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| The moment before the 3rd egg is laid.04:21am |
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| 10 seconds later - an egg for Easter. |
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| First view in daylight, on Good Friday morning. The tiercel looks on. |
Quite by chance I was stopped by a roving reporter from BBC Radio Derby in town on Thursday morning at the top of Amen Alley. With a microphone thrust towards me, she asked what Easter meant to me. I replied that this might seem unusual to most people, but to me it meant that the peregrine falcons on Derby Cathedral would be laying an 'Easter Egg'. I'm pleased to say my prediction was correct.
Though of course it's no prediction - it's simple biology. It takes approximately 57 hours for the next egg to develop and be laid since the last one. We will now see incubation beginning in earnest, but the question is, will there be a fourth and final egg? Any guesses as to when that might be?
Nick Moyes
Project Team
BELL RINGERS OPEN TOWER EVENT BANK HOLIDAY MONDAY (6TH) APRIL
On Monday (10 am - 4.30 pm) the cathedral bell ringers will be holding their annual open day and everyone is welcome to attend. Tower tours will run every 30 minutes throughout - though you won't see the nest from the top of course. Notices are already
As you all know, the bells don't bother the birds at all - even when being rung at full volume!
The bell ringers are a friendly group and have been very accommodating in letting us house our equipment in their bell ringing chamber. We hope they have a good day.
49 comments:
Absolutely amazing so sad I missed it - again !
Easter Sunday could be an extra special day maybe egg 4 I really hope so
Easter Sunday could be an extra special day maybe egg 4 I really hope so
Absolutely amazing so sad I missed it - again !
If at first you don't succeed . . . keep watching!
That would really be something to see the egg laid on Easter Sunday. I am glad I saw this one. This is only my second year watching the peregrines from Canada and I love it.
Great news and lovely to see a clutch of three eggs now.
Thanks Abby-Lynn for watching and letting us know when the third egg was laid! It it such an amazing thing to see!
And think you Nick M for uploading the pictures and videos.
Looking forward to Sunday.
I meant thank not think lol (predictive text!)
Well done for capturing Abby, the beauty of the web 24hours, you are roughly 4 /6 hours behind the uk I think??so while we sleep you keep watch.
Thanks Nick for uploading.
Fingers crossed for your Easter Day wish !!!
Kate
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The project team
Hi all, Kate we are 8 hours behind the UK here on the west coast of Canada. I really enjoy watching but often when the chicks hatch I miss a lot because when I am up at 8 am it is already 4pm there. But love it.
That was good that you saw the third egg, and of course the beauty of flikr , none of miss the action , and our dear Nicks, can always grab us a video if the capture shows the time, then they don't have to trawl through CHOL:):)Hope we all can enjoy a good Season
Kate
P.S Spammers a nightmare, they will try everywhere well done Team
I have just spent half an hour showing my grand daughter Ruby these falcons. think you have another fan!
Great news Grandma Carole, the more the merrier, hope you enjoy the season.
I think anyone who looks in on them is hooked. I was excited to see the egg in the early am but loved the video from Nick where you hear the thud of it dropping. I looked at my computer time and it was a couple minutes out but I knew I had seen it. Now we wait for the Easter Egg. I think we should name it Bunny. It will always be the smallest so we will know which one it is. LOL
She is awake and covering the eggs. A bit ago she was on the edge, then flew off for a few minutes. He's up top. She came back started calling to him but when I checked to see if he was still there, yes he was but just looking down at her. So she went over to the eggs and covered them. Maybe she will give him a piece of her mind later for not coming when she called.
I just looked in and the tiercel was on the eggs but as soon as the falcon appeared he flew off. But just a few seconds later he flew up above. She walked over and lay on the eggs.
Hello Abby-Lynn - the antics of the two birds can be quite comical. This project can make you chuckle, gasp, and even shed a tear, all in one day! My favourite ever moment was when the tiercel entered the scrape one season and began to tenderly feed both the falcon and her chicks. It was such a moving sight it brought a tear to my eye and changed my perception of the birds for ever. If you haven't seen the video of this, let me know, and I will try to direct you to the captured footage/images.
I watched the falcon in the very early hours today, having a prolonged full sleep, with head tucked under wing and body rising and falling in deep slow breaths, as she lay over her eggs. Then she abruptly rose and moved to sit on the scrape ledge to have a stretch and a preen. Each time she shook out her feathers, the backdrop lighting highlighted all the shaken out water droplets around her - it was wonderful.
Found the images -
Click on Flickr images under the homepage quick links.
Select HelenSara
Scroll down to images 46 - 51
dated May 18th 2013
Will try and pinpoint any actual video footage and let you know if I find anything.
I saw her on the ledge shaking water out of her feathers too and it was beautiful to see. Even a few feathers went flying. They are fun to watch. Sometimes when she walk over to the eggs she looks like "the boss" for sure. I have never been on Flickr before but will try later today.
Just to say that if anyone wants to look at all the Derby peregrine video clips that Nick M has put on You Tube then, once on YT, search for VC57UK and they should all come up together.
Nick B (DWT)
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The Project Team
I wonder if a fourth egg will be laid in the early hours tomorrow or hopefully later in the morning when we are all watching.
If she goes 57 hours again it would be 1 pm there. 6 am here so I will be sleeping. She is sleeping right now.
Still only three eggs first thing this morning at 7.35am.
and still three at 07.42 pic on flkr
The tiercel showed up finally and she took off. Now he is sitting on the eggs. Only 3 of them. He seems to be finding something interesting up above as he keeps looking up.
No fourth egg yet then, This is the we wait to see if there is a surprise.
Happy Easter everybody.
I've just noticed that the gap between eggs 3 and 4 at Sheffield was 70 hours not 57...so we may have to wait until this evening before she completes her clutch....all will be revealed in time!
Nick B
Happy Easter everyone!
She's been fidgeting a bit on the eggs & looking underneath her chest, but nothing seems to be happening yet.
Egg number 4 laid!
It's here - #4! An Easter Egg! Saw it just after 13.27hrs. May have got a screen grab but not sure.
There are 4 eggs. Just seen them at 13.28
Happy easter
Oh sugar! I was prepping dinner.....
Fab shot on Flickr Helen, thanks!
Wow, that was exciting! The only egg I have managed to see being laid this season. Fantastic to hear it hit the gravel with a clunk. What a perfect Easter egg!
Yes fabulous capture Helen, glad you got to see the laying, isn't it exciting! It has certainly made Easter.
Now the waiting game begins.
Well done Mrs P! They never let us down do they?
Happy Easter all! Wow just over 57 hours from Fridays egg. 57 hours would have been 13:22 so very close. Good Friday and Easter Sunday.
Just returned to find the good news (big grin wont leave face!) The birds just had a change over with MrP now settled on the eggs.
Sooo, I guess this egg is the plucky youngster then - the one that always mealts our hearts and then becomes the hardest to let go......can't wait !!!
Yes, now we have the long wait for the babies. It is so exciting to watch them and see the parents take care of them. Have there been any sitings of previous years babies?
Yes Abby-Lynn, as far as we know a female Derby chick settled on the Yorkshire Moors and was seen raising a brood of her own! Several attempts were made to try and read the Derby ring number on her leg through binoculars, which will tell how old she is etc., but so far they haven't been able to get close enough. I'm hoping they will have better luck this year on that score.
Also, we've seen a peregrine appearing around the scrape during breeding season, possibly a returned youngster, but again no one could confirm if it was a previous years juvie or not.
Thanks for the info. It would be nice to know some of the chicks have stayed close to home.
She is off somewhere and the eggs are alone. Looks odd to see them without her. But she needs to exercise and do some hunting I guess.
She's back already. Good mama.
Just checked in on the Derby peregrines and found all 4 eggs exposed. The female was incubating earlier today so concerned that something has clearly disturbed the birds.
Misty morning but the Falcon is safely back on the eggs. All seems to be well.
Many thanks Nick M for reconnecting aerial & ethernet cables which seems to have sorted out camera problems, fingers crossed it continues and we can now look forward to first egg pipping.
Saw a sign for Derby en route back from Manchester and longed to detour and catch sight of the tower, but getting late and still had a way to go. Glad to be home now and see I haven't missed 1st hatch, but watching Mrs P's behaviour just now, it looks like she is sensing something. She was being vocal to the eggs and is now sitting over them in a more rounded posture.
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