June 2nd Update:
The third Watch Point went well even though the sun didn't oblige.
164 visitors were logged. Helen, one of our long term volunteers wrote:
A lot of people already seemed to have been following the blog and already knew quite a bit about the project. A young girl said she had been watching in school and had come specifically to have a look. Quite a few visitors seemed happy to stick around while one family had been to every watchpoint so far this season! It was good to see some familiar faces from past years including one lady who has also been every week...and there were lots of good questions from people which kept us busy!
Big thanks to everyone who helped out!
The final Watch Point is on Saturday 8th June between 10 am and 2 pm. As you can see below, the chicks are really advanced so they should be on the verge of fledging by then!
Dave Farmer took these great photos on Wednesday (28th):
Hope to see you on Saturday?
The Project Team
The project is managed by Derbyshire Wildlife Trust with support from its partners Derby Cathedral, Cathedral Quarter and the City Council IT team.
50 comments:
re. the coloured feathers, the most likely species is the ring necked parakeet, a species now present in the city not far away.
In London where parakeets are common, peregrines take them regularly.
Alternatively it could have been someone's escaped parrot.....
BTW there has been drama at a peregrine nest at Corfe Castle in Dorset as filmed by Springwatch.....
The Project team
The Kingston College peregrines favourite prey are wild parakeets. They are apparently well established in that area and must be easier to catch than pigeons. There are several flocks of them in certain areas of Derby now.
I’m not convinced - the colour of the primary feathers is completely different
The wild parakeets are green not white.
I've never heard anything so daft. Isn't this project run by Derbyshire wildlife trust who should have some basic understanding of wild bird colours.
Wild parakeets are green and neither pet parrots or cockatoos are known for such fluorescent pink, yellow and blue on bright white feathers either.
I bet this poor victim was a dove dyed for some stupid baby shower and abandoned to die/be killed.
https://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/news/derby-news/where-to-find-parakeets-derby-2414529
Confess I didn't look at the web cams or read the comments carefully...
The bird is certainly a coloured pigeon.
A pink coloured racing pigeon has been found at the Bluebell Park Nursing Home, it was on the Spotted Chellaston page on Facebook, so there must be some around. Their colour might make them easier to spot?
It is a birmingham roller pigeon that as been dyed up to moniter its rolling abilities by the fancier i no this because it is my friends pigeon who lives couple mile away
Yeah I just googled it anonymous and as I come back on right now they have another one or the other half of it
Please note that the project team reserves the right to moderate anonymous comments to this blog and when deemed necessary, delete them.
Polite criticism is fair enough but downright aggressive rudeness and abuse is not.
Thanks,
Hope this "dyed prey" was safe to eat and not going to make our birds ill.
Yes, I know. Just making a general comment. Apparently many London Peregrines prefer them to pigeons. Probably slower so easily caught!
Big thank you to Dave Farmer for capturing such wonderful photos of the fast growing chicks ... not a great deal of down left to be shed! Do hope the weather remains fair for your Watchpoint this afternoon!
Pity one of the cameras has some muck on the lens obscuring the little darlings. Interesting seeing the comments about the coloured feathers ☺️
Thank you Joyce for talking to us this afternoon. We learnt a lot.
Some chick action from this morning including one sleeping like an adult ...
https://youtu.be/c_OgsUZ4KJc?si=THpV8giWVOimDYFw
This afternoon, just as the Watchpoint was finishing, the chicks sprung into action with the 'forward' one balancing on the scrape ledge ... Gulp!!
https://youtu.be/dSWPQul5aHw?si=pmYcW2s-qcAmeo5Y
Bit more action feom the chicks ...
https://youtu.be/sGRkP88_Q6s
I think it was Wendy I met just as you was packing away. Thanks for giving me lots of information about our peregrine x
When the chicks can fly are they then able to catch prey and feed themselves or are they still dependent on the parents for food?
The young birds can’t catch prey for themselves straight away so yes they are still very much dependent on the adult birds for a while. The adult birds teach them how to hunt and will pass food to them mid air. It’s great to watch.
Not me Anonymous as I'm far away down in South-East Kent and unfortunately not able to come to Derby!
Some chick action from earlier this morning, the one youngster quite at home on the ledge now ...
https://youtu.be/B0ERtecfddo?si=EqjeYq8udVXhRGrc
Great to have shared the story so far- another day or two and they should be off! They seem almost ready...
Derby Peregrines Noisy youngsters 2nd June 2024 ...
https://youtu.be/H8UC8B2O4Xo?si=EQ1Y8_WvGsxOHShA
Feed at 14.07 on cam #1 for a change, poor adult swamped by noisy, hungry youngsters, looks as if it fled to other scrape for safety at the end ...
https://youtu.be/kz1YxGyMboo?si=5Y6tk3egESUtYlNy
Thank you for the info
Just hoping there aren't any 'accidental fledges' as that first one on the ledge seems to have no fear! Sometimes quite nerve-racking to watch when he slips!
Rather crowded scrape this morning as Female feeds all three youngsters
https://youtu.be/xjytzJO5NJc?si=mShstx9QGrwuswWM
Extracts from long feed ... Mum brought prey at 18.32 then a chick dragged it away from her to other scrape where all chicks had a go at self feeding moving it back to cam #1 scrape but still sharing ... then Mum returned at 19.41 and carried on feeding the chicks
https://youtu.be/eFTnCm61Rq0?si=KS1JUSsBE5pvXefQ
One chick just went backwards off the ledge- ready to fledge? Hope it's well...
Hi merlin
do you mean it fledged,? cant see full screen as Poo splodge blocking View
I can only see two chicks....!
Looks like only Two
As feed just brought and snatched by one 08 38 ish
Yep! only two scrabbling at another feed 08.50
Thanks all for the heads up about a possible fall by one of the chicks.
If it has fallen it will be on the nave roof below where it is perfectly safe.
We have asked a regular watcher from the ground who lives locally to check and if the bird is on the nave roof we will collect it and take it up to the tower top during the day.
Sometimes a chick climbs up the side of the platform and can sit there out of views but the adult close to the camera is looking down a lot so maybe watching the fallen bird below.
It went off the ledge backwards, it didn't mean to do this, I don't think. This was at 6.08 am.
Thanks Merlin
Hopefully as Team says they will be able to locate it, and safely return to scrape.
Phew always a worrying time with the youngsters,
Just for a moment earlier a Pigeon flew in to the ledge nestings below.I thought surely not our youngster far too early, and of course it was indeed the Pigeon.CHOL:):)
Am so grateful we have this Blog with so many lovely watchers,
Thank you everyone.
Have caught up with all your welcome comments re the early/accidental fledge of one of the youngsters ... 🤞he/she has come to no harm and can be found soon ... just sorry it all happened so early in morning so no footage of the event
Is all 3 chick's okay, as can only see two
Please scroll up to read all the comments, no news yet!
Just to put everyone's mind at ease, the rogue peregrine has been found safe and well perched on the chimney pot of Gadsby Nicholls, which is across the road from the Cathedral. Poor Nick spent several hours on and off the Cathedral roof trying to find it, and it was hidden in plain sight!
Jess
Debry Cathedral
Thank you so much, Jessica!
Thank you Jess and also
Thank you Nick.
Glad to hear chick is OK. It can obviously fly if it managed to get to a chimney across the road. What happens now? Will it ever come back to the scrape or do the adults provide food at the chimney?
Many thanks Jess for the info and Nick for the physical effort in trying to find the youngster!
Wonder which chick has accidentally fledged. XSL is still on the scrape. Can't make out the other one.
That's good news, glad to know he/she safe
I have just popped over to Derby to check and the runaway was still perched up on the chimney. It was getting a bit blustery at the time and he/she did seem quite exposed.
I could only see one parent, not sure if the other is keeping lookout from a ledge on the cathedral.
First time I've seen any pecking between youngsters, think they're hungry with one checking the other to see if it's had any food and then having a pick at Mum ...
https://youtu.be/co6kodlJ_uc
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