Thanks to an eagle-eyed webcam viewer, we've been able to capture one of the first mating sequences of this year's breeding season. Yesterday, AnnieF left a comment that she'd seen the two peregrines mating, and a trip up the Cathedral Tower yielded the clip below. As with virtually all birds, mating is a brief encounter, but one we'll probably see happening quite a few times over the next week or two. Indeed, at 3pm yesterday the male peregrine made a couple of "fly-pasts" whilst the falcon was atop the tower, though he did not land. Last year our birds were mating from 8th March until egg-laying day on 24th March.
Do please continue to post report of interesting activity, and we'll do our best to retrieve them from our recalcitrant video recorders inside the tower.
How to capture and share webcam screenshots. (Flickr Group Pool)If you want to know how to share your pictures with everyone else, we've posted some instructions here. In a nutshell, it involves capturing an image of what's on your PC with the Print Screen [PrntScr] button, then trimming the picture to leave just the webcam view, and finally posting it online to our Flickr Group. We've had over 75 of you doing just that last season, with over 1000 pictures posted already.
Here's one I captured and thought worth adding to Flickr. Any suggestions for a caption?
Head-bowing courtdship display captured 18th March 2010 1pm
73 comments:
No video
@Sue Video sometimes gets blocked by work systems. It's working OK for me at home today.
In case anyone missed it, this interesting question and answer were left on the previous post, so I've repeated it here.
Afilsdesigner said...
I have a question: These Peregrines have been breeding for a few years now. Is there any evidence that their offspring have set up their own breeding sites and if so, are they in the same general area? If not, when might they start? Just interested.
17 March 2010 10:36
Nick Brown (DWT) said...
Afilsdesigner: we know nothing about the whereabouts of any of the young peregrines that have fledged from the Derby nest. If they have survived (and many won't have) then they take 2-3 years to come into breeding condition.
The Cathedral pair would not allow another pair to nest anywhere close to them, so the nearest we might expect to find a new pair setting up territory would probably be in a neighbouring town or city. There are established pairs already in Burton and Nottingham so any young prospecting bird might have to go elsewhere.
Alternatively if one of the birds from an established pair were to die, then the remaining bird might pair up with a younger bird, even conceivably with its own offspring as happened in Bath last year I think.
Nick B (DWT)
17 March 2010 10:56
Sorry, but Sue in Bucks is correct, no left video picture (12.09)
Thank you team for showing the mating clip and to Annief for her keen eye in spotting it.
Good to see they are breeding here again.
Thanks.
Hi team, the multi view has frozen and the towercam has no picture. Just to let you know
Thanks Phoebe - I'm trying to sort it out right now. I'm fearing that our server mght be about to break down any moment as it seems to be changing its settings without any input from me!
One moment there's an image, then there's nothing. You'll also note some "%20" characters in the header text which appeared yesterday whilst I ws trying to get the image of the baby peregrine to reappear in multi-view. All very frustrating - my apologies to everyone. (I also misunderstood Sue who I thought was indicating that she couldn't see the YouTube video, not that there was a problem with the live feed.
Somebody (apologies for forgetting who) also asked whether there was a real-time video feed, or if they were doing something wrong. The answer is, no, there's no real-time feed - our images should referesh about every 6 to 8 seconds.
Birds staring at each other on the platform
Flacon seems to have done runner onto the tower and the male is fiddling in the scrape
Caption for the photo
"Did you see that??? I'll never turn my back on that damn tiercel again!"
Bird on the tower cam in the dark -thought there was a problem with the camera till it moved!!
Also the webcam on the peregrine nest in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada is now up and running for the season...link below.
This will be the sixteenth year that the nest site on the sheraton Hotel has been in use. Lots of pictures etc from previous years on the site.
http://falcons.hamiltonnature.org/
Steph, Canada
caption for picture "Hallelujah"
The female was in the scrape checking out the nesting-place, then at 09.17 the male flew in and, on the rhs of the nestbox, a very formal bowing ritual took place. Then the female flew off.
She's back on the nesting-place checking it all out again, picking at things in the corners, squatting, etc. He's on the tower having a wash and brush -up.
There's something partly obscuring the view on Feed 1 - could it be a feather stuck to the camera?
I should be doing housework but I've become addicted to this pair!
Lovely head-bowing display between both birds on the right side of the nest platform at 13:05 local time.
@AnnieF - yes there's clearly a feathre or something stuck to the tower cam lens. I'll go up and clear it away of it doesn't go after the next period of rain and wind.
There's a peregrine, possibly the falcon, on the nestbox ledge, scrape side.
One on the nest ledge one on ledge below nest, was someone up the tower early? or did it clear up by itself?
One peregrine on the nestbox, one on the ledge below, photo to flicker.
Feed 1 camera's nice and clear now - thanks to the brave man who did that!
12:57 am 19 march 2010
The falcon is in the nest at the moment and has been for quite a few minutes. She has been scratching out the dip ready for the eggs.
The tiercel is sat on the tower waiting patiently as the falcon plucks the prey. I missed seeing if it was freshly brought in.
One giving us a close up on the tower cam
cams are frozen
One bird has been pottering about in the scrape & is now on the nestbox ledge, and the other is perched on that piece of guttering on the tower.
There has been a peregrine on the guttering for several hours now - if it's the same one.
Cams frozen this very minute
Now it's not. It went through the cycle about five or six times and the time stamp didn't change. Nor did the picture. (bird on platform didn't move)
Just mated
One just landed on the tower ledge with prey.
A foggy day in Derby, and one peregrine on the nestbox.
multi cams frozen at 6.22 tower cam working ok
One on the nestbox ledge rhs, the other just flown onto the tower with, I think, small prey.
The falcon has spent several minutes in the nestbox arranging things to her liking.
The tiercel has just arrived on the tower ledge & the falcon is still in the nestbox.
The falcon's in the nestbox - first time I've seen her there after dark.
She seems to be asleep on the nestbox ledge - has been in that position for ages.
She woke up a few minutes ago, stretched her wings, had a good look round, then dropped into the nestbox. I caught a glimpse of a wing over the lens of the tower cam, possibly the tiercel arriving.
She's been in the middle of the scrape for ages now, quite restless & changing her position a lot. No sign of the tiercel.
It's been a very frustrating few days for me. Computer problems at home have meant I've been unable to view our webcams since Friday, despite being able to access a handful of other websites, inlcuding our blog.
AnnieF's helpful comments about the female falcon's restless activity on the nest scrape made me check our list of dates for last year's egg-laying, as this did sound rather like the pre-cursor to egg-laying.
In 2009 she laid her first egg on 23rd March. Whilst we had thought she would be a week or so later than last year, it's possible we've miscalculated. So I hope we'll hear a few more updates from you - I can see these but not our view the cameras.
@project member, have you tried accessing thru streamdays?
Peregrine snoozing on the edge of the nestbox. I was beginning to get paranoid about the camera maybe being frozen (although the time was updating), but she or he finally moved a bit.
She's moved to the rhs of the nestbox ledge and the tiercel is on the tower in front of the camera. She seems to be waiting for something.
@ Project Member: Thanks for reassuring me that my comments are useful! I've felt a bit self-conscious because there are so few other posts, but at least there are real signs now of the "maternity suite" being prepared.
She's been in both ends of the nestbox & is now on the scrape ledge looking out. I don't think she's been away from the box all morning, though I haven't been at home all the time to know for sure.
Having said that, I'm immediately wrong - she's disappeared! But there's a peregrine on the tower ledge with prey.
An adult Falcon I think, has landed on the tower with prey.
She is on the tower resting now. The prey has not been plucked and it looks like a woodcock or possibly a snipe though not certain.
One of them is having a go at the prey now, and as Phoebe said, it's a woodcock or a snipe. Beautiful feathers.
I think it is the tiercel on the tower with the prey caught earlier, he is still there.
The falcon is in the scrape tidying up!
First egg at the Pennsylvania falcon cam:
http://www.dep.state.pa.us/dep/falcon/
Is this a race :-)
one on the nest ledge, and prey still on the tower cam
courtship bowing on the scrape right now!
Both in the nest area now
tiercel has left and the Falcon is still in the scrape!
At the risk of boring the pants off people who already know, just a timely reminder that you can zoom in and out of the webcam pics by holding down the CTRL key and using the scroll-wheel on your mouse (or thye + amd - keys) on most newish browsers.
To reset, hold down CTRL and press the number 0.
This has been a public service announcement :)
Please excuse the typos !
This is a bit cheeky of me and way off-topic, but may I please urge you all to consider having a look here and consider joining the petition against the culling of a supposedly protected species, purely in farmers' interests.
badger culling
Thanks
Thanks Terry, I did know it can be done with ctrl and + but not with the Ctrl and wheel, the latter is more useful
Cheers !!
Hi Terry, have signed the petition, hope lots of other's will too, I love the badgers and feed them every night along with Mr Foxy, also send monthly contribution to Mr & Mrs Peregrine of Derby - Long live the wildlife !!
I can only see one peregrine - it's perched on a corbel below the rhs of the nestbox.
@ Annie
that is the Falcon, I watched saw her land there after the bowing in the scrape earlier, the tiercel was sat up top but has gone now.
I notice the dip in the scrape is more pronounced tonight.
@Phoebe: Thanks, I did wonder if it might be her as she has been staying quite close to the scrape recently. She's now tidying a corner of the nestbox.
A very foolhardy pigeon just landed on the tower & is casually preening. The falcon turned from her attention to the dip in the scrape - can she see the tower from there? If so, that pigeon's in mortal danger.
@ annie, she would be able to see the tower from the scrape but only the underneath.
I see she is sitting on the scrape ledge at the moment.
I wonder if we will see the first egg today... as the team posted earlier, the first egg laid was 23 March last year.. :D
The falcon has just dug at the scrape again and is now sitting still, in the nest!
What next.... :D
@ Phoebe: Thanks, I couldn't work out the angles between the 2 camera positions.
She's now sitting in definite egg-laying mode!
What is happening in the nest... they are both there, one each side, the cam is zoomed in on the scrape! Good work Team!
Is it time for the first egg!
@Phoebe
No, this is courtship display. The male in the scrape (nearly falling asleep, I see) with the female eating on the other side, also head-down from time to time.
A pergerine expert in the SW of Emgland (Nick Dixon) did call today to sugest that egg-laying might be imminent, but then we'd just see the female standing still for quite some time in the scrape, not both together like we're seeing right now. Te male is making short, plaintiff calls as he stares at her.
Nick M
Dreby Museum
Thanks Nick, I was beginning to wonder and getting excited. It's great to see this. Thanks again!
But there could be an egg any time I expect!
So the calls he makes is 'egging' her on, so to speak :D
She is sitting fairly still at the moment.
I started to watch last year just before the first chick hatched. Can't wait till the first egg is laid.
Just a couple of questions -
1. How long from first egg being laid to hatching?
2. Is laying more likely to take place during the day or at night?
@ Phoebe: these egg-related puns are going to arrive thick & fast from now on - I'm getting very eggcited myself (!)
Is it the falcon on the scrape ledge right now?
haha Annie! I was serious!
It was the falcon in the nest but she has just gone. I see something in the shot on the nest cam top left of the right hand view, hanging over...
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