We have a chick! (and now another two)

Yesterday's chipping egg has hatched and we have our first chick this morning (Monday 18th), and another two by this afternoon.

Thanks to Helen for this screengrab showing the male (left) and female (right) in attendance:

And another screengrab, this one is by Angela:

Thanks to Kate, Scoobie19, Angela, Helen and Sarah for the news and the images too. Much appreciated!

By 3pm today we had two chicks hatched, and comments from you wonderful webcam watchers suggest that by 6:30pm a third chick had hatched (possibly from the whitish-looking egg.

 

 Remember: you can our join our dedicated Flickr Group and upload screenshots you have captured, or other images. It helps to leave the heading with its timestamp in it, and not crop it out. Our webcameras are published under a Creative Commons (CC-BY-SA) licence, so please remember to change the default licencing of any webcam screenshot you upload to that, as we choose not to claim any copyright of them - so nor should anyone else. 

 The Project Team

Waiting for the first egg to hatch - Update Sunday 17th April

Wendy Bartter has spotted a big hole in one of the eggs this evening - so hatching is just about to happen!! See her video made today:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-9maI413eA 

It can't be long now before the first egg hatches.....so do send in a comment as soon as you see anything white and fluffy underneath her when she stands up....

This clear screengrab of the eggs was taken by Kate in Devon on Wednesday afternoon....no obvious sign of any chips then.....

The Project Team

The project team acquires a new member

We are pleased to announce that Alice Smith has recently begun work as Derbyshire Wildlife Trust's Peregrine Engagement Trainee!

Alice’s role is to engage as many people as possible with our Derbyshire Peregrines, not only at the Cathedral but also with peregrines nesting out in the Derbyshire countryside.

Unfortunately, peregrines are still suffering various forms of persecution, ranging from shooting to the theft of chicks. 

Wild-reared British peregrines are highly prized and fetch so much money that criminal gangs have moved in to steal chicks from precarious cliff ledges where the birds nest, selling them for considerable sums for falconry and falcon racing in the Middle East. Peregrines also suffer from persecution both from the game shooting industry and from a small section of the pigeon fancier world and often find themselves poisoned, shot and trapped.

Alice will be using this blog to keep us informed about our county’s peregrines and will highlight what the Wildlife Trust is doing to protect them.

             
      Peregrine caught in a cruel leg trap set at the nest in the West Midlands. Photo: RSPB

She will also be running the Watch Point events programme on Cathedral Green which will start in May as soon as the chicks can be seen from the ground as they peer over the edge of their nest platform....always assuming the eggs hatch safely!

Watch Points on Cathedral Green were annual events until Covid.......

Full details will be posted on the blog once hatching has taken place and we have an idea when the chicks will be visible.

Alice is supported by DWT staff Emma Dickinson-Wood and Diane Gould. Lisa Witham is their team manager.

Nick Moyes and Nick Brown, who together set the project up in 2005/6, will be helping mostly behind the scenes as usual.

We wish Alice every success.

The Project Team

Ps Derbyshire Wildlife Trust (DWT) manages this project in partnership with Derby Cathedral, Cathedral Quarter and the IT Unit at Derby City Council who provide the connectivity for the web cams.
If you would like to find out more about DWT and join/support its work please visit the Trust's website Home | Derbyshire Wildlife Trust .