Colin took this photo of Cathy (010) recently and isn't she looking well? More photos are promised soon.
Down under the tower on Sunday morning I found the lovely, recently moulted peregrine feather shown below as well as several prey feathers.
These included those of teal (a small duck) and woodcock (a wader) both of which are typically winter food for our birds....the year is definitely turning now.....
Just as well peregrines are not migrants (though they do get shot at in the UK of course - more on this later).....
To read about a terrible massacre of raptors in Malta see this report from Birdguides http://www.birdguides.com/webzine/article.asp?a=1753 or go to Birdlife Malta's own website:
http://www.birdlifemalta.org/
If you have any spare money at all please consider supporting this determined group of brave conservationists fighting against appalling and indiscriminate shooting of birds on that island, from tiny robins and warblers to storks, eagles, ospreys, honey buzzards, stilts, bee eaters...in fact anything that flies.
You can donate directly via Birdlife Malta's website or send a cheque through the post.
http://www.birdlifemalta.org/
If you have any spare money at all please consider supporting this determined group of brave conservationists fighting against appalling and indiscriminate shooting of birds on that island, from tiny robins and warblers to storks, eagles, ospreys, honey buzzards, stilts, bee eaters...in fact anything that flies.
You can donate directly via Birdlife Malta's website or send a cheque through the post.
Thanks
Nick B (DWT)
44 comments:
What a beautiful photo of Cathy. She is certainly looking a picture of health. I can't wait to meet her and it's coming up very soon now. Can't sleep at night for the anticipation. Hope all goes well and I can meet with as many of the team as possible. Do hope this time I get to see the Peregrines flying around the Cathedral. Order some nice weather please, lol. I'll take what ever really, just so glad to be making the trip after such a bad financial year or two. See you soon.
two on the pudding cam
Interesting article on bird feathers
here
Great to see Cathy doing well.
This photo of Cathy is maybe the portrait of life.
Waiting for more..
Thank you! :)
two on the pudding cam one with his back right up against the camera :)
I've often thought that Malta would make a good holiday destination. Not any more.
Oh, and by the way, about 35% of their GDP is tourism.
Malta is a huge birds cemetery.. :(
Will never go there.
Gio,
That is some photo in your blogger profile! Are you a bird rehabilitator?
Karen Anne,
I would like to be one!
No, the photos have been taken in Staffordshire when a falconer friend brought the birds to fly as a gift for my wedding. :)
Nice views of a parent and a youngster at the moment!
Lovely sight - one on 'pud cam' and a bonus...one on the scrape!!
Bird on the nestbox, and one at the pudding cam.
Apologies for straying 'off topic' but I'm sure many of you will enjoy this...
David Attenborough's favourites
tow on the pudding cam
lovely shot on the pudding cam
I would like to thank Colin for letting Ann (Canada) and myself visit him to see (#010) Cathy yesterday. We had a wonderful time and I was thrilled to bits to see Cathy looking so well and very relaxed, she is a delightful bird and has a good nature and a good home there with Colin :D
Ann will probably post on here when she gets back to Canada next week.
I got plenty of photos and did a couple of short videos on my camera. When I have checked them out I will post some.
Thank you once again Colin.
Thank you Phoebe! :)
So glad you and Ann had such a great time with Cathy and Colin! :D
Yes please, post your photos soon.
Peregrine on bottom left hand cam!!
one on the nest ledge
More photos of Cathy, looking fluffed up from the wind, I assume, and quite sturdy, on Colin's blog,
one on the pudding cam one on nest ledge
My thanks to Colin for extending hospitality to Ann (Canada) and to Phoebe. Ann: you did try to make contact whilst you were here my apologies for not being in when you called.
We would like to make clear that we don't expect Colin to make his time or his home available to those who might want to see the falcon. He is a private person and that would be an unfair pressure to put upon him. Of course, we're grateful to him if does choose to do so, but he would still have our support if he chooses not to. Nick Brown and I had a long chat with him the other week, where we expressed the project team's full support for what he is doing, and agreed the way she might or might not be flown or shown. The Project Team recognise that in flying her she is, of course, being exposed to risk. And that's fine by us. Even a healthy bird can get attacked (by another bird, a dog or even a person)whilst being flown in an open space, and she could quite easily get injured as she is still not so hot on making turns. But by not being flown she stands a greater risk of becoming unhealthy.
I must say that it was a great honour to hold and feed Cathy in my hand the other day. She wouldn't fly to me - suggesting that she is well bonded and trusting in Colin, but it was great to see her making a tethered flight of about 30m.
"But by not being flown she stands a greater risk of becoming unhealthy."
Even though never free, Cathy from the Cathedral (010) deserves the risk of life.
She trust in Colin, I think we all do.
30 m., great indeed! :D
Thank you for the update on Cathy, it sounds like she is doing very well and I am sure we can trust Colin to do what is best for her, if we think of how it might have all ended. I think someone was looking out for her and saw she got into the right hands starting with the vet and and later a home
with Colin.
I continue to watch the birds and see there is one on the tower cam right now.
one on the tower cam
Do you have any news on the leg and ring that was found in August? I got the impression it was a somewhat interesting event.
@ Colin and Phoebe.
Colin thanks so much for the truly wonderful experience of holding Cathy and seeing her up close. My trip to Derby was made so wonderful along with the Cliff Richard and Shadows concert of course. My time in Derby went far too fast and would like to have done and seen much more. Colin and Phoebe helped me to make the most of the trip and I will be always thankful to them both. It was a real pleasure to meet you both and thank so much for making me welcome. Also for providing me with a ride to see Colin. This site is all the more better for you two being on it. What a great team all of them are. I saw the Falcon on the scrape and a younger perched just above her on the first day of my trip. How wonderful. Hope to see you again one day.
Cheers and take care. All the best for next year.
Just spotted three peregrines on the webcams, one on the scrape and two on the tower ..... so at least one juvenile seems to be still around! Looked as if they were eating breakfast.
lovely close up on the pudding cam
I have posted just a few of the photos that were taken of my-self and Cathy during my wonderful trip to Derby. It was sure nice to be back home even if just for a week. Thanks again Colin and Phoebe. If anyone would like to see the photos you can find them on the blog. My blog can be reached by just clicking on my name at the top of this post. Hope you will enjoy them. It was a thrilling experience. One I shall never forget.
@Ann (Canada) Thaks for posting the pictures of your visit, Ann. Glad you had a god time - sory we didn't meet up.
@anonymous asked about an unusual ring we said we'd found ealier in the summer. Although I did show a slide of this in a talk I gave to a local RSPB group earlier this evening, we won't be publishing details more widely for a while. There's nothing sinister in this - just a suggestng that we hang fire for now.
Sorry the webcams lenses are so spider-covered this year. There's not much we can do about this until we next service the platform.
@Ann.
Thanks for sharing your experience. I can understand it has been great, the photos tell more than you say.
What a beautiful young falcon she is! Still so 'blue' and so different from the birds I met.. still wild even sweet.
And you were lucky! Was twice in Derby the past year and never was able to spot any PF around the Cathedral.. :D
Wow, Ann, what great photos. I am consumed with envy :-)
@ Karen Anne & Gio.
Thanks for the comments. Yes indeed I have been very fortunate. My time was far too brief but I think I made the best of it. It is something I will never forget. I am so glad to have had the wonderful experience. There are just no words I can think of to describe how I felt. Hopefully the look on my face will tell it all. Between that experience with Cathy and my life long love affair with Cliff Richard :) ha ha ha, I had an amazing time, one I would not have missed for the world. Cried and cried for joy. Felt like a teenager all over again.
A very happy Thanksgiving to Canadian friends. What are you thankful for? For me there are too many to mention. Close to the top of the list would be good friends, nature, wild life in general. This wonderfully informative site and people who care.
Ann,
very nice thought.
I agree, there are many things to be thankful for.
Also those magical birds who make us join all over the world and, yes, even feel like a teenager or a child again. :D
Someone is making themselves comfy in the nest. Can't tell who it is too dark. Nice to see though just the same. I sang to-day in church and told of my wonderful experience with the birds. I think I may have got a few more people interested in the site. Before we know it next year will be here.
two on the pudding cam, one almost on top of the cam, maybe it gives off a bit of heat? :)
one still hugging the tower cam
A falcon very close the web cam! :)
Posted by Nuri945, October 11 at 11.45 am (10.45 UK time)
http://www.birdcam.it/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3657&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=270
Hello everyone!
Just to say I'm still alive and kicking and sorry to have neglected the Derby site for too long. There's just not enough hours in the day to do everything and I guess I've actually been trying to spend a bit more time out there doing and seeing stuff - which at the end of the day is what it's all about I guess. STILL no blooming peregrine round here - well, not that I've seen anyway. Going to Portland and Radipole at the weekend so if I get really lucky, I'll see a bearded tit (which reminds me to recommend the book of the same name by Rory McGrath - a smashing read) I might have been out of sight for awhile, but I promise you, you're never far from my thoughts!!
one on the tower cam
one on the tower cam,looks like a misty morning
Phoebe,
I just saw your note over at Colin's blog about not knowing where to post your photos. It is easy to open a (free) flicker account and upload photos to that. Just go to www.flickr.com to start.
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