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| Two of the juveniles together. Photo Roger Lawson |
So if you've not been down to see the birds and meet Ian and his trusty band of brilliant volunteers, then tomorrow is your last chance.
The Heritage Lottery Fund grant, which began back in summer 2012, finishes next month. Ian has done a superb job both in organising Watch Points for the public over the last three years and in engaging new audiences. In the absence of a grant next year, it remains to be seen if we can get Ian back to help us once more. A future blog post will cover both what we have achieved with the help of our £49,000 HLF grant and how the future of the project looks.
Meanwhile, if you would like to donate (and it is so easy via Virgin Moneygiving) please do so.
Just click on the 'Donate' tab on the home page of the blog and hey presto!
Nick B (Derbyshire Wildlife Trust)
Ps. And you anyone would like to join the Derbyshire Wildlife Trust, please ask for a form at the Watch Point, phone the Trust office 01773 881188 (in office hours) or go to the Trust's website: www.derbyshirewildlifetrust.org.uk and click on 'Join Us'. It's quick, simple and entirely painless!
The Trust has 14,000 members but is striving to achieve a total of 20,000 by 2020.
If you live in or near Derbyshire there are so many reasons why you should join us. And we also have many 'ex-pats' and others living beyond the county who support our work to Protect Wildlife, Restore Landscapes and Inspire People.
The Peregrine Project certainly seems to do the latter with over 350,000 hits this year to the blog and web cams and over 3,000,000 since the cameras began in 2007!
Watch Point report. Jane Tagg, one of our newest recruits to the ranks of our volunteers, reports that there was a steady flow of visitors.
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| Final Watch Point 2015 Joyce Sawford |
All three of the juvenile peregrines were present during the morning though they flew off later, at which point, the adults were visible.
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| Hope that lion doesn't swish its tail! Photo Joyce Sawford |
A really BIG thank you is due to Ian and to his wonderful band of volunteers who have helped out in a fair old mixture of rain, wind and hot sun all summer. At least it didn't snow!
18 comments:
Just an update on our current camera problems (haven't we had lots of them this year, eh?).
Tower Cam, which is part of Stream 3, looks to be developing a fault after 3 year's continuous operation, and is giving a very poor image. I'm afraid it may be a while before we can change this as part of a wider upgrade.
Stream 4 has been offline ever since our hosting company had to make unannounced changes to the IP addresses it uses to pull live video from behind Derby City Council's Firewall. Because of the serious implications and need to maintain corporate security, all change requests need to be approved internally by the Council, and this takes time. we understand there has been some delay in that process happening. Had it been in the middle of the nesting season, it might have been appropriate for us to shout a little louder, but with so many pressures on local government these days, our request is inevitably regarded as low priority now that the juveniles have fledged, and I can appreciate this.
My apologies for this - I hope this explanation makes sense to everyone, and I will provide a further update when I have news.
Nick M (Project Team)
Many thanks Nick M for your very comprehensive explanation regarding the recent problems with Pud Cam - perhaps it'll be sorted in time for Xmas! Seriously, we all appreciate the efforts you have made to sort out the many problems that have occurred this year and, as you mention, we have been fortunate to have had uninterrupted viewing during the main part of the nesting season. We can still view MrP consigned to his more lowly position on the scrape occasionally, also the two juvies are still just visible during daytime. As well as the camera problems it's been quite a year what with the unhatched egg, the very feisty youngsters, not to mention the terrible state they've left the scrape in which looks like its going to take some time to repair.
Just seen on BBC 1 the Osprey chick on Rutland Water take to the air and return to the nest - "marvellous"!
I fully agree with Heather. We have been very lucky to see as much as we did. Thanks Nick M.
Heather - another very good web cam on ospreys is in Cumbria hosted by the Cumbria Wildlife Trust - http://www.cumbriawildlifetrust.org.uk/osprey-cam . Three big young are visible in the nest and very entertaining viewing they make!
Nick B
Dad was on the edge of the scrape and now the "big girl" is sitting up top. I'm sure once she is ready to be on her own she will be a force to be reckoned with. Has anyone seen the pigeons lately?
Thanks Nick for the osprey Cumbria Wildlife Trust link, very entertaining especially the video of young chicks fighting. We all thought our bunch were slightly aggressive this year but these 3 looked as if they were about to kill each other (think it was in the last video update where one in particular really attacked its sibling).
If anyone is suffering withdrawal symptoms from our family this is excellent link with the young looking as if they're about to make their first maiden flight - much wing flapping and excellent close-up camera shot (no audio though). Like our peregrines it's amazing how gently the parents manoeuvred around the nest when the chicks were very young, especially with those huge talons.
Don't know about pigeons Abby, perhaps someone around Cathedral knows if they're still about, maybe they only return each year for nesting season (if they've any sense they'll keep well away!)
Cam 2 - Mr or Mrs P sitting on pigeons' old nesting site. "Large" female juvie spotted through gloom during the night.
Walking to work this morning about 5am ish one perry sat on the j of the jurys inn.
Nice to see one of the juvies on the tower and to catch up with all the latest news.
Murky old day in Derby I see ( same in Plymouth also ) The scrape seems to have taken a right old battering this year doesn't it! Another great year with three very strong and feisty juveniles, all noted to be thriving, and well set to carry the Derby line far afield. The watchpoints also seem to be generating ever more support and awareness of these remarkable birds.
Caption: Dove to Falcon -
" A little bird tells me your Mum's up for an OBE this year! "
Oh dear cam2 not looking too good and i cant even get on to see cam3 maybe i shud switch to the laptop rather than my tablet.
Its raining and horrible tonight. if those birds have any sense they will be perching somewhere dry. Saw what looked like half eaten prey on the corbels earlier.
Yes Linda, saw it also during an earlier tune in, with a well rounded youngster perched close by at the time! Wonder if they're now hunting their own prey, or still feeding via catches and fetches? Probably now reaching the "process your own" stage I guess, which is when they have to toughen up or go hungry. Mind you, these lot have been so advanced maybe they've already caught the odd bird or two themselves. Hope we have one who stays around again this year.
Looks like Mr P on the edge of the scrape again.
Either a juvie or an adult up top eating. Nice to see them still around.
Just seen two juvies on tower, the one in front consuming prey, which then flew off but the other juvie made no attempt to go over and eat any remaining tidbits. Wonder if they are catching their own prey now, not sure how long they hang around for before they leave to find their own territories.
Have been enjoying the cumbria willdlife osprey site Nick (thanks for the introduction) and all three have now fledged but often return to nest.Think parents drop in occasional fish, there was a lovely big plaice on menu other night.
Hi Heather: glad you liked the Cumbria Wildlife Trust osprey cam....two juvs. on show at this very moment I see!
Re. our Derby juvs, no one is watching them from the ground I'm afraid so not sure if they are catching their own food yet. Learning to do that successfully takes a long while and it is likely that some juvs fail to get themselves enough to eat once they have left the nest area. We know mortality at this vulnerable stage is quite high.
We may expect the juvs to hang around through much of August but probably be gone by or during September.....but we'll see....
Nick B (DWT)
Looks like a perry in the old pigeon nest
Hi Anita, just spotted parent (probably MrP) once more near old pigeon nest. Perhaps this is going to be his favourite resting place if the scrape has become too smelly now!
Won't be long before the ospreys will be off on their migration to West Africa, at least our perries don't have to undertake that hazardous journey. Also I imagine the young learning to catch fish from water is as difficult as our juvies finding their meal in the skies. Hope our three are mastering that art quickly, as Nick mentioned so vital for survival at this particular time.
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