwin's big year)

Anonymous said...

Just been lucky enough to watch web cam and see mum and dad change over sitting on the eggs.(6pm ish) I was watching for about 10mins and when dad (i think) flew in you could almost imagine the conversation they were having as they sat next to each other and then the female flew off so able to see eggs before dad took his turn....wonderful viewing. Ive been glued to this site since i discovered it while living in Derby in 2007. Although now in Warwickshire it still makes fascinating viewing and those other sites with falcons in uk are not a patch on this one.

Kishore said...

I've just witnessed the changing of the incubation duties. The father appeared on the nest at 18:06, sat there for a while - the mother flew off presumably to feed, leaving the father to resume the duty. The clutch of eggs were exposed but only for a few moments. Love to hear from anyone whose witnessed this.

Karen Anne said...

Anon nameless one,

Thank you for the froona update, but please don't to a post and then disappear leaving us worrying. What the heck happened to froona?

Terri said...

Everyone's really sad today about Froona, including myself even though I only first heard of her a few days ago. I have no idea how she ended up in intensive care but I think we were all expecting her to recover and it's been a huge blow. Someone asked a few days ago whether we have pet names for our peregrines - perhaps it might be fitting to name the female after Froona? Just a thought, a sign of respect. God bless her.

Anonymous said...

pax Canada 12.28am
just saw a change over

Karen Anne said...

Terri, I thought so to, name one of this year's peregrine babies for Froona...

Anonymous said...

I've just been read some of the Dutch pages about Froona. Apparently someone is offering to carry on her work on her main website; whilst Heidelberg are nameing one of their chicks "Froona".
I dont think they like the idea of giving the birds names in Derby.

Ruth Z said...

Ah - just seen another changeover. They appear to be doing 3-hour shifts, unless I missed a changeover or two.

Karen Anne said...

Anon 06 April 2009 10:06,

(or anyone) Where are the Dutch pages you mention? Google will translate them, so we English-speakers can see what is going on. Thanks.

Yes, I respect that the Derby folks do not normally name peregrines, it was just a suggestion.

Anonymous said...

Hope this url for fronas condolence page copies over. The last word in the link should be "slechtvalken". There seems to be a mixture of Dutch and English comments spread over four pages.

http://slechtvalken.forumup.nl/viewtopic.php?t=969&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0&mforum=slechtvalken

AndyC.

Karen Anne said...

Thanks, AndyC.