For the falcon to lay a week earlier than last year is probably as much as we can expect of her - so hopefully something will have materialised by 29th?
Meanwhile Grantham has its first egg and Chichester has four.
Update 22 March: Notts now have four eggs and Norwich Cathedral has one (access via Camscape.com I think) and Bath too (since 21st).
Ps. Our bid to the lottery (HLF) was being decided today but the date has now been put forward to mid April when we stand a better chance apparently.
Also welcome to all Derbyshire teachers who are newly discovering our web cams and blog as a result of our presence at a big schools eco-conference on Friday. Hope you like what you find! Nick B/Nick M. (See one encouraging teacher feedback comment already....)
No eggs yet for Derby's peregrines, although nearby Nottingham have already laid three eggs on the side of their university building.
Derby Cathedral's own nest scrape looks well-formed, and we've seen plenty of courtship and mating activity, which you can view by scrolling down to earlier posts to watch the videos. Last season, Derby's peregrines laid on 4th April, though the earliest they have ever laid was on 23rd March 2009.
There's so much happening behind the scenes, we barely know where to start. At the moment you'll see no difference, though we have some great plans and hopes for good news from our application to the Heritage Lottery for additional funding to support our work. We'll tell you more about it during that long, dark tea-time of the soul (a.k.a incubation).
No eggs yet for Derby's peregrines, although nearby Nottingham have already laid three eggs on the side of their university building.
There's so much happening behind the scenes, we barely know where to start. At the moment you'll see no difference, though we have some great plans and hopes for good news from our application to the Heritage Lottery for additional funding to support our work. We'll tell you more about it during that long, dark tea-time of the soul (a.k.a incubation).
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| Nest scrape with tiercel 20th March. |
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| The tiercel as seen by our other webcamera |
78 comments:
I'm sure it won't be too long - just building up the suspense! I believe the first one last year was laid 2nd April so might be another week or so yet.....
Mary Tong (Belper)
Thanks for the update. I thought it was the tiercel on the scrape, they must have changed roles,lol, as usually I see the falcon there. Not too long now I hope.
I can barely wait for 'tea-time' to hear the news.
Nick M - thanks for rebooting to unfreeze the scrape cam. :D
Best of luck for today to all involved in the project.
Fingers crossed
Regards Ian.
Norwich has a egg come on Derby jan (suffolk)
The falcon is in the scrape not sure what she is doing but she is staying put... eggciting!
Oh she has moved to the ledge now. Seems she was checking out the gravel.
12.05 Falon on the scrape, pacing and turning. Finger was on the print screen button, eagily waiting to see what happens.
12.06 Camera froze for about 30 seconds.
12.07 She's on the ledge.
Keep getting that letter puzzle wrong.
Hi everyone: the HLF funding bid was being decided today but the date has been changed now to mid-April because we will stand a better chance then we have been told...so today isn't a special one but thanks for thinking of us anyway!
Nick B
Tea-time on the tower.
Hi everyone, do not about you but here in Canada we are experiencing well above normal temps. for time of year. Wondering if this will have any effect on when our Moma Peregrine will lay her first egg. We are all getting ready for another exciting season for sure.What will Mother Naure bring us this year? xxx
Hi Ann (Canada)- lovely to see you again!
Yes, like you we're having unusually high temps. for late March, & apparently some places in the UK are going to be hotter than the Sahara today! Very confusing. But in my neck of the woods we need some rain, and in the south-east there's going to be a hosepipe ban soon as the water table has been falling for two years. I hope our Derby pair won't be affected at all, but I remember when they had to shade their young from the sun in the scrape with their wings.
Hope we see some thing egg-citing soon!
Oh, the falcon's in the scrape looking VERY purposeful!!!
Every time I've looked today there's been a peregrine either in the scrape or on the ledge. About 10 minutes ago one was in it, right in the hollow, turning round then squatting briefly.
Could tonight be the night?
Hi: I'm a primary teacher who attended the eco-conference yesterday and went to the workshop on peregrines. What a revelation - this is great for schools and I'm so glad I know about it now. The infant teacher (sorry, forgotten her name) who talked about her work with her children was inspirational.
I'm now eagerly expecting the first egg and will be getting the web cams on a whiteboard at school next week!
Rachel
Hi. This is my first post but is that an egg on the ledge. Mary in Mickleover
Hi Mary in Mickleover - welcome to the blog!
What you may be seeing is some feathers on the gravel...or possibly that round hole in the side of the nest platform from the other camera - it does look very egg like at first sight!
I think we may have to wait a few days more yet.....but who knows! That's the excitement of nature isn't it?
Best wishes...and do keep posting!
Nick B
Hello Rachel, I'm glad you enjoyed the eco-schools conference - many thanks for taking the time to comment. I hope your class gets to see the eggs being laid. I'm sure the peregrines will generate a huge amount of excitement in the classroom. Hopefully we won't have to wait too much longer for the first egg!!
Sunday morning: the depression where the eggs will be laid has been deepened and the wing feathers that were in the middle of it have been moved to one side.
Things are hotting up.....
Nick B (DWT)
she is pacing in the gravel area of the tray, could this be the start of something eggciting (sorry).
CM
How wonderful to hear about the eco-conference and teachers here sparing the time to bring the Peregrine Project into the classroom. What lucky students! I read a moving poem recently by Gerry Cambridge about his unforgettable boyhood experience when a pair of swallows nested live in the classroom. Peregrines on the whiteboard :)
All the best, Caroline
Well the sun's moved off the scrape and there's a peregrine on the rhs ledge ... it would seem to be a very good time to lay an egg. But I'm not biting my nails, oh no, no way!
Is that an intruder on the ledge? Or a brave pigeon ?
Hi... Your session at the eco conference was inspiring!
I've been checking the cameras all weekend, and going to show the kids tomorrow! my Y2s will love it.
Can the eggs be laid in the day or night?
Uh Oh... a pigeon just landed on the scrape lhs, there is a peregrine on the corbel below! It's just flew off. Now the falcon landed on the scrape briefly and went int the rhs.
The falcon is in the hollow of the scrape looking quite serious...
On scrape a few minutes ago with prey. Superb view of the strength of its yellow talons before it flew off. Golden beak and legs, if not golden eggs.
Could this be it ??
Falcon's in the hollow of the scrape, turning round, looking about - is something great going to happen?
She's giving herself a thorough preen now, and the tiercel's perched on the stonework below her.
She's been there for quite a while now and has THAT LOOK - like something's imminent. Tiercel's still on guard below.
This looks serios now, is she laying an egg?
Thought that might be the start of number one !!
Please stop that camera wafting about
Peregrine looking purposeful in the nest box! Hopefully we will see an egg by the morning :-)
Mary T (Belper)
It's looking promising. Tiercel on the top and falcon in the scrape... I think it's the falcon. She certainly looks to be in laying mode!
I really think she's about to lay this time - seems to be concentrating and dipping her rear end slightly.
Think it is going to be Derby 1 Nottingham 4 ...... Thanks for the close up's Nick..... Mo x
I was busy earlier and come back in the hope of seeing an egg.. and there isn't one and the falcon has left the scrape. False alarm but it must be soon I would think.
My class loved watching the peregrines today... Their first time, they are so intrigued!
Sorry for the false alarm this evening. Around 9pm it really looked like our female was in egg-laying mode. But it was not to be, and now the nest ledge is empty again.
There doesn't seem to be any preferred time for laying. We've seen it at 11pm and at 11am.
Two things worth reiterating: Peregrine eggs are a rich red brown in daylight, but look bright white under infra-red illumination.
Incubation doesn't start until the whole clutch is laid - so there will be times when eggs appear to be abandoned for an hour or more at a time. Rest assured, though: they will be being guarded.
My thanks too for the close-ups Nick and your advice about egg laying and incubation. I was astonished by the rich reddish colour of a peregrine egg when I first saw one. Your class must have got some great views of the birds yesterday, Rachel!
All the best, Caroline
Morning..... ''Confused of Belper.com'' I see 3 birds one on the tower one on the scrape and one on the stone work just below the scrape ...... Mo x
The falcon is on the hollow of the scrape, again looking very serious! This may be it!
Well she's keeping us on tenterhooks again this year! As Phoebe commented, she's in the scrape looking serious (just like last night) so we'll have to wait ...and wait ...
Egg timer anyone? The falcon has been in various positions on the scrape for over an hour now. A friend says she's watching the cricket online while trying to work. I said switch channels! Don't worry, we're both freelance so we're allowed to watch cricket or peregrines at work :)
She's back in the scrape, behaving exactly as she did last night. Another false alarm? Tiercel's on the tower. A beautiful day again!
There's just been some pretty major fidgeting and restlessness by the female in the last few miniutes but now she's on the scrape looking thoughtful. I'm thinking that things may be afoot....
We've seen both peregrines and we are excited about them laying eggs. We think they will lay between 1-5eggs. We've been watching and waiting all day.
It's really cool watching them on our whiteboard!
Come on Mrs P ! You're keeping us in suspense again, just like you did last year
13.35 Just got in during lunch and thought "here we go again". Hope it's not another false alarm.
Tiercel is again in the tower looking down.
13.45 Dinner time. Served up by the Tiercel? I missed a bit while on the phone. But it looks like he has red talons from a fresh prey.
13.49 Away he goes.
13.50 Food devoured.
13.54 Back on the scrape.
14.38 Looks like we're in for a long wait, think shes going to sleep.
Is the Falcon OK? I am beginning to worry about her now as she has tried so many times to lay her egg and nothing seems to be coming. Could it be stuck?
14.56 Tiercel is on the other side of the scrape, head bowing display.
14.58 He's gone.
15.22 On the ledge again.
16.13 Nothing happening, Falcon is just standing on the ledge on the right hand side.
One thing is for sure, it won't be long now and while Nottingham and Chichester both have four eggs, we will be able to watch the Derby late arrivals for a while longer, let's hope Derby get four too
Can anyone help me to 'choose an identity' so that I don't keep having to put my name at the end of my comments ? Sorry but I don't know how to do it
Christine - Dronfield
Penny: I think she's fine. We had these concerns last year (if not every year) and she seems to do the business eventually. It's not as if it's the first egg she's laid is it.
Fingers crossed anyway.
Nick B (DWT)
There were indeed concerns last year but that was because of the cold weather. As soon as the warm whether turned up she laid.
Is there a problem with the pudding camp, I see it a bit liney?
@ Christine - Dronfield
Having an identity? If you have a Google e-mail account you can log in using that. Otherwise, press on the Blogger icon at the top of the page and you should be able to create a profile somewhere around there... I can't see where as it just takes me to my own profile. If you need help there are plenty of people around.
Nick - thank you for your reply. This is the first year I have watched the Falcons and having seen Mrs. Notts Peregrine pop her eggs out with apparent ease I was getting quite concerned about Mrs. Derby Peregrine! Glad to read your reassurances!
Falcon still on scrape may be to night Norwich has 2 eggs jan (suffolk)
Thank You Craig for your suggestions, I've tried but to no avail, will try again tommorow, too tired waiting for Mrs P perform !!
Christine - Dronfield
Lots of coming and going in the scrape - surely can't be long now.
We have one egg for the peregrines on the Sheraton Hotel in Hamilton, Ontario...
http://falcons.hamiltonnature.org/
Great to see we already have school children watching patiently along with the rest of us!
07.41 Just caught the end of an head bowing display on the scrape.
8am mrs p on scrape mr p top web cam was that a pigeon on corber or other peregrine jan (suffolk)
Jan: it will be a pigeon of some sort - either a feral pigeon, a wood pigeon or a stock dove. All three species use the tower though most are feral pigeons.
Peregrines (unlike dunnocks) don't do threesomes! Any intruding peregrine would be chased off sharpish. If it was a second female, as at Norwich, there would be a scrap and one of them would succeed as the mate of the male and the other would be ousted...even killed perhaps.
Nick B (DWT)
This is all getting a bit deja-vu! It's such a beautiful day, perhaps the warm weather will persuade Mrs. P. to lay.
What really impresses me is the strong bond between these two, and even though they know each other so well, they still go through the whole courtship ritual. It seems to cement their relationship each year.
I am sat watching here in Holland!
Patiently waiting for the first egg!
An interesting posture by Mrs P in the scrape at the moment. Looks quite uncomfortable but she's giving the appearance of shading the scrape.
Mrs P has been mantling over the same spot on the scrape for the last half-hour. Is she keeping the pebbles cool before she lays an egg do you think?
What is happening with the tercil? He has seemed to be in some distress for quite a while now.
11.17 Just flicked from the camera where the Tiercel was on the edge of the scrape sunning and Falcon on the wall below to read the forum and went back to see the Falcon with her tail in the air, not sure if there was some mating going on.
Nick B thank you for the information i found it very interesting.jan (cesuffolk)
Megan from Holmesdale Infants Dronfield
We think they will lay 8 eggs, by the look of things. p.s we like your website. thank you.
love Megan.
falcon laying first egg 21 07
Not yet, deano, falcon off the scrape at 21.40 – still nothing.
RJ
It's late now but I just had a quick look and the falcon is in the scrape being still with that 'look' in her eye... as i type she just laid the first egg! Yipee I got a pic!
Brilliant Phoebe
I was just off to bed when I checked my emails and saw your comment.
I zoomed the camera in and got some pictures via our video server and will post them online shortly.
It was a long wait, but worth it. Poor thing looks exhausted.
She does look exhausted but she is nurturing her egg now, until the next one. I posted the first pic to flickr just as she laid the egg. I have more but am going to bed myself now.
Congrats Derby. Hope there are more to come.
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