Update: the missing youngster was found on the top of a nearby church which is now an architects office about 5pm. It stayed there until 7pm when it flew strongly back to the cathedral tower, landing somewhat inelegantly on a sloping ledge but soon getting to a better perch nearby. The first picture show the low tower of St Michael's church on the left on which the missing juve was found.
The second photo is a close up and shows the pigeon wire in front of the bird's breast on St. Michael's.
The third photo shows the bird on the north side of the cathedral tower having returned there from St Michael's. It seemed very settled there in the evening sunshi
ne.
ne.
One of the two chicks (the more advanced one) fledged this morning sometime around 8 am. Despite three of us searching from 8.45 to 11.45 we have been unable to locate it.
In previous years, fledglings have landed fairly close to the cathedral, on roofs, chimneys etc and have been reasonably easy to find. Not so this bird which seems to have flown further away.
We watched the falcon circling over a wide area this morning (and indeed the tiercel too, higher up) as if looking for the youngster but she didn't give us any indication that she knew where it was.
We have looked on the nave roof, been up to the top of the two mult-storey car parks in the area and walked the surrounding streets but all to no avail (thanks Colin and Andy for your stalwart help!).
We have alerted the police and also the local radio and newspaper in case anyone sees a strange looking bird in their back yard.
There's not much more we can do except run a few more patrols round the area which we intend to do later. We'll keep you updated as best we can but please bear with us!
Nick B (Derbyshire Wildlife Trust)
Ps Anyone who would like to donate to the project please do so if you haven't already! Thanks.
In previous years, fledglings have landed fairly close to the cathedral, on roofs, chimneys etc and have been reasonably easy to find. Not so this bird which seems to have flown further away.
We watched the falcon circling over a wide area this morning (and indeed the tiercel too, higher up) as if looking for the youngster but she didn't give us any indication that she knew where it was.
We have looked on the nave roof, been up to the top of the two mult-storey car parks in the area and walked the surrounding streets but all to no avail (thanks Colin and Andy for your stalwart help!).
We have alerted the police and also the local radio and newspaper in case anyone sees a strange looking bird in their back yard.
There's not much more we can do except run a few more patrols round the area which we intend to do later. We'll keep you updated as best we can but please bear with us!
Nick B (Derbyshire Wildlife Trust)
Ps Anyone who would like to donate to the project please do so if you haven't already! Thanks.
54 comments:
Thanks to all the team for your care and dedication in searching for our lost fledgling.
Lets hope for a successful outcome.
All the best,
Jane, Syston Leics.
Indeed, thanks to everyone for what you are doing. Afraid that nature can be brutal........
But here's hoping anyway. Feels like a friend has gone missing :(
The remaining juvenille is still there. Hope the other one is ok, where ever it's hiding.
I hope the fledgling turns up soon, as does everyone. Thanks to the team for their dedication hopefuly they will be rewarded. I am now living in Scotland and have followed the webcam from the beginning of this year. I am hooked now and will be watching every year. I previosly lived in Derby and I wished I was there at present I would have come down to help search
Lets hope we get a good outcome
Jean Scotland
Thanks to those of you who are searching. It is a distressing time especially with only two chicks surviving so far.
Oh dear I hope the missing one is not actually missing - I am hoping it will come back to the tower at some point. When it gets hungry I'm sure it will be calling out, giving the parents or the people a clue as to its whereabouts. I don't know how long the remaining one has been there without seeing a parent. It could be they know where it is by now and are helping/feeding it. How long has it been since the parents have been seen on the webcams?
wot a shame hope he/she found watched these from an egg keep up the good searching
Have there ever been any attacks on persons watching the falcons? Have the mother and father teamed up to dive and circle interested onlookers?
This weekend at the UB Buffalo my friend and I had to take cover under trees as both parents attacked us, thankfully they didn't make contact, but swooped and circled and dived like a velociraptor. It was absolutely terrifying and I am sure I will never leave my car to look at the falcons again. They fledged on Sunday.
My thoughts are as Jane said above.
If I was in Derby I'd be out joining the search, unfortunately I'm not so I will, however, keep an eye out in Nottingham for you.
She's a smart bird I'm sure she'll show up sooner or later. Preferably sooner.
(me giggling at self thinking of the old asking for directions jokes) SORRY! /serious face - just lightening the mood...
Good luck.
Eternal optimist here - I just caught a very brief glimpse of 2 birds flying by quite close together. Could have been both adults, or 2 other birds but it did look reminiscent of last year when a parent was giving a youngster flying lessons! I can but hope!!
A parent has just landed on the tower near the spout and looks to be preparing food, this has caused the remaining youngster to flap quite a lot and leap/fly from one side to the other, looking up all the time. She is now on the sloping side of the scrape looking towards mum up the top.
Nick B has just reported that he has spotted the missing fledgling peregrine on the roof of St Michael's Church in Derby city centre. This is very close indeed to the Cathedral, and he is convinced it was not there earlier. This suggests that the bird is now capable of flying under its own steam, so to speak. So it looks like a positive outcome after all. Thanks to Nick for all his hard work today.
The parent, not shure which has landed on the scrape with food and is eating it on the rhs whilst the juvie is still on the left side and appears to be in the corner.
I referred to the Juve in my previous post about it being a she, we of course don't know what sex they are. But I'm going to refer to them as 'she' because they're gorgeous birds.
Anyway:
Lots of wingflapping from the remaining Juve and looking up, one parent on the Tower.
17.56 She's just flown upto the camera bracing.
17:59 Dinner has been served by the Tiercel and the remaining Juve looks big in comparison to him, I definately say it's a She.
The Tiercel has moved over to the other side of the box and started eating the leftovers from the previous meal.
Waste not want not, precious food there.
18:08 WELL DONE MR. NICK BROWN! Well spotted.
Thank you so much for the recent update I knew all would be well. I hope the juvie comes back to the scrape to spend the night with its sibling. Good news all round. Thank you Nick B, Colin and everyone for all you have done!
Hallelujah! Well done Nick B. We have all been hoping 'no news is good news' all day. Even though I was fairly certain that if there had been a disaster it would have been found and reported it has still been unsettling.
@ Annief - thanks for trying my peregrine pal but it would appear that no-one saw it actually go. Perhaps there will be a video posted in the next few days when the team have time! Now for number 2 and then we can all relax into our withdrawal symptoms.
That is wonderful news. Thank you so much to all the team for their tireless efforts on behalf of these wonderful birds. I'm looking forward to seeing it back in camera view.
What great news and such a relief! Thanks everyone for all your hard work today. Let's see how long the remaining chick waits until fledging and the adventure (and the worrying) begins all over again!
All I can say is "Phew!" Well done for spotting it!
6.17 I reckon it must have been an adult and one yougster as now there is only the younger bird
6.15 and two peregrins on the scrape, both eating. Not really sure if one is an adult or both the youngsters.
Thank goodness you've found the fledged chick. Lovely that a lot of people searched for her/him and that there has been a positive outcome. Well done you!
Excellent news. Thanks for sharing it so swiftly.
Well spotted, Nick.
Great work and thank goodness the fledgling is located!
Well done team for all your hard work, yet again you have come up trumps!
Will let the Chancellor know to give you all pay rises in the budget. I'm sure every one agrees you deseve it.
The youngster was still perch on the north face of the cathedral when we left at 8.30. It had tucked itself into a recess in the stone work and looked like it would settle (famous last words)
Chris and Andy
Delighted at the good news, well done everyone and many thanks for the brilliant photos.
Well, that's it folks. The remaining chick is not going to fledge tonight. Settled happily for the night. Tomorrow is another day. Guess Craig might be right though. There is at least 2 days between big bird and little bird hatching. Could still be Wednesday before it puts us out of our misery. Lets hope the team don't have such a struggle locating the little blighter when it does!
Brilliant news and photos from the team. thanks so much
Are you lonesome tonight? Wonder if he is missing his sibling?
Well done guys, im so pleased that the youngster has been found!!! Its very traumatic all this!!! xxx
Thanks for the update and wonderful photos of the fledgling very nicely digiscoped! Good to hear she is safely back on the cathedral. She looks extremely fit and healthy and just as gorgeous as her parents. I wonder what tomorrow will bring...
07.00 A lonely night for the remaining chick. Falcon is up on the tower.
Wonder how the other chick got on.
07.05 The Falcon has left the building.
This chick doesn't look like she's in the mood for fledging at this time of day... not a morning Peregrine. Hope that when she does decided to take flight she takes some tips from her sibling and not get lost.
07:40 Remaining Juve still on the nest platform, accompanied by one adult; the other adult is by the water spout.
I see the one left behind is being a little more adventurous up on side of rhs of nest ,up on the side of it
Lots of wing stretching and moving about from the remaining juvenile s/he looks ready to go any moment but there is a large piece of food in the scrape.
More preening now.
Still there!
The remaining youngster's perched on the rhs ledge looking thoughtful but not showing any signs of wanting to get out there.
After lots of flapping about the juvie has jumped up onto the left side of the slope, tail just visible
Lots of wing-flapping for a couple of minutes, then it flew to the top lhs of the nestbox. Seems to be restless now! Could only just see the tail feathers at the top of the shot .
Wrong - it's back!
Think the second chick has just taken off. Stood on the side of the ledge for a couple of minutes (only tip of tail visible) and then gone. Could be higher on the edge of the ledge out of sight but the amount of flapping going on prior to this would suggest a fledge.
I wonder if the parents are flying passed the scrape with food, the juvie is leaning forward looking left and right and up and down at something.
The juvie has not gone yet but decided to lie down and soak up the sun at the back of the scrape lhs.
It is good that one of the chicks have fleghed.We are happy and exighted.We will miss seeing it on the web cam because we have wached it for ages.We hope it lerns to fly well we wonder when the other chick will go.We will miss all of the chicks. We hope they have a gud tim flying.
Hallo, Green Class!
I'm glad you have all enjoyed watching the peregrines. It has been very exciting, hasn't it? I have been watching every day since before the first egg was laid, and now there's just one chick left. That one will fly off soon, but although it's sad for us to say goodbye, it's the start of a new life for them. Perhaps you will be able to watch again next year. I hope to as well!
Will the happy wanderer ever return to the scrape? As she/he been seen today? xx
Is there any news on the fledged juvenile?
Some serious looking flapping going on now I think this may be preliminary to a fledge
Thanks, Team, for this morning's update. It's great to know all's well with the fledgling & that the parents are keeping watch. There has been a lot of wing-flapping and hopping around and up the scrape, so I'm sure we'll be saying "au revoir" to the remaining one soon.
No, I was wrong, s/he is now sat quite comfortably on the right hand ledge looking out and very settled. We are being kept waiting aren't we... but while there is food on the scrape why leave !
After a short fly from one side to the other and a good wing stretch the remaining juvie is finishing off the food in the scrape.
An adult (I think) has just landed on the tower with prey and has disappeared with it behind the water spout. The juvie in the scrape has got excited and is now on the left side slope with tail just visible.
I've missed it! I saw two parents and the other one on the top of the tower at around 1.45pm - thanks to those on the watchpoint. Lovely to see the birds live rather than on webcam. They are so beautiful. The remaining bird was still on the ledge when I got back to work but I have just looked and it's gone.
Pam, Derby
Post a Comment