There was a feature on BBC1's The One Show (programme begins at 7pm) on 4th February about peregrines
hunting at night presented by Mike Dilger and featuring Ed Drewitt.
Before Christmas Ed requested us to
send the BBC some videos of our Derby Cathedral birds night hunting (eg the one
in which a live collared dove is brought back to the tower after dark in 2013) and this sequence is shown briefly.
The programme is available on iplayer here and the piece is about 23 minutes in.
The programme is available on iplayer here and the piece is about 23 minutes in.
As we begin the month of February, our minds turn once again to the coming breeding season.
With luck, this will be our pair's eleventh season together.
The nest platform was put up in 2006 and we were amazed that our female laid her first clutch of (three) eggs on the gravel within weeks of its installation.
Every year since she's laid four eggs making a total laid of 39 to date.
Of these eggs, two failed to hatch in 2007 and one in 2015, leaving a total of 36 that did hatch.
Of the 36, two chicks died in the nest in 2010 and one in 2014.
So the total that reached fledging age was 33, a remarkably high average per year of 3.3.
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| Derby Cathedral and tower as seen from The Assembly Rooms car park |
In 2009, one female was found dead soon after fledging and another female injured herself and has been kept in captivity ever since. Her brother was found in 2013 in Nottingham with a very similar injury and he too is now being looked after in captivity.
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| A recently fledged juvenile in 2011. Photo: Jon Salloway |
One of the two females that fledged in 2007 was seen nesting on a cliff in Yorkshire in 2014 but we have yet to be 100% confident about the exact number on her orange colour ring. Someone read it once as being 002 but we would have liked to get other sightings to confirm this. The difficulty is that she is difficult to approach and the nest is in a very hard place to see.
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| A juvenile on the ledge above the nest platform |
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| Three youngsters 'ready to go'....... |
As to dates that the first egg was laid each year from 2007 (the first year the cameras were in place), they became earlier but then rather later:
2006 no cameras present but probably last April,
2007 3/4,
2008 28/3,
2009 23/3,
2010 24/3,
2011 2/4,
2012 29/3,
2013 4/4,
2014 29/3 and
2015 29/3.
So, there's much to look forward to as the 2016 season starts to happen!
The Project Team
25 comments:
Morning all
Thanks as always for the wonderful information.
Also for those who were asking and may not look back..
"Cleaning the platform will happen hopefully sometime in the next few weeks depending on weather and abseiler availability. It has been far too windy of late!
The Project Team"
This morning sees himself doing usual survey, (pic on Flkr)
Oohh!!! thank you for the TV....tip
One peregrine sitting on the edge of the scrape at 5:55 am.
Thankyou Vicky
This uncannily confirms the experiment in last nights episode BBC one show( as mentioned byTeam)
I have put a capture of him sitting in his usual place at the edge, missing the early morning delivery doh!!
For those of you in a hurry the clip is on the iplayer starting towards end at 23.58 and derby clip at 24.58.
Doh!!!! sorry still asleep not sure if there was a prey feeding earlier...( mis read Vicky's post)
Himself still sitting in his usual corner, but judging by the number of feathers falling and him looking up. me thinks the other bird is above with a prey
Saw the item on peregrines hunting at night on The One Show. Seemed to concentrate mainly on Bath but caught glimpse of our peregrine catching his live prey briefly (perhaps it was too gruesome to show in detail before the 9pm watershed!). Very interesting the experiment showing the peregrine attracted to a lure in varying degrees of light. Apparently they do need some form of street lighting as the bird didn't respond to lure when they just simulated moonlight. However, it was only a one-off experiment with one peregrine but interesting nevertheless.
Apparently, I'm told that a pair at another urban site in the county began 'e-chupping' at the New Year and a mating attempt was seen on 13th January! Now that really IS early!
Nick B (DWT)
Thanks Nick B
I am quietly hopeful that our TWO ( if it is the Falcon and Tiercel),that I captured a few days ago, may get together soon CHOL:):) whoever sits on the Tray(Daily) is mesmerised by one above.
Kate
Last week I saw the Nottingham pair together on the ledge near their nestbox & heard them e-chupping. They're usually a couple of weeks ahead of our pair.
Hi David from Rye Meads, Herts: you left a message today for us on a very old post on this blog about the possibility that you saw one of our birds at Rye Meads.
Please email peregrines@derbyshirewt.co.uk and then we can explain more about our colour ringed juveniles etc.
Cheers
Nick
To other commentators/readers who wonder what this is about: someone called David from Herts. left a message for us on a very old post about the fact that he saw an orange colour-ringed bird which he thought may be one of ours.
I've left a message for him on that old post but he may well look on this latest set of comments and if he does he'll see this request for him to get in touch. We'll let you all know the outcome if indeed we can get in touch with David....it might just be the female that was at Rutland Water before Christmas moving further south!
17.20 onwards Twon on the trays, one in the scrape other at the other end, one in scrape chirrupping and when eventually moves towrds the one at far end that one flies off.
Pick on Flkr
Kate, they were both there at 17.08 when I logged on. Lots of noise from the scrape peregrine, and it (she?) did a bit of turning round & squatting too.
Hi Annie
Have put three captures on Flkr.
EN at moment,
not sure if another still up above and that is why they never got together !!!!
One on tray at moment 11.00 been there a while , couple pics Flkr
Good pics, thanks Kate.
In Scrape and scraping whilst checking 10.30 Pcs on flkr
Morning all
One on tray this morning and have two pics of Nottingham pair getting together nice and early this morning pics on Flkr ...https://www.flickr.com/photos/99180967@N04/?
Same as yesterday morning, very wet and windy looking.
Web Cams frozen this morning Cam at 10.27 cam 10 36.
Bird in scrape at that time.
Sorry meant Cam one 10.46 pic on flkr
Cameras still frozen.
Cameras back on!
Doh! I've just twigged - the nest-box has been cleaned! Nice clear views from the lower cams too. Thank you guys!
Ha!!! now we know doesn't it look lovely.
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