Today (Saturday) in Derby started very wet and cold with little likelihood of any fledging. With continuous drizzle, the Watchpoint was eventually cancelled, as was announced in our comments.Just look at those youngsters...bedraggled or what! Thanks to Roger Sharp for the photo capture. At 10.30am one of the adults sat, soaked through, in a stony alcove high above the nest site. It was so wet that it was impossible to see its features, let alone determine its gender!
To try and make up for no Watchpoint, here's a video clip from early yesterday morning before all the rain started. Many of us have seen how both parents and juveniles can turn their backs to eject a stream of waste matter away from the nest site, but this clip shows an interesting variation on the same theme! Note, too, the flurry of white feather from the nest as wings are flapped.
Here are some recent screen-captures of our four, sometimes rather bedraggled, young peregrines taken this weekend 6th/7th June 2009:
Sara6768
by rejsharp
by Marski2009
48 comments:
Welcome to your first British "summer" little peregrines! Poor things, they don't look like happy chappies, and neither would I. Sadly, I don't think the weather forecast offers much prospect of a quick improvement - so we all have to sit it out a bit longer. BBC weatger for Derby is a mix of "heavy rain" and "light rain" over the next 4 days ..... Where did the sun go??
Can only see 3 has one fledged?
Saturday Watchpoint
Still raining in Derby so we don't think it's worthwhile starting the watchpoint at the usual time.
If (and only if) the weather clears up this afternoon (Met Office forecast suggests showers!), we'll pop down with the telescope but it probably won't be a fully equipped session
@ Joy
I think the smallest juvenile is tucked in behind the two in the RH side where it is being protected by the bigger ones.
@ Any and Chris
If the weather does clear up I may well come to the WP later.
Has anyone seen a feed today? I saw a Sparrowhawk in my garden this morning, soaking wet but with prey in its talons!
Sorry that was me posting the above.
I was hoping to come down to the watchpoint today, I may still come down even if it's not going ahead. Must remember my binos!
@Phil in Notts - and don't forget your brolly either!
If anyone turns up for the WP, look out for my brother John and tell him I said "sorry about the weather"
Our birds keep practising their wings. I've got one or two images uploaded to Flickr. Jennie, HK.
Lunchtime for the family...
That was a good long feed with mum having her share at the scrape. The youngsters are looking up toward the pudding cam so maybe mum is up there.
Mum's back with more food!
Look at that youngster sleeping with its head tucked under its wing - now how grown up is that?
I have been watching the scrape and there is one, looks like the least developed seems not to be moving about very much at all for quite a while, I hope s/he has not got too cold and wet with the rain - it does concern me somewhat!
Anyone else noticed this?
Nothing to worry about Phoebe. Underneath their waterproof, juvenile feathers, they are are warm and dry :)
Pax Canada
mum and dad on the pudding cam, the chicks huddled together looking a bit bedraggled.
Just watched the new video what clever birds they are, that one must be a female ;-D (wink)
Great video clip team. Thanks for posting it. Hope your weather improves. I think the first flight will be very soon. Hope we can catch it. I also have noticed one bird that tends to laze around a lot. I was quite concerned one day as it did not move for ages and it looked like one of the others was poking at it I feared maybe eating it. However my fears were calmed after a while. Hopefully we can see more video as we miss the live feed this year.Miss the sound of those bells too.
Seeing the video clip made me realise how much you miss with the webcam (great though it is!). But seeing the chicks moving about, exercising their wings, preening, interacting with each other and not to mention their toilet habits is wonderful. They are proper little Peregrines now aren't they?
Thanks for that ....
@ Ann,
I too was concerned about one juvenile though I did see it move about after half an hour. Looking at the cam now the same one still seems very lethargic, I can't remember seeing it having much food today - also I wonder if it has eaten something like bone and finding it hard to digest, I am still concerned about it.
Great video clip:
I especially liked the bit near the end when one youngster found something edible and smuggled it away into a corner.
They do lots of flapping, but not much in the way of vertical lift flights. I saw a film of albatross chicks fledging, and they did lots of "hover" flights before the actually flew any distance.
It seems that the parents both had a successful hunt. The falcon is feeding the youngsters (only 1 is showing much interest at the moment). Correction - they seem to be taking it in very orderly turns. "Fluffy" is being fed now.
The Tiercel appeared to have something smaller, up by the pudding cam - unless he was feeding on scraps from the dressing.
Brilliant video clip. Keep up the good work
Lots of wing flapping and jumping about this morning. Could today be THE day for a maiden flight?
It is dry now, but the rainclouds are moving in again.
So .. Mum introduced a new step in the training ladder just now.
The falcon arrived at the scrape with yesterdays carcass, dumped it in the middle of them, and cluttered off.
DIY feeding now!
Four still there, I was almost expecting to see one fledged when I started watching today.
Is it a rainy, foggy day? Kind of looks like it. Have past years' chicks fledged in that kind of weather?
I've just logged on glad to see all four still there, I doubt they would fledge in the rain.
@ Karen
It is not foggy just raining.
In Derby itself we have just had a tremendous thunderstorm with hailstones so I doubt if the birds will think of anything better to do today other than huddle in the corners of the platform.
Two pix on flickr of last night catch and this mornings breakfast arriving.
i still stand by my prediction of the 10th for the maiden flights and is looking like i may well be rightthe way things are going.
They are not ready to fly just yet and the weather isn't helping too much but looking at the Worcester juveniles they are older than ours and they haven't fledged yet. I am hoping to see some attempts on Wednesday when I hope to be at the Green. I think Colin also said on a previous post that the 10th at the earliest for #11 when he photgraghed it. They will not go until the time is right, let us hope all goes well for them. |I will be there to help if needed.
@Wayne - thank you for the photos you gave me at the Watchpoint. We looked at them in school the other day. The children partiularly liked the ones taken of the adults in flight as they could see what a fantastic wingspan they have.
from what i have been told in previous years they have taken their first flight before they were ready and had to be rescued. infact last year all four had to be put back up on the tower i believe.
sometimes i think they just can not wait another minute. on recent visits to the green myself and colin have both witnessed number 11 almost come off the ledge due to his wingflapping, and alsmost over balancing.
@Helen, thats ok about the pictures, i now have more pictures but of far better quality taken since then, if anyone wants any of these please let me know
@ Wayne
They do look like they are wanting to leap of into the sky! It must be so exciting for them, I can't wait...
just hope they all fledge safely!
I have great respect for the opinions of Wayne and Colin so hear what Wayne says about maiden flight date pedictions. Surely the weather will play a part too though - it still looks vile weather out on the horizon beyond Jury's Hotel? If a great weather window comes, maybe that'll be the time? Don't forget either that the 4 are unlikely to all go at the same time due to the age differences. There has also been speculation about what has caused previous years problems with maiden flights - urban environments might be trickier than out in the "wilds"? As I said previously, if the "old hands" at watching thought it was excruciating waiting for the eggs to hatch, just wait and see how anxious we'll all get about flight!
How I miss Froona and her input at this time - wouldn't she have been so thrilled.
There is one youngster who seems to prefer to 'be alone' I wonder if this will be the first to take a flight?
Mum landed up top and caused the youngsters to stir, flapping and drying their wings. I bet they can't wait to take a flight! They get so excited when they see Mum on the wing.
There's one that looks like he's about to jump!!! He's been siting there on his own for quite a while now!!!
Loui
There's one that looks like he's about to jump!!! He's been siting there on his own for quite a while now!!!
Loui
Sue,
Some of Froona's friends are translating into English the part of her website that she didn't get to finish translating.
Since there is such interest just this moment in the details of fledging, I have temporarily put on my own ISP's user area a copy of part 1 of her writeup on fledging. We have tried to keep it in Froona's voice, so it hopefully sounds like her. Part 2 is still in progress:
Click here for Word version of part one, Fledging
@ Karen Anne
Thank you so much for giving the details of Froona's writings I thoroughly enjoyed reading it, she was a talented and knowledgable lady. I would have liked to have known her in life. She gives such inspiration to us all.
Once again thank you.
Phoebe
its been a great year this year every site as done well ive visited Manchester,Bolton,Darwin and Preston.Also learned that we have 2 more sites nearby in Southport.So fingers crossed these will do well hope to check them out this week.hope one of these nest will install a webcam!!!
Looks like dinner is on its way...
A whole lot of flapping going on. I would now not be surprised if one fledged today, either on purpose or accidentally.
Well we came up to Belper to see the house we are buying and were all set to come to the Cathedral. Weather on Saturday was atrocious and this morning although it started fairly dry soon turned into a torrent. Here we are back in South Wales and will just have to watch the webcams. Never mind, there's always next year when we have a brand new brood....
Mary T - Caerphilly - S.Wales
pax Canada
The adult just left with the left over prey, the young ones followed her flight craning upwards as she landed on the pudding cam
Looks like the perching rail is being a success. The largest is gripping it tight and running-up to full power quite a lot at the moment.
Much flapping and movement. Daren't move too far from computer just incase first fledge happens when my back is turned. Rivoting stuff!
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