Thursday 23 March 2017

While we wait for an egg......and a possible change of male?

Update 27th March: Helen and others seem to have seen a ring on the left leg of the bird that is assuming the male role. If that's correct either our old male has died or been ousted and the new male is busy courting our female. If anyone gets good screenshots of the ring do please put them on our flickr site and let us all know via a comment or send them to peregrines@derbyshirewt.co.uk . Many thanks.

While we wait for our birds to lay (see the previous blog post for likely dates), here are the links to some of the other peregrine projects in the UK with thanks to the Leicester Peregrine Project for compiling it.
Peregrine projects have really taken off in the last few years as you can see. If you know of any more do send us a 'comment' with the link.

Aylesbury Peregrines
Malham Cove Peregrines (nb. non-urban)
Shropshire Peregrine Group (nb. non-urban)
York Peregrines

The Project Team

20 comments:

Sue Hetherington said...

What an impressive list - 29 online projects. Thank you Leicester (who I didn't even know had a project!) for putting it together and to Derby for sharing the information here.
I have a feeling the list may extend now people become aware of this central pool of information. Thanks Derby, may you soon be blessed with thanks for your efforts by your birds getting on with the serious task of laying! :)
Could we have another list of "NON-VULNERABLE naked eye" urban peregrine viewpoints?
In which case, I'd like to nominate York Minster NW tower.

Sue Hetherington said...

Oh, just noticed I'm talking about the same project as what you've listed as YORK Peregrines! I hadn't realised there WAS a project there. They definitely don't have a webcam though, but there's often a very keen watcher (not a member of any group) there who's more than happy to chat and let you look through his binoculars at the birds.

Sue Hetherington said...

Oh yes, and there is a recent pair on the MK Dons stadium in Milton Keynes. News about them very hard to track down, but a "google" has come up with this link http://www.lynxnetworks.co.uk/entity-479-StadiumMK+Raptor-Cam+cabling.aspx
News of peregrine activity in Buckinghamshire (ie Aylesbury and Milton Keynes) is tweeted by @bucksperegrines on Twitter
I guess even if there's not a web cam, this one could go down as a "naked eye" site, accessible to the keen football fan!

Jac. H. said...

Three more webcams - Woking (3 cameras, excellent views, currently 4 eggs), Bournemouth Clock Tower (4 eggs) and Leamington Spa Town Hall (no idea how many eggs as I haven't managed to catch her off the nest since I discovered the cam last week).
Jac H.

Anonymous said...

Falcon on the slate side of the platform moving slate, sitting and looking very uncomfortable. That would be a surprise if she laid on that side. Best view of her doing this on webcam 3 possibly.
Chris M

Sue Hetherington said...

25/3/17 12:10hrs One bird on platform; one sitting just below on cathedral wall. The bird on the platform just moved from the larger stones side to the pebbles, scraped at the pebbles then shuffled and got into the "sitting" position. Laying imminent?

Sue Hetherington said...

Just checked back on the camera after writing above entry and (sigh!) bird now gone! What did strike me about the platform was that there's a fair amount of prey remains. I thought that the adult birds would always keep the scrape as clean as possible for as long as possible to avoid any chance of infection being spread to any young.

Wendy Bartter said...

Another for the list is new cam @ Rochdale Town Hall ... Just saw first egg for Sussex Heights!

Helen said...

During last week one of the peregrines was actively making a scrape on the slate side of the platform and it does look like there is a flattened area there now. So,(as Chris has mentioned in an earlier comment), it will be interesting to see what happens this year. Which side will they use for egg laying? My guess is that they will still use the gravel side, but they might prove me wrong!

Helen said...

A superb close up view of the female peregrine on camera 3 at the moment.
I've also added a screen capture of it on Flickr - www.flickr.com/photos/94928963@N08/33532685221/in/pool-derbyperegrines/

Helen said...

Following on from the previous post - sorry I should have said camera 2 (not 3), although the link on the homepage to this is 'webcam page 3'.

kate said...

Thanks Helen

This morning saw a bit of activity again, with one of them each side.
Think Tircel brought Prey to gravel /shingle side( is he saying "Eggs over here please"?
he flies off and Falcon waddles over takes the prey to edge and flies.

Pics on Flkr, (NB Clocks on cams not changed)

Helen said...

Just after lunch, between around 1.15 and 1.30 a peregrine made a quick visit to the platform. It looked like it might have had a ring on one of its legs. It took off and then returned shortly afterwards for a second brief visit. I just wondered if anyone else noticed this. Unfortunately I wasn't able to get a good enough screen shot to check.

kate said...

Helen
Wendy is videoing so will mention timing to her am sure if she will endeavour to locate.

All EN at mo

Sue Hetherington said...

Compared to other sites, the Derby pair are getting worryingly late for laying eggs. No Helen, I didn't spot the incident you mention but the Project Team have the capability of checking through the camera footage and can look up the times you very usefully. If it was a bird with a ring, it's not the resident birds as they have never been ringed (ringing is only done when the birds are chicks and the Derby pair arrived as unringed adults) A ringed adult bird would suggest there is a challenger around! Intriguing.
As I'm watching at 16:50 hrs, there's nobody at all "home".

Wendy Bartter said...

Hi Sue, no need to worry yet even though the other sites are romping away as last year Derby's first egg didn't arrive until Easter Monday 28th March, again well after many others! With all the disruption this year it will be a bonus if they are feeling confident enough to raise young!
Helen, will check footage after dinner & let you know what I find!

Wendy Bartter said...

Good news is that I did have footage of this ringed bird ....... bad news is that I am unable to edit & upload to YT due to tech problems with editor!!
However I extracted some stills & made a vid of them with some detail of times of action ... best I can do
https://youtu.be/_3304fbRUMk

kate said...

Wendy you clever,as a;ways even with all techy probs. Thanks for all you do.

Not sure if same Bird Falcon? as last evening but one on edge and flew 06.30ish

Sue Hetherington said...

From what I could make out from Wendy's Youtube footage, I could only see a metal ring on one of the bird's legs rather than the arrangements that are usually made at monitored sites - ie the metal ring on the one leg and a large coloured ring with black lettering on the other. It's going to be near nigh impossible to read the inscription on the metal ring I'd say?

Nick Brown said...

Hi Sue: not all peregrine ringers use colour rings so we think this is a British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) ring but, as you say, it will be nigh impossible to confirm that let alone to read the number!
Nick B