Monday 29 April 2024

Chicks are hatching.....

 Update Wednesday a.m.:
Looks like the last egg won't now hatch.

Nick Moyes was on national BBC Breakfast show this morning.
Here's the link, One hour 42 minutes in:
BBC iPlayer - Breakfast - 01/05/2024 

Welcome to all first time visitors to the blog and the web cams!
If you scroll down the blog you'll see what's been happening recently.



By Monday morning (29th) the three chicks were visible in the morning sunlight as seen in this screengrab by Kate:



To read more of the hatching story, scroll down to the previous post.

Meanwhile, here's a video captured by Wendy Bartter this afternoon (29th):


The Project Team
This project is managed by Derbyshire Wildlife Trust with its partners: Derby Cathedral, Derby City Council and Cathedral Quarter.

59 comments:

Wendy Bartter said...

Great screengrab Kate, first time we've seen all three on cam #1 😊 Not meaning to sound pessimistic but I hope egg #4 doesn't hatch now as the pair will have enough of a task to keep three chicks well fed!

Wendy Bartter said...

Female brings prey and feeds chicks, male covers chicks after she flies off but she pushes him off on her return ...
https://youtu.be/XdAUK0_IeQ8?si=CVrbMngs8oVUrSRs

Swift Class said...

We are very hapy the chics have hached. this morning wee sor them being fed and thay wir noisy. the chics are very wite and flufy.

KATE said...


Hello Swift Class,

so pleased you all saw them being fed this morning
They really are lovely and fluffy at the moment, they will soon grow and you will have to watch them growing, their lovely darker feathers.

project team said...

Hello Swift Class; the project team is also glad you like the newly hatched chicks!
Feeding them will be a full time occupation for the parents!

Wendy Bartter said...

Welcome Swift Class, here is a video of the female feeding the chicks at 15.04 after having to have a tug 'o war with the male for the prey, he moved out of her way when she wanted to take over a bit later ...
https://youtu.be/JwcW6BzC5Sg

Merlin said...

3 chicks feeding well at 17.04.

Merlin said...

Sorry- 19.04!

Wendy Bartter said...

Feed at 17.31 but the views were not so good, just for the record ...
https://youtu.be/epkOZS_yL1s?si=7-DQaZC8gPjyt9xT

Wendy Bartter said...

Another feed at 19.01, good to see the feeds were regular today, just need to see male give up the prey without a struggle!
https://youtu.be/BmSSIZVtoX0?si=FFMLB-5kS5WXsrJF

Wendy Bartter said...

Have posted some footage of this feed now

Wendy Bartter said...

On a sad note I hear that both Sheffield and Leicester have lost a chick after having all four eggs hatch in past two days 😥

Anonymous said...

😢

Helen said...

Good to see Derby Peregrines on the local news this morning, East Midlands Today.

Wendy Bartter said...

Hopefully will be able to see that on playback tomorrow

Wendy Bartter said...

Caught a bit of a feed at 09.53 this morning, particularly good view of the chicks ...
https://youtu.be/tulKKAscRF0?si=tzj6gcM7vleShafp

Anonymous said...

Good view of the chicks parent just flown off

Wendy Bartter said...

Footage here shows preamble to feed at 13.17 plus the actual feed... does she call him to bring food or just to mind the kids whilst she collects it?
https://youtu.be/tVl7Sq9NjFA?si=sqsk6gxYKls6-tfP

Wendy Bartter said...

Most of the feed at 15.29
https://youtu.be/JyWnvAXZI9Y?si=j2V3-akmUG9JrK76

Wendy Bartter said...

Scrappy little bit of prey at 17.39 quite amazed she got some bits off ...
https://youtu.be/csC3EgSFZN4

Wendy Bartter said...

Another feed at 19.58, smallish prey item again ...
https://youtu.be/UBb_oYTkL_E?si=l2VRpgl7z2a8zS3Y

project team said...

Nick Moyes was on national BBC Breakfast show this morning about 7.40 am.
The link will be on the blog when the show becomes available on iplayer later today.

KATE said...


He was fantastic and good coverage for all the Team.

In fact Cams went into overload for a while, but soon back on stream.

Thanks Nick M , hope you did not miss your own Breakfast

Wendy Bartter said...

Will look forward to seeing that!

Anonymous said...

It is on iPlayer now

Jean said...

At about 7.42

Jean said...

Have just watched it! Well done Nick M. and thank you very much.

Really good to see. Now I know why I couldn’t get onto the cams this morning!!

Wendy Bartter said...

Feed at 11.26, the first one I have managed to see today
https://youtu.be/7lHd8WOa5mg

Wendy Bartter said...

The next feed at 13.52
https://youtu.be/O3vGlPi3TZ0

Merlin said...

Chicks left for parent to find food- they had been calling for food for a while...15.50.

Anonymous said...

Chicks fed a 4pm little one at the back didn't get much

Anonymous said...

Quick question. Do we know where the parents take the leftover carcasses after a feed? It's fascinating to see them fly off with them. Do they have a secret stash somewhere?

Helen said...

Good question! They sometimes stash food higher up on the cathedral tower, out of view of the cameras. They also used to take it over to a nearby hotel, which did have large letters that they liked to perch on, however the lettering has now been changed and I don't think they are using it as much. There are a few other tall buildings around that they might use.

Wendy Bartter said...

Female brings decent sized prey for 15.58 feed
https://youtu.be/6H5HnuQHsGI?si=SBJ2-O9UA8tOYOr0

Wendy Bartter said...

Has there been another feed I may have missed around half past five ish?

Wendy Bartter said...

Male seems to taunt at 18.44 by bringing in a scrap of prey and eating it in front of female & chicks ...
https://youtu.be/IGGfAeJ_Pio?si=zJx6BbkuAnak09Xl

Wendy Bartter said...

He's back again at 19.03 with another tiny scrap and feeding it to the female ... one chick has a dry looking fine straw stuck in beak ... not going so well just now
https://youtu.be/jmP6JyonjGU?si=Iw5gRDSI7BH75tmu

Anonymous said...

Thank you for your answer to my question Helen. All very interesting.

KATE said...


07.25 ish himself brings breakfast, but she will not let him feed the chicks,
after she snatches several pieces from his beak to feed the little ones, he becomes, fed up, and wants to take the carcass away,she snatches it, from him, as he flies off and she continues with a few more feeds.pics on flickr

Wendy Bartter said...

Thanks for that info Kate, I am waiting to see him willingly give up prey to female!

Wendy Bartter said...

Some of the feed at 11.11, looks a decent sized prey item ...
https://youtu.be/H0QQdifub4s?si=OU7fgB-pKII1Puoa

Anonymous said...

Parent left chicks at 14:45

Anonymous said...

15;12 both parents came back with small pray

Anonymous said...

Feed over both parents gone 15:25

Anonymous said...

Parent back on the nest 15:26

Wendy Bartter said...

This feed at 13.34 was another disaster with male feeding female and ignoring the chicks ...
https://youtu.be/ESUUmby-wRw?si=uOqlDO-AAuSvHFpX

Wendy Bartter said...

Footage of this feed to follow

Wendy Bartter said...

Feed at 15.13 so much better with both parents feeding their chicks, first time I've seen it this year!
https://youtu.be/7LMzM-VHdWQ?si=0hdHhRoJf12JbLQz

Wendy Bartter said...

Male hands over the prey willingly at but female is very awkward in trampling the chicks and dragging prey over them ... ouch!
https://youtu.be/2jT_U_XHz4U?si=SiWNDKgh6Klw5p0a

Wendy Bartter said...

Male relinquishes prey easily again at 20.20 and female feeds the chicks ...
https://youtu.be/LYogri5YoIo?si=ruuxfIlhg_raG_mm

Wendy Bartter said...

Male is being good here handing prey over to female without fuss at 11.57, she feeds chicks for longer this time ...
https://youtu.be/eEvSvN_K3QU?si=B_Y97dQVogjxWqbo

Wendy Bartter said...

Here is the 14.35 feed ... see the male sharing the leftovers with her after she's fed the kids ...
https://youtu.be/YU_EeGfhzqs

Wendy Bartter said...

A feed at 18.01
https://youtu.be/IpaH1KwXTKY?si=CQMRAn4k4S0RRfqx

Anonymous said...

Is that a wagtail head I see?

Wendy Bartter said...

Somebody on a Youtube video of mine said he could see two Wagtails a week or so ago

project team said...

Weather permitting, an attempt to ring the chicks will be made sometime this week, even possibly later today if the rain clears and at the same time the camera angle etc will be changed...so please be patient.
The Project team

Emma said...

Good luck, safe journey!

project team said...

The chick ringing was successful this afternoon.
Photos and the story to follow tomorrow.
The project team

project team said...


RE. the absence of a roof, peregrines in the wild have no roof over their cliff ledge nests and the adults are good at covering the chicks if the rain comes in at them which it rarely does in Derby since the nest faces east. Adults can cope with a bit of a soaking!

re. the chicks weights....we'll put up a new blog when we can with more details, please be patient.

re. sudden cessation of the live stream this afternoon - this was requested by the new ringer team at the last moment so we duly agreed and pulled the plug out while the abseilers were gathering the chicks and later replacing them. Apologies for the lack of warning, it was a last minute thing.

The abseilers cleaned up the platform and adjusted and cleaned the cameras while they waited for the ringing to be completed down below.

Thanks to those of you who have commented favourably about the project and the work that we do voluntarily to bring you free live pictures and an informative blog. Much appreciated.

The project team, 9.30pm


The project team