Your Peregrine Project Team maintain a table of dates for key events over the last few breeding seasons. Normally, as the female gets more experienced, the dates of laying get progressively earlier. Here are the dates for first egg, last egg and date of hatching over the last few years: 2007 3 April 9 April, 9 May Incubation: 30 days 2008 28 March 4 April, 4 May Incubation: 30 days 2009 23 March 31 March 29 April Incubation: 30 days 2010 24 March 31 March 1 May Incubation: 31 days 2011 4 April 9 April So we see incubation takes around thirty days, giving us an expected hatching date of 9th May. Quite why she was later this year is not known. Do we still have the original female as last year (we're 99.9% sure that we do)? Has the colder weather this year delayed things? The answer is we simply don't know. These next few weeks will be rather quiet times on the webcams, with the female doing most of the incubation. Sometimes the male will come in and take over while she feeds and preens, but she soon returns to oust him from his paternal duties.
Peregrine Falcons first nested on Derby's Cathedral, England, in 2006. Our Peregrine Project is now run by a partnership between Derbyshire Wildlife Trust, Derby City Council, Derby Cathedral and the Cathedral Quarter. Here is what's happening in 2024. . .
Sunday, 10 April 2011
We have a Fourth Egg
Clutch sizes of three or four are normal in peregrines. But, because egg-laying was as late this year as it was in 2007, it seemed more likely that we would only have a clutch of three in 2011. However, reports of a fourth egg began coming in on Saturday morning (9th April) around 7am, which were confirmed later by this lovely screen capture posted to our Flickr Group by HelenSara. Your Peregrine Project Team maintain a table of dates for key events over the last few breeding seasons. Normally, as the female gets more experienced, the dates of laying get progressively earlier. Here are the dates for first egg, last egg and date of hatching over the last few years: 2007 3 April 9 April, 9 May Incubation: 30 days 2008 28 March 4 April, 4 May Incubation: 30 days 2009 23 March 31 March 29 April Incubation: 30 days 2010 24 March 31 March 1 May Incubation: 31 days 2011 4 April 9 April So we see incubation takes around thirty days, giving us an expected hatching date of 9th May. Quite why she was later this year is not known. Do we still have the original female as last year (we're 99.9% sure that we do)? Has the colder weather this year delayed things? The answer is we simply don't know. These next few weeks will be rather quiet times on the webcams, with the female doing most of the incubation. Sometimes the male will come in and take over while she feeds and preens, but she soon returns to oust him from his paternal duties.
Your Peregrine Project Team maintain a table of dates for key events over the last few breeding seasons. Normally, as the female gets more experienced, the dates of laying get progressively earlier. Here are the dates for first egg, last egg and date of hatching over the last few years: 2007 3 April 9 April, 9 May Incubation: 30 days 2008 28 March 4 April, 4 May Incubation: 30 days 2009 23 March 31 March 29 April Incubation: 30 days 2010 24 March 31 March 1 May Incubation: 31 days 2011 4 April 9 April So we see incubation takes around thirty days, giving us an expected hatching date of 9th May. Quite why she was later this year is not known. Do we still have the original female as last year (we're 99.9% sure that we do)? Has the colder weather this year delayed things? The answer is we simply don't know. These next few weeks will be rather quiet times on the webcams, with the female doing most of the incubation. Sometimes the male will come in and take over while she feeds and preens, but she soon returns to oust him from his paternal duties.
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51 comments:
Great photo and thanks for information about incubating times, especially over the last few years.
I know the youngsters have been tagged this last few years but wondered if parent birds had been.
Joy: no the adults are not ringed. It would be rather risky to try to catch them!
We have ringed the young every year since 2006 except last year when two chicks died - we decided not to ring the remaining two. In 2007-2009, the chicks were also colour ringed. These rings have large sized but simple numbers (001, 002 etc) so they can be read through a telescope.
Tagging usually refers to fixing a satellite tag on the back of birds as has been done so successfully with ospreys, enabling us to see their migrations to and from West Africa in minute and fascinating detail.
Cheers
Nick B (DWT)
Sorry what I really meant was ringed not tagged
if anyone's interested in the aston kestrels, the 2nd. egg has just arrived - it's still damp!
http://www1.aston.ac.uk/about/environment/kestrels/webcam/
Four eggs arrive, great. After the first I suggested the 9th May as well, but wanted to see when the third arrived. Slightly later than I thought, so I’m going to suggest evening of the 9th into early morning of the 10th – though I bet nature will make me look stupid! Whatever, we have some waiting to do..
Hi everyone, really fantastic news about the 4 eggs. I too feared only three this year. Glad to be wrong. Hopefully all will hatch safely and fledge in due time. Hoping to make a trip to Derby again this year in the Fall. Now we await the first hatch.
the egg number 4 was placed at 07,07 on the day 09/04/2011
I put a picture on the forum birdcam.it in this page http://www.birdcam.it/forum/viewtopic.php?f=54&t=5054&start=105
My niece, nephew and myself, Aunt RLS, are watching the Peregrine webcam on the Derby Cathedral. We live in upstate New York. we are loving it and are very impressed by your gorgeous birds. We follow them here in New York and in Pennsylvania as well.
Thanks.
So now we have the fourth egg I guess the wait begins .....
Thanks for the updates.
Great to see a fourth egg. I have been away from my pc so only just able to briefly check in. Good news! Will post again when I can.
The tiercel has been perched on the scrape ledge for ages, hoping for a turn on the eggs. Just when it looked as if the falcon was going to let him, she merely got up and re-settled herself on them. He's still there, waiting patiently.
So pleased to hear there's a 4th egg, what fools we were to think that nothing was going to happen this year! The strange "lateness" is a mystery - and one which we probably never solve, good old mother nature just knows best.
2.30pm....4 little eggies all alone x
2.35pm.....Mrs P returns (toilet break I think) x
The Aston kestrels now have a 3rd. egg!
It looks like quite an overcast day in Derby today. Mrs P sitting tight; a few cars passing doen Sowter Road (have I got that name right? I'm just a "virtual" observer from Bucks!)
Hi Andy, yes today is a bit chilly in Derby - no wonder Mrs P is sitting tight on those eggs. I think the name of the road is Full Street. You'll have to try to get up to Derby and stand on Cathedral Green when all the scopes are set up. It's an amazing sight to see the peregrines flying.
Hello Andy
The road you can see where there are cars passing is Full Street.
Hi Andy...The road that you can see is Full Street...Sowter Road is off Full Street...I didn't know Sowter Road had to look at A to Z of Derby and I live 10 miles from Derby x
No idea if someone has posted it already, multicam freeze.
Both video feeds seem OK to me, Craig.
Have you tried hitting F5?
He's right you know, refreshed and it's all good. Magic. Give the man a gold star.
Thanks, didn't think to do that.
Hi all
Thanks for putting me right about the road names, I looked on the Google map attached to the Derby City Council website and it marked Full St starting a bit lower down, misleading me! Anyway, it still looks a bit grey up there in Derby again today, maybe the cloud cover is not so dense so a nice day may break out? Mrs P sitting tight, Mr P perched on the rim of the platform. I have to admit, I was accidentally impersonating husband Andy when I briefly logged on at work yesterday and couldn't remember my own logon! Anyway, we've both been lots of times to Derby, both in the "watch" season and outside. Over the years, we've progressed from bumbling amateurs with no equipment to having a decent pair of bins and telescope now. I've said it before and I'll continue saying it, Derby is one cool place and has the best peregrines and project team in the whole world, no make that the whole universe. I shall definitely make at least one special visit this year :)
Just wondering as I watch the cam.... Do Falcons get bored?
I cannot think of anything more boring than sitting like that for a month (I know that she does get exercise)
Not only that, she is sitting on 4 great lumpy eggs, sitting on cold gravel on a windswept ledge. She must get a sore bum...
What a life..........
@ Andrew L: interesting question! Maybe the incubation instinct knocks out any other feeling. I remember last year when the tiercel remained stubbornly on the eggs despite the falcon trying to persuade him it was her turn - that episode lasted 18 minutes! So despite extremes of weather, sore rears and boredom, they're still anxious to do it.
A bit worried that we haven't heard from Terry (Herts. UK) lately. If you're out there Terry, hope all's well, we're missing your input!
Off topic - sorry!
Just been watching a little owl trying to evict a pigeon twice it's size from the entrance section of it's nest box, currently I'd give evens on the pigeon winning!
PS The site I was watching the owl on was
www.beleefdelente.nl/steenuil
Hello is anybody out there.....I know it is the quiet month but this is daft...no comments since Kerry's blog on the 14th.... xx
I'm still here Mo! It is very quiet at the moment, we are all waiting for the excitement to begin. Hope to meet up with you again soon on Cathedral Green.
I'm here too, still watching when I can. I'd thought maybe the moderator was having a few days off!
I'm here, just been working and busy.
Update on the Dutch owl.
Pigeon evicted and 1 owl egg laid! That was a mean looking owl!
Can't get the cameras to load - is there a problem?
I'm "here" also...San Francisco...but Darby in my heart. Not much nest action--good I guess. Great Owl Cam wish I were fluent enough to read the text. CC
The San Francisco chicks are getting bigger now. Did only 3 hatch out?
Hi....have we got a full team now....craig is missing.. come on craig sign in.....it was good to watch the change over last night...Mrs P still very protective xx
Mo, I'm still here too, patiently watching. Think Nottingham chicks will hatch soon, maybe before the end of this week. Mr & Mrs P in Derby are still my favourites - to be any other, would be like a Rams fan suddenly supporting Forest. It's the stuff of nightmares!!! Be well everyone.
And your Project team is here too, Mo.
Just keeping a quiet eye on things in the background. I was down on the Green this afternoon - lots of people and sunshine, but little peregrine activity.
I've just added Derby's Cathedral Green as a new place on Foursquare. So it'll be interesting to see who can stay as mayor of the Green the longest. Bring your smartphone phone down and Check In!
I check in a few times a day, but haven't really seen anything to comment on. Mr P is looking like he doesn't know what to do with himself. Reminds me of my brother when our other brother started school. He moped around all day and finally sat on the doorstep to wait for his best friend to come home.
Been watching the poor baby Bald Eagles in Iowa getting snowed on, and mum and dad there trying to keep them all warm and dry.
Looking real sorry for themselves there at the moment.
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/03/bald-eagle-cam/
Hi Mary T--Yes, just three hatched here in SF--the last one must be a "dud" (horrid term). They are getting quite big and Mom/Dad are gone a lot, so they are easy to see. BTW...I know it's Derby (not Darby) BAD typing is my specialty. CC in SF
The eggs are unattended at present but it's still incredibly warm for April so I doubt if they will come to any harm.
A brief plug for the Aston kestrels: Mrs. K. has now laid 6 eggs, same as 2010 when 5 hatched & fledged successfully.
A lovely sunny morning in Derby. Female on the eggs, male standing patiently next to her, his bright yellow legs and bill so clear and bright.
Hello AnnieF et al,
Yes, I'm still here. Very kind of you to ask. Haven't been so attentive this season due to ill health but it's nothing too serious and I'm looking forward to the first hatching just as much as everyone.
Lets hope it's a little less fraught than last year but even having said that, it was hugely educational despite witnessing nature's apparent cruelty.
Best wishes to all fellow bloggers and of course the fantastic team, without whom none of this would be possible
Terry
Good to see you back Terry, & hope your health improves with the weather!
Mr. P. has been perched patiently on the scrape ledge for ages, waiting maybe for Mrs. P. to let him take over, or maybe just "being there" for company.
The Hamilton, Ontario peregrines have 3 eggs and expect their hatching to start the first week of May.
Happy Easter everyone!!
A happy Easter to you too Steph, and to everyone who blogs here and/or works in the background to give us this amazing site!
When do we expect the first Derby hatching? I'm concerned I may miss it - I go into hospital for surgery on May 3rd. :(
AnnieF: probably hatching will be about 9th May, give or take. Hope you're out of hospital by then....
Nick B (DWT)
Nick B. (DWT): If all goes to plan, I should come home on 8th. May - just in time for the Big Event! Many thanks Nick.
believe it or not but we are down to the last 5 weeks of school here so things are pretty hectic;1 Mulan costume 1 Maiden of Verona costume and we are about ready to wave goodbye to the 2010-2011 school year in style! have rels coming to visit soon. what a blast to have them watch the the P family from home in Arkansas. hope all are well as we wait with baited breath for the next stage. keep in touch Helen
We have an absolutely gorgeous day down here in Bucks - I guess it's just the same in Derby? Actually, I feel a bit too warm and am feeling sorry for Mrs P if she's finding the lovely sunshine a bit too much of a good thing? I shouldn't moan about good weather though, and how great to be blessed with such a lovely day for St George's Day too. Am feeling rather sleepy - went on a Dawn Chorus field trip at 5am - a fantastic experience but I don't think I could repeat the early start in a hurry. (Highlight of the trip was a splendid male crossbill)
At last the Norwich Cathedral peregrines have an egg!
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