First chick hatches out!

After what seems like a very long time since the first chip was detected on one of the eggs, we now have our first hatching! It occured about 1pm, Saturday 1st May. The shot below shows our female peregrine on the three remaining chicks and newly hatched chick (which is just visible as a damp ball of feathers protruding from under her breast. Half an egg-shell is discarded at the side of the nest.

Many webcam watchers have captured screen-grabs like the ones above and posted them on our Flickr Pool here  As the weekend goes on, the Project team will try and embed a selection of your pictures  at the end of this post.

All being well, we can expect the other three eggs to hatch in the next few days. (See below for news of a special Bank Holiday Monday event at Derby Cathedral)

We expect feeding to begin quite shortly after the chicks start appearing. But here's where we need your help. Nick Dixon, the national expert on peregrines nesting on artificial structures such as buildings, pylons and bridges, is keen to discover how long it is between hatching and first feeding - so please leave a comment  with the time when you first see the tiny chick being offered food and maybe again, when you see it actually taking food and swallowing it down.

The parents are incredibly delicate and gentle when they are feeding small chicks as you will see.....amazing for birds that are predators - how marvellous is evolution!

Occasionally a chick fails to get out of the egg and dies inside, unhatched. We have never had this happen at Derby but it is a possibility - so, as the old adage goes; don't count your chick(ens) before they're hatched!

If they are all successfully out of their shells by say Monday, then we will be able to watch them grow over the next 5-6 weeks with fledging likely to occur sometime around 9-11 June at a guess.

Watch Points on Cathedral Green, organised by Derbyshire Wildlife Trust, are being planned now. There's not too much point in starting before the chicks get big enough to show themselves over the front edge of the next platform so we expect to start them about mid-May. Full details will be posted here on the blog. If you have never been to see the birds live so to speak, then do make the effort to come along (assuming you live within reach that is - though we have had visitors from as far away as Hong Kong in previous years!).

Meanwhile Tony, the Head Verger at the Cathedral, has planned an Open Day for THIS MONDAY, 3rd May, the bank holiday. There will be trips up to the top of the tower and a chance to see the monitor in the bell ringing chamber as you go up. There are almost 200 steps so beware of the physical demands this places on you before you think of going up. Also note that children under 8 are not allowed to climb the tower.

The Trust has arranged people to run a Watch Point on Cathedral Green behind the cathedral that day too - so between 11 am and 4pm, we will have volunteers able to show you any action and hopefully at least the off-duty bird - almost certainly the male (you won't be able to see the brooding bird or the chicks themselves from the ground for a few weeks yet).

Do go along....Derby is quiet on these holidays and parking is easy (though you will probably still have to pay).......

The Project Team

Your Photos:  Photo credit is given above each image.

HelenSara 08:54 1 May


Craig, Nottingham 12:31pm 1 May



Twwitcher 12:50pm 1 May

Twwitcher 14:03 1 May


Twwitcher 14:30pm 1 May


Craig, Nottingham 17:12pm 1 May



Comment by "Dutch Eagle Fan": A new life born on the birthday of Froona Veldhuis. How fitting.