Those of you who followed events in summer 2009 will remember that one of the juveniles, colour ring number 009, a female, broke her neck a few days after fledging. She flew into a glass panel on the roof of a block of flats near the cathedral.
Colin Pass' photo shows 009 a few days before her death, perching on the edge of the nest platform. You can just see her orange colour ring on her left leg.
Nick M recovered the corpse and put it in the museum's deep freeze. We hoped to get the bird 'set up' by a taxidermist so that we could use it for talks and other educational purposes. We applied for and got some funding towards the total costs......but not enough - we had more than slightly underestimated the (very reasonable) charges that a taxidermist would make these days for a week's work.
So we are scrabbling round trying to make up the difference between what we have and what we need....
So we are scrabbling round trying to make up the difference between what we have and what we need....
We have a very good taxidermist waiting in the wings.....but we need the money first!
We hope to use as little of the existing peregrine donations as possible since these will all be required to fund next seasons web cams, make more DVDs up, reprint the project leaflet and for similar things so if anyone out there would like to help towards these costs we'd be very grateful.
We're a couple of hundred pounds adrift but any help would be appreciated.To donate to the project, click on the word 'donate' on the left hand side of the blog under 'Key Links'.
Cheers
Nick B (DWT)
27 comments:
Morning.
Sounds interesting what you are planning to do. And she looks a very beautiful bird. I remember reading about the bird flying into the glass last year. Unfortunately I wasn't around enough to get to see those birds.
I will of course send you a cheque for this project. Hope you raise enough.
Contribution on its way, glad to be able to help, in a small way.
Yes, although I am not sure I would want to see her myself I understand that it would be useful to you to do thsi.
Incidentally, Nick B, I have for the first time, to my shame, read your nature diary via the DWT newsletter and found it very interesting, particularly the item about the polecat and also the wonderful photos of the waxwings on Fair Isle which I had already seen.
Thanks to several people for either making donations already (thanks Joyce S.) or promising to do so (Craig, Deborah, AnnieF) - we are very grateful to you all for your generosity.
And Erica: thanks for your kind comments. I write the weekly diary for the Derbyshire Wildlife Trust and it appears on the Trust's website under 'News and Diary' usually on Fridays.....
www.derbyshirewildlifetrust.co.uk
Nick B (DWT)
Peregrine on the tower, just visible - its shining eye helps to make out the rest of it.
Both adults present this morning Sunday - the falcon on Jurys Inn and the tiercel above the platform.
The street cleaners are way too efficient these days - just one pigeony feather found this morning....doh!
Nick B
I heard that Songs of Praise will be coming from Derby Cathedral next Sunday. Has it already been recorded, or will it be live, and did/will the peregrines appear?
In today's Cathedral Newletter it says "ON BBC ONE NEXT SUNDAY EVENING The Cathedral Choir, and the Cathedral itself will be featured on Songs of Praise."
It was recorded some time ago - not sure if the Peregrines will be featured, we'll all just have to watch to find out!!!
Nice to see both adult peregrines on the cameras this morning. One on the platform and one on the tower.
Some shots From Sunday 21st Nov are
up on the flickr Pool
Both on tower feeding when I left and they where on Jurys Inn when I returned 15 mins later One on the "U" and one on the "I"
http://www.flickr.com/groups/derbyperegrines/pool/
Must have just missed you Nick left at 8:45 Back @ 9:00 but did not stay long it was to cold.
Regards Ian "superbrad"
In Ian's Flickr photos, what is the bird in the peregrine's claws? It seems to have webbed feet, a black head & an orange front.
7:20 Peregrine on the RHS nest box. Think it's the Falcon; she looks very active this morning. Into the next box she goes, looking at the floor before moving over to the scrape.
7.25 Onto the ledge of the scrape.
Both peregrines were sunning themselves on Jury's Inn lettering when I drove past at 09:45am, one on each of the E and S faces.
Both cameras stuck at 15.56.
Good Evening
A couple of shots added to the flickr group taken on July 4th this year on and around the radio mast off Clarke street.
I believe that this day was the last sighting of all the four Peregrine,s Together.
Looks like a sprinkle of snow on the nest ledge!
One bird on tower, looks like feathers are puffed up to keep it's self warm.
I have only realised this week that there is a link on the DWT website to internet stores which give a kickback to the trust if you order from them via the site. I jsut mention this in case anybody else doesn't know.
I have ordered from Amazon this week like this.
A big thank you to everyone who has made a donation this last week or two including Brian Q, Marilyn S, Ann F, Craig A, Joyce S and Erica H. I think there are more donations in the pipeline but please keep them coming......
We have had £125 donated to date which will be a big help towards the costs of getting 009 mounted.
Many thanks to everyone!
Nick B (DWT)
I've just come past Jury's Inn and had a fine view of both peregrines perched on the lettering. The female was on the south side, and the male on the east side.
Some prey - a pigeon? - has recently been caught & stashed in the nestbox, rhs. The snow round it looks rather bloody.
Evidence of fresh prey being in the scrape, r/h side.
Two falcons on the upper webcam.
A peregrine up on the tower.
Both birds on the tower.
One on the tower. Is it thawing yet in Derby?
It's still there1
Annie F asked if it was thawing yet in Derby. Well, it did warm up a bit on Saturday, but by Monday morning we woke to temperatures of -7 degrees Celsius and glorious sunshine.
The cold won't bother our peregrines who have evolved to cope with mountain conditions, though smaller garden birds are likely to suffer without some assistance.
There will be a break in webcam transmission on Dec 13th, due to electrical work being carried out at the Silk Mill Museum.
I'm afraid I have incorrectly adjusted the aperture of one of our nest cameras in an attempt to stop the night time illuminator continuously switching on and off. We'll try and correct this on Tuesday or Wednesday this week.
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