And then there were two . . .and a request to you all

Update:   A new video, a news update an appeal for your support have been added to this post. PLease scroll down.

Our second juvenile peregrine fledged from its nest ledge on Derby Cathedral this afternoon.

Tony and Dawn Grantham raced into town about 4.15pm when they heard one juvenile was on the ground outside a nearby hairdresser's shop. Fortunately, the bird flew up into a tree and then very strongly upwards and away round the back of the Silk Mill.
Nick Brown went down later on and found one young bird up on a pinnacle above the nest,  and two in the nest itself. Both parents were present too. So he's sure these two fledgers will be fine. Christine and Cliff are spending the next few hours down there so they will keep an eye open and report back. And there's a Watch Point tomorrow from 11am so there will be plenty of eyes and ears watching then....do come down if you've not been (and are within reach). The show won't last much longer.....certainly not form the web cams (and apologies for the mess on the wide angled camera - we will definitely have to put it higher up for next year - those chicks certainly know how to pooh upwards don't they!).

There was no film available of Friday's fledging, but the video below shows the moment our first juvenile took flight on Wednesday.

Just two for tea......

Time for a plea.....

This is the time of year when we make a request for donations. We've done it every year and been astonished at the generosity of those of you who've been enjoying our web cams and blog during the nesting season.

Many of you will know that we have a lottery grant and may wonder why we need to ask for donations. Well, the grant actually requires us to raise some 'match funding' rather than expect them to provide us with everything. So we do have to raise well over £1000 each year until 2015. Some unsolicited donations have come in recently (so thanks to those of you who have been so generous already) but we still need more. So if you have anything to spare please send us something however small!

Details of how to do it are below:

The Derbyshire Wildlife Trust (the lead project partner) is a registered charity and a 'not for profit' organisation. It is the only recipient of project funds. Rest assured that any money given to the Wildlife Trust will be used only to support this project provided you clearly state that it is for the Peregrine Project. All donations, however small or large, are acknowledged either by email or letter. Note that UK donors can increase the value of their donation by Gift Aid by 20%. (If you have donated and gift aided before we should still have your form so there's no need to ask for another).

We will publish a list of donors (but not the amount they donated) here on the blog later on. You can choose whether to be anonymous, to have your full name used, or some semi-anonymous abbreviation (eg Mrs S from Matlock or Stan H from Toton). Let us know your preference.

You can donate in one of the following ways:

UK donors:

• Post a cheque made payable to DWT to the Trust at East Mill, Belper, DE56 1XH including a covering note stating that your donation is only for the peregrine project (include your address so we can acknowledge receipt).
• Ring the Trust during office hours (01773 881188) to make a payment over the phone by debit/credit card (office hours are 9am to 5pm, weekdays, to 4.30pm on Fridays).
• You can also use the donation mechanism on the Trust's website at www.derbyshirewildlifetrust.org.uk  Go  to 'support us/make a donation'. We use Virgin Moneygiving and find it works very well.

To UK Taxpayers only -  you can greatly increase your donation by filling out a Gift Aid form whereby the tax people give the Trust a further 20% of the value of your donation. The form can be sent by email or through the post…please just ask us for one.

Overseas donors:

• 1) Please email enquiries@derbyshirewt.co.uk asking for the codes you need so your bank can transfer money to the DWT account. (Unfortunately Gift Aid does not apply unless you are a tax payer in the UK.) Note that banks may charge for this service.
• 2) Donors from most overseas countries can also ring the Trust (weekdays on 0044 1773 881188) to pay by credit card......as long as you can work out when the office is open of course (check the webcam's local timestamp!)
• Use our online donation mechanism via our website - see above.

Payments should only be made to 'Derbyshire Wildlife Trust', the lead partner for the project. No other organisation or website is authorised to collect funds on our behalf.

Please clearly mark on your payment that it is for the 'Peregrine Project' for use in the current financial year or, better still 'in this and next financial year' (this allows us to carry your money over from year to year should we need to).

Thank you in advance,

The project team

Update Saturday 22nd June:

A class from Lakeside Community Primary School in Derby had a sleepover in the cathedral last night and were promised a trip up the tower early this morning. However, with the chicks fledging, the tower is temporarily closed to avoid any disturbance at this critical time. So in lieu of the tower climb we offered to run an early morning watch point for them. Antony Pooles kindly offered to help and we were set up by 6am.....just in time for Antony to see a juv fledge from the platform and disappear somewhere below.
After an introductory talk and the showing of video clips inside, we brought the two groups of 15 children out onto the Green to see the birds through the four scopes we had set up. They seemed to think it was just as good (if not better) than climbing up all those steps! What's more, the teachers want to do it again next year with a different group.....what have we started!

Lakeside kids catch the early bird(s)

Although we were absolutely sure there was only one chick left in the platform while the children were there, when I left at 8.30 there were two present plus a third up close to pud cam feeding (plus both parents). With luck the watch pointers today may just locate that fourth missing chick! Ps. We did check the nave roof from a window in the tower but no sign there.....
Later Update Saturday: all four youngsters were seen on the tower this morning. A group of Ukrainians was given a talk by Ian Layton and also came and looked through the scopes. With a couple of very heavy showers there were fewer people about than usual on The Green but it was good to see some old friends of the project - that's 'old friends' not 'friends that are old' you understand!
The NEXT (extra) Watch Point is on Monday Afternoon (2-4 pm) as part of Inspire Derby week.
Monday lunchtime - still 2 in the nest and (presumably) two on the tower. We'll be down there soon to check and run a Watch Point. The sun has even appeared!

Making a Donation

Here's what you need to know to make a donation to support the costs of running the Derby Cathedral Peregrine Project and its webcams.

The Derbyshire Wildlife Trust (one of the three project partners) is a registered charity and a 'not for profit' organisation. It is the best recipient of funds. The Trust holds your donations, then pays the bills on behalf of all three partners. Rest assured that any money given to the Wildlife Trust will be used only to support this project provided you clearly state it is for the Peregrine Project.   All donations, however small or large, are acknowledged either by email or letter.

You can donate in one of the following ways:

UK donors:
1) Post a cheque made payable to DWT to the Trust at East Mill, Belper, DE56 1XH including a covering note stating that your donation is only for the peregrine project and your address so we can thank you.

2) Ring the Trust office in office hours (01773 881188) and make a payment over the phone by debit/credit card (office hours are 9am to 5pm, weekdays).

UK Taxpayers only: you can greatly increase your donation by filling out a Gift Aid form whereby the tax people give the Trust a further 25% of the value of your donation. The form can be sent by email or through the post…just ask.

Overseas donors:
1) Please email enquiries@derbyshirewt.co.uk asking for the codes you need so your bank can transfer money to the DWT account. (Unfortunately Gift Aid does not apply unless you are a tax payer in the UK.)

2) Donors from most overseas countries can also ring the Trust (weekdays on 011 44 1773 881188 ) to pay by credit card......as long as you can work out when the office is open of course (check the webcam timestamp!)

Payments should only be made to one of the three Project Partners. Derbyshire Wildlife Trust is best placed for this. No other organisation or website is authorised to collect funds on our behalf.

It helps if you clearly mark on your payment that it is for use by the Peregrine Project for use in either the current or next financial year.

Thank you in advance,

The Derby Cathedral Peregrine Project Team.

(Derby Museums and Art Gallery, Derby Cathedral, Derbyshire Wildlife Trust)

Solstice beckons

As the days grow ever shorter we huddle round our fires and wildlife tends to be furthest from our thoughts. However, here are some reminders about what is going on out there - and some suggestions about how you might help.

First, there's a petition to be signed...especially as Derbyshire has a particularly dismal record when it comes to raptor persecution. An e-petition submitted to the department of the environment has recently been accepted by the government and added to the official list of e-Petitions website. If 100,000 people sign the petition, the issue of 'Vicarious Liability' will be debated in the House of Commons.

The petition, as you will see, requires the owners of land, not just their employees (such as gamekeepers) to be liable to prosecution if birds of prey are illegally killed on their property or if employees are found in possession of the illegal chemicals that are used to poison them.

Please visit http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/23089 to sign up. It only takes a few seconds.

Many thanks.

Second, December is a good month to join your local wildlife trust or give membership as a gift. You can do this through the national website www.wildlifetrusts.org/ or, in the case of Derbyshire, via their recently re-vamped website at www.derbyshirewildlifetrust.org. Incidentally, the website does have links to this project (under 'projects' and also to the

'wildlife diary' that a certain someone writes for the Trust each week and which mentions the peregrines at regular intervals.....)
Thirdly, you could make a donation to a wildlife charity of your choice perhaps, instead of asking for a present you don't really need. The peregrine project or a wildlife trust are obvious candidates....as is (for me) Birdlife Malta (www.birdlifemalta.org), a dedicated group trying to counter the appalling shooting of migrant birds (from swallows to eagles) passing over that island. There are many more very worthwhile wildlife charities out there of course so do plump for your favourite ones.
The bid for a grant to sustain this project is nearing completion and should be handed in to the Heritage Lottery Fund before the end of the month.
A big thank you to everyone who took the trouble to send in their comments and tributes to the project. These have helped us enormously to show the level of support for our work and to indicate just what an effect the birds have had on so many of you.

The artwork accompanying this post is by Noel Cusa (top) and Mike Warren. Noel worked in industry all his life with painting as an occasional hobby. When he retired he started to paint in earnest and you can see the level of his achievement. His mentor was the great Charles Tunnicliffe. Charles' book The Peregrine Sketchbook, contains many wonderful paintings of peregrines on the cliffs of Anglesey where he lived (available on Amazon for £9).

Mike Warren lives in Nottinghamshire and has been a wildlife artist for many years, starting out in graphic design. These field sketches are from a calendar he produced many years ago.

I think you'll agree that both artists in their different styles capture the character of the bird to perfection.

Finally, the peregrine 'bible', written by the late Derek Ratcliffe (The Peregrine, Poyser Books) is also available online, though for rather more money unless you can pick one up second hand.....

Nick B (DWT)

Ps, Finally finally, The DVD on The Peregrines of Derby is also still available via the DWT website...I almost forgot to mention that!

Donations pour in

Since we appealed for donations a few weeks ago we have been delighted with the response. So far, just over £2500 has come in, a figure which includes donations received at the 20 Watch Points. We also know that more money has been promised and that some further donations will be received.

So a massive 'thank you' to everyone who has donated to us. You really have been most generous.

Some of you have said that you prefer to remain anonymous and for most we don't know whether you would be happy for your name to appear in full or in abbreviated form, so printing a list of donors is tricky. For the moment we won't publish one unless there seems to be a call for it. No doubt you'll let us know.

In previous years, th

e sum of £2500 has been sufficient to keep the project in the black, covering the costs of keeping the web cams running and buying such equipment as was required. The time devoted to running the project was mostly donated voluntarily with a relatively small but significant amount of Nick M's time working at the museum covered by the city council (most of his time was and still is voluntary).

Now that Nick no longer works for the council we will need a higher level of income to pay for (some of) his time. In addition it may be necessary to take on someone who will have time to take the project forward - for example, go into schools and invite schools to come

and see the birds.

So we are now in the process of applying for grants to cover these additional costs.

The money donated already however is crucial. First it can be used to cover some of the immediate costs of preparing a bid, investigating live streaming etc and secondly, it can be used as 'match funding' or 'seed money' for any bid that is made.

Grant givers like to see that projects they support don't just expect 100% to be given to them. They like to see projects making an effort to raise money themselves - so your donations will be vital in this respect.

Over the autumn and winter we will keep you informed of any developments. For now though, even though the breeding season is over, our behind the scenes work continues in earnest.

Should anyone who has not yet donated feel inclined to do so, then we would be delighted if we can get that figure up to £3000 or even £4000......

The work on funding and development is being co-ordinated by the Derbyshire Wildlife Trust.

Again, many thanks from the project team and from the project partners,

Nick M, Nick B and Tony G

Photo of a flying adult by Andy Byron, web cam screenshot from 2008

What now? plus an Update

Update Thursday 7th: all four juveniles on the tower this afternoon, three above the nest and one on the north side. No sign of either adult. NB

With luck, the experience of watching our Derby peregrines this year has also opened your eyes to the wildlife around you - so where can you turn next and what can you do?

We would encourage everyone, wherever you may be, to support and - where possible - also join your local wildlife organisation. In Derbyshire this is the Derbyshire Wildlife Trust (DWT) and you can find out more about what the trust does by visiting its website; http://www.derbyshirewildlifetrust.org.uk/

You can join DWT via the website or by phoning the Trust office on 01773 881188 - you don't have to live in the county to become a member.
There are county wildlife trusts in every other part of the UK. To find you local Trust, be it Surrey WT or Scotland WT, visit the trusts national website http://www.wildlifetrusts.org/

Also, why not take a trip to some of your local nature reserves or attend a field or indoor meeting organised by a trust? Details are on their websites. The DWT website also features a weekly wildlife diary which is located under the 'news' section (written by a certain NB!)

DWT's Chee Dale Nature Reserve near Buxton

If you still have some money left over after donating to the peregrine project, then there are many hundreds of deserving conservation projects both in the UK and abroad. For example, the great work that Birdlife Malta does trying to halt the slaughter of migrating birds (including many birds of prey) which pass over that island. The conservationists there are incredibly brave, facing physical attacks from the hunters and regular vandalism of their newly established nature reserves. There are similar organisations in Italy and Cyprus....

Obviously, DWT is the organisation we would hope to direct you to first and foremost since the trust has been a major partner and supporter of this project since its inception more than six years ago.

Nick B (DWT)

Ps. And don't forget our excellent project DVD 'The Peregrines of Derby' is still available at £9.95 (inclusive of p&p) from DWT by phoning 01773 881188 in office hours.

Watch Points to continue plus donations feedback

News Update Friday 9pm: all four juveniles plus the falcon on the tower top, the tiercel on JI.

All rather wet looking....

Tomorrow's Watch Point should be OK - do come down, see the birds and say hello.

News Update: Friday 24th June 4:00pm
All four peregrines have now successfully left the nest. The last to leave flew out at 3:30pm today. We believe her maiden flight was OK, though are awaiting news of all six birds being seen at once - which isn't always easy!


With superb help from our volunteers, it will now be possible to continue the watch point 'season' through until, and including, Saturday July 2nd.

So do get down to Derby, see the youngsters learning to fly and do say 'hello' - if you possibly can.

Just to remind you: we run them from 11am to 1.30pm on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

So far we have received donations on The Green of over £300 - so a big thank you to everyone who has put something in the donations box or in the plastic peregrine with the hole in its head!

We have had some lovely comments from visitors and it is just great to see how thrilled people are when they set eyes on our birds for the first time through the telescopes.

Last Saturday, this family came to Derby from Blackwell, some 20 miles away, just to see the peregrines.

All four children (Olivia, Lewis, Erin and Daisy) had a look through the telescopes and went away very well pleased with their visit - as did their parents.

We know that many other people are still making special visits to Derby just to see these magnificent birds - and that is very heartening.
Meanwhile, a big thanks to the cathedral for sharing 50/50 the proceeds from the tower tours run on the peregrine event day (30th May) - that brought us in another £112.

So far from personal donations made as a result of our appeal on the blog we have received over £1,200. Add in the other income (eg from 5 DVDs sold at watch points and the donations there) and our new total for income since April now amounts to £1652 - so we are getting close to our target of £2000! This is sufficient to meet our hardware costs and webhosting fees, but unfortunately doesn't meet costs of people's time to maintain or develop the project. We are lucky that so many people are still willing to commit some or all of their time to Derby's peregrines for free. Do please keep it coming (we may well need more next year!).
The project team extends a big thank you to everyone who has contributed so far - and there are over twenty of you (plus the class from Gorsefield Primary School in Bury, near Manchester, who sent £20 - a really marvellous effort!).

Now let's hope our four youngsters all survive their early days in the air without any further mishaps. It should be fun watching them get their aerial confidence!

Fingers well-crossed please......and keep your eyes on the comments to get the latest brief updates from the project team.

Nick Moyes, Tony Grantham and Nick Brown

Time to donate? And an Update

Wednesday 8th: our first welcome donation (£20) came from children at Gorsefield Primary School, Radcliffe near Manchester so a big THANK YOU to everyone there - that is a wonderful start and really great that children have got together and made a contribution. Their teacher tells us that they are hooked on our birds!

To see details of our regular Watch Point events behind the cathedral scroll down a couple of posts on this blog - there's one this morning and again on Friday and Saturday. The chicks are now showing themselves! See you there?

With our chicks growing rapidly - and hopefully all looking fit and healthy this year - now is a good time for us to ask you 'web cammers, blog followers and commentators' for a contribution to keep the project running.

In previous years you've been very generous....and we need you to be again this year.....perhaps even more so given the difficulties we have experienced over the winter.

Watching wildlife, whether virtually or for real, gives so many of us great pleasure and enriches our lives. In return, there is so much we can all do - and donating to keep this project running (and inspiring the young like Thomas (shown here) and the old - like me - NOT shown here!) is just one of them.

(If you are also interested in finding more about and perhaps joining the wildlife trust then please ask for some literature to be sent to you - you don't have to live in the county to belong).

Here's what you need to know to make a donation to support the costs of running the Derby Cathedral Peregrine Project.

The Derbyshire Wildlife Trust (one of the project partners) is a registered charity and a 'not for profit' organisation. It is the best (indeed the only) recipient of project funds. The Trust holds your donations, then pays the bills on behalf of any partner as required.

Rest assured that any money given to the Wildlife Trust will be used only to support this project provided you clearly state it is for the Peregrine Project. All donations, however small or large, are acknowledged either by email or letter. Note that UK donors can increase the value of their donation by Gift Aid. (If you have donated and gift aided before we should still have your form so there's no need to fill out another).

All donors will be individually thanked either by a letter or by email. With current difficulties in changing the home page (where we have recorded the names of donors in the past), we will publish a list of donors (but not the amount they donated) here on the blog. You can choose whether to be anonymous, to have your full name used or some semi-anonymous abbreviation (eg Mrs S from Matlock or Stan D from Whaley Bridge). Let us know your preference.

You can donate in one of the following ways:

UK donors:
1) Post a cheque made payable to DWT to the Trust at East Mill, Belper, DE56 1XH including a covering note stating that your donation is only for the peregrine project (plus your address so we can thank you).

2) Ring the Trust office in office hours (01773 881188) and make a payment over the phone by debit/credit card (office hours are 9am to 5pm, weekdays, to 4.30 Fridays).

3) ) You can also use the donation mechanism on the Trust's website at derbyshirewildlifetrust.org.uk
Go to 'support us/make a donation'. We use Virgin Moneygiving and find it works very well.

UK Taxpayers only: you can greatly increase your donation by filling out a Gift Aid form whereby the tax people give the Trust a further 25% of the value of your donation. The form can be sent by email or through the post…just ask.

Overseas donors:
1) Please email enquiries@derbyshirewt.co.uk asking for the codes you need so your bank can transfer money to the DWT account. (Unfortunately Gift Aid does not apply unless you are a tax payer in the UK.) Note that banks may charge for this service.

2) Donors from most overseas countries can also ring the Trust (weekdays on 011 44 1773 881188 ) to pay by credit card......as long as you can work out when the office is open of course (check the webcam timestamp!)

3) Use our online donation mechanism visa our website - see No. 3 above.

Payments should only be made to Derbyshire Wildlife Trust, the partner best placed to receive donations. No other organisation or website is authorised to collect funds on our behalf.

It helps if you clearly mark on your payment that it is for use by the Peregrine Project for use in either just the current financial year or, better 'this and next financial year' (this allows us to carry your money over from year to year should we need to - ie if we were to have a surplus).

Thank you in advance,

Nick B (of DWT), on behalf of The Derby Cathedral Peregrine Project.

Donations, What Next? and an Update

Update Saturday 3rd July: no birds at the cathedral or on Jurys Inn early morning and just one juv. on the police aerial. The rest must be somewhere around. Under the cathedral I found a few teal feathers plus the wing of a quail.

Our birds took one in July last year and another later in the year..... The top right photo is from a Dutch 'bird feather ID' website. The one below is this morning's find at Derby. NB.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>



We would like to thank everyone who has donated so generously this year to the peregrine project. We have now exceeded our base target of £1500 which is what we need just to keep the web cams running for a further year.

In addition we have received a further £500 so far which will allow us to replace some existing equipment, reprint the leaflet, carry our some new publicity and perhaps, make some new innovations. The team will meet in the autumn and decide what developments we would like to make for 2011 and whether we have the funds to carry them out.


What next?
Although the adults are showing on the web cams from time to time, we expect many people to drift away from watching our birds and reading this blog now that the juveniles have fledged.

So, if this experience has opened your eyes to the wildlife around you - where can you turn next and what can (or maybe should) you do?

I would encourage everyone, wherever you may be, to support, donate to and where possible also join their local wildlife organisation. In Derbyshire this is the Derbyshire Wildlife Trust (DWT) and you can find out more about what the trust does by visiting its website; http://www.derbyshirewildlifetrust.org.uk/

You can join DWT via the website or by phoning the Trust office on 01773 881188.
There are county wildlife trusts in every other part of the UK. To find you local one, whether it's Surrey WT or Scotland WT, visit the trusts national website http://www.wildlifetrusts.org/

Then, why not visit your local nature reserves or attend a field or indoor meeting organised by the trust? Details are on their websites. The DWT website also features a weekly wildlife diary which is located in the 'news' section.

Carr Vale Nature Reserve near Bolsover
If you still have some money left over after donating to this project then there are many hundreds of deserving conservation projects both in the UK and abroad. For example, Terry has recently mentioned the great work that Birdlife Malta does trying to halt the slaughter of migrating birds (including many raptors) which pass over that island. The conservationists there are incredibly brave, facing physical attacks from the hunters and regular vandalism of their newly established nature reserves).

Obviously, DWT is the organisation we would hope to direct you to first and foremost since the trust has been a major partner and supporter of this project since its inception more than five years ago.

Nick B (DWT)

Ps. And don't forget the excellent project DVD 'The Peregrines of Derby' is still available at £9.95 (inclusive of p&p) from the museum and cathedral shops and by post from DWT by phoning 01773 881188.

More photos and a video and good news updates

Saturday morning update: Andy and Chris found two juvs and the falcon all on the police aerial about 9 a.m. so perhaps the whole family has decamped there. Watch Point will go ahead today but it may be necessary to visit the police aerial near Fox Street to see any action if the birds don't return to the cathedral.

Friday 6 pm: Nick M has just seen two juvs!!! One on the Silk Mill chimney and a second on the police aerial. Yippee!!!!

Friday morning Update from the Watch Point:
We saw one youngster plus both parents - but not the second young one sadly.
The youngster, almost certainly the one that fledged on Monday, flew strongly and was taken food by the falcon which it ate on a chimney on the Silkmill by the river.
It was good to put faces to a few blog commentators (Hi Joyce and Mo) among others whose names I didn't manage to get!) and to see some old friends of the project too. People had travelled in especially to see the birds - eg from Abbots Bromley, Belper, Newcastle under Lyne and one couple who had cycled in from Sandiacre. Two women from an office by the cathedral came over and said how much pleasure they get from watching the birds through their windows and (sneakily) on their computers when the boss isn't about!
Just after 1 pm the rain began and definitely stopped play....
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Update Thursday evening: sadly no sign all day of the juvenile that fledged yesterday. It was on a chimney stack above Irongate near the cathedral late on Wednesday evening when we left and it could still be up on a roof somewhere.....fingers crossed for that one.
The first bird to fledge has been on the tower today but had flown off onto the tall police aerial about half a mile away this evening. Hopefully it will make it back to the cathedral tomorrow.
Nick B.

Here is a video of yesterday's first flight by the second of our two young peregrine falcons to make it to fledging this year. It's amazing to think that only six weeks ago we were all glued to our computers, witnessing them emerge as tiny wet balls of feathers from the egg.




These photos are by Colin Pass and were taken on Monday 14th June when the first juvenile fledged (BTW he thinks they are both females - i.e. falcons which is good since it was the two males (tiercels) that survived last year).


Colin was there when the first one fledged but was not in positon at the actual moment. He took the photo of the two 'chicks' just before the further one fledged. The photos of the falcon were taken later. When she was sitting on the blue hotel sign she was evidently looking down trying to locate where the first fledger had got to.





As usual excellent shots from Colin and thanks to him for letting us use them.

Please scroll down one post to see Wednesday's (excellent) photos by Andy Byron and go down two posts to 'read all about it' as they say!


Nick B (DWT)
Ps. Now they platform is empty (and before you disappear to other wbecams) is the time to donate to this project if you've not done so yet. We are still short of our target by a few hundred pounds.
Details of how to donate:

You can donate in one of the following ways:

UK donors: Post a cheque made payable to DWT to the Trust at East Mill, Belper, DE56 1XH including a covering note stating that your donation is only for the peregrine project and your address so we can thank you.

Ring the Trust office in office hours (01773 881188) and make a payment over the phone by debit/credit card (office hours are 9am to 5pm, weekdays).

UK Taxpayers only: you can greatly increase your donation by filling out a Gift Aid form whereby the tax people give the Trust a further 25% of the value of your donation. The form can be sent by email or through the post…just ask.

Overseas donors: Please email enquiries@derbyshirewt.co.uk asking for the codes you need so that you bank can transfer money to the DWT account. (Unfortunately Gift Aid does not apply unless you are a tax payer in the UK.)Donors from most overseas countries can also ring the Trust (on 011 44 1773 881188 ) to pay by credit card......as long as you can work out when the office is open of course!It helps if you would clearly mark on your payment that it is intended for use by the Peregrine Project, either in the current financial year or carried forward, if unspent.

Payments should only be made to one of the three Project Partners. Derbyshire Wildlife Trust is best placed for this. Please note that no other organisation or website is authorised to collect funds on our behalf.

Thank you in advance.

Pps Newcomers to this project: please note that you will see the adults and perhaps also the juveniles occasionally(even quite regularly) over the next few weeks and months from the camera which looks across to Jurys Inn - so don't leave us just because the nest platform is empty. In fact in previous years we have had juveniles return to the platform to feed and roost.....
The view will be changed soon so that the JI/top of gargoyles camera view is full screen.

One fledges and is found later

Update: the missing youngster was found on the top of a nearby church which is now an architects office about 5pm. It stayed there until 7pm when it flew strongly back to the cathedral tower, landing somewhat inelegantly on a sloping ledge but soon getting to a better perch nearby. The first picture show the low tower of St Michael's church on the left on which the missing juve was found.

The second photo is a close up and shows the pigeon wire in front of the bird's breast on St. Michael's.

The third photo shows the bird on the north side of the cathedral tower having returned there from St Michael's. It seemed very settled there in the evening sunshine.

One of the two chicks (the more advanced one) fledged this morning sometime around 8 am. Despite three of us searching from 8.45 to 11.45 we have been unable to locate it.
In previous years, fledglings have landed fairly close to the cathedral, on roofs, chimneys etc and have been reasonably easy to find. Not so this bird which seems to have flown further away.
We watched the falcon circling over a wide area this morning (and indeed the tiercel too, higher up) as if looking for the youngster but she didn't give us any indication that she knew where it was.
We have looked on the nave roof, been up to the top of the two mult-storey car parks in the area and walked the surrounding streets but all to no avail (thanks Colin and Andy for your stalwart help!).
We have alerted the police and also the local radio and newspaper in case anyone sees a strange looking bird in their back yard.
There's not much more we can do except run a few more patrols round the area which we intend to do later. We'll keep you updated as best we can but please bear with us!
Nick B (Derbyshire Wildlife Trust)

Ps Anyone who would like to donate to the project please do so if you haven't already! Thanks.

Donations and a DVD (updated with Video)

Update Again - Pipped egg and Video added (see end)

Hatching Day is fast approaching! So it seems timely to ask for donations to help to underpin this project. In past years, blog readers and webcam watchers have been generous in their support and we hope that your resources are not exhausted because the project does need continual funding each year. To find out how to make a donation see financial support .

Newcomers to the Derby Cathedral Project peregrine site this season may also be interested to learn that a 35 minute DVD, The Peregrines of Derby Cathedral, which tells the story of these birds was made in 2008. It has numerous video clips of the whole breeding season and features not only the project team but also Chris Packham, the well known BBC Springwatch TV presenter.

To buy a copy, either call at Derby Museum shop on The Strand in Derby, or The Silk Mill Museum on Cathedral Green, or get one from The Cathedral Centre opposite the Cathedral on Irongate.

By post you can get one from The Derbyshire Wildlife Trust by phoning 01773 881188 in office hours and using your credit/debit card. This method has been used successfully by many people perfectly safely, eg for making donations and for paying their subscriptions to the Trust (we have 12,000 members). The DWT office is open in office hours, Monday to Friday.

The price is just £6 (exclusive of P&P in the UK, extra for sending abroad - please ask). Now, thanks to the generosity of the producer, once the costs of copying the DVD have been covered, the project gets the whole of the money left as a donation. So you get an excellent DVD and make a small donation to the project at the same time...a win/win situation!

Nick B (DWT)

Update: At least one egg is now "pipped" with a small hole made by the chick from within the egg. The first photo wa captured at 11:30am on 28th April. (see also video clip at end of this post) The second on 29th April at 07:19am

Trust the Wildlife Trust.....

Now that the breeding season has effectively ended, followers of the web cams and blog will be wondering what to do with themselves and already several suggestions have been made about switching to other peregrine webcams elsewhere - indeed watching web cams on other species.
Meanwhile, if you have enjoyed your involvement with the project this year, there are a few things you could do to get more involved with us.
The project is a partnership between the cathedral, the city museum and the county wildlife trust. The first two partners will promote themselves later.
The third partner, the Derbyshire Wildlife Trust, is a charity and a non-profit organisation set up in the 1960s. For its income it depends partly on the support of its 12,000 members who pay an annual subscription. Some members also choose to make donations in addition and an increasing number leave us money in their wills.
This income in greatly enhanced by contracts with local councils and by funding applications made by the Trust staff (of whom there are now some 25 people). Funders include the national lottery, landfill tax, charitable trusts and some corporate supporters. Most of this money is short term and hard to get hold - so each year the Trust finds itself with a (usually relatively small) deficit and has to adjust its work and its expenditure accordingly.

Clearly the work of the Trust now relies heavily on the paid staff, without whom it would achieve very little.
Having said that, our wonderful volunteers (numbering over 500) make a major contribution to the Trust's work.

These people contribute their time in many ways: some volunteer to help with the peregrine watchpoints and without them we simply couldn't run them at all! Others help on our many nature reserves around the county. Others do office tasks and a few give their time as trustees, overseeing the work of the Trust and ensuring it develops and operates in a proper manner.

The Trust works in many ways to look after the wildlife of Derbyshire and to draw local people towards a better understanding and appreciation of that wildlife. This Peregrine project is just one (small) aspect of the Trust's work which you can find out more about by visiting our website at http://www.derbyshirewildlifetrust.org.uk/ .

The Trust's involvement with this project has been there from the very beginning but, as we have said many times before, without the strong partnership with the cathedral and with the museum, this project would have achieved nothing. We each contribute different and complementary elements to make up the whole.

So, if you are not a Trust member already (especially if you live in or near the county), you might like to consider joining us. Several of you have done this already. Others have joined their own local wildlife trust in whatever county or country they live in - and in many ways, that is just as worthwhile (remember the old addage "think global, act local").


Alternatively, if you have not done so already, a donation to the project would be very welcome. Such donations are currently handled by the Trust on behalf of the project and this system has worked well so far. Details of how to make a donation are here

http://derbyperegrines.blogspot.com/2009/04/donations-needed.html


Finally, you could offer your time to the Trust as a volunteer. For more details please see the website above or contact the trust via the website contact points.
Thank you.


Nick Brown (Derbyshire Wildlife Trust)

Ps. The landscape photo shows a part of the Peak District in North Derbyshire where the Trust has a series of important nature reserves. The last photo shows some of our work with children, here making a giant spider!

Calendar of Watchpoints 2009 (End of season update)

• Peregrine Watchpoints have now finished for the 2009 season!
  
  They ran on the following dates on Cathedral Green between 10.30am - 1.30pm on all dates below.
  

MAY

• Saturday May 16th.
• Wednesday May 20th.
• Friday May 22nd.
• Saturday May 23rd.
• Bank Holiday Monday May 25th. (& Tower Tours)
• Wednesday May 27th
• Friday May 29th
• Saturday May 30th
  

JUNE

• Thursday June 4th
• Friday June 5th
• Saturday June 6th (Fledging week)
• Wednesday June 10th
• Thursday June 11th
• Friday June 12th
• Saturday June 13th
• Sunday June 14th
• Wednesday June 17th
• Thursday June 18th
• Friday June 19th
• Saturday June 20th

Cathedral Green is at the rear of Derby Cathedral on Full Street. Telescopes were set up between 10.30am and 1.30pm. Organised by Derbyshire Wildlife Trust, the Watchpoints were all run by volunteers who were on hand to help people use the 'scopes and talk about Derby's peregrines. View our location map on the left side of this blog, or follow this link for a larger map.


Visitor Facilities
Even though watchpoints are closed, there is always a good chance of seeing a peregrine, no matter what time of year you visit.

There are numerous food outlets in Derby's Cathedral Quarter, including the Cathedral Centre's own restaurant and takeaway service (though this is closed on Sundays).

Next to Cathedral Green is The Silk Mill Museum (with toilet facilities). There are lots of nearby shopping and leisure opportunities, including Queen Street Swimming Baths and the new Westfield Shopping Centre, two more Museums and the new Quad visual arts centre

The Tourist Information Centre is just 2 minutes walk away, and the Riverside Quarter Trail and Upper Derwent Trail start just 15 seconds away. Follow this link to find out more about the numerous parking options when visiting Derby.

(If travelling by car, why not use the Park n' Ride at Pride Park next to Derby County Football Stadium where you can view The Sanctuary Bird Reserve (with disabled access) and watch sand martins, lapwings, wheatear and skylarks from within the car park, before getting your £2.20 bus into town which stops less than a 2 minute walk from Derby Cathedral.)

Whatever you do, enjoy your visit to Derby and marvel at our brilliant birds.

The Peregrine Project Team

Donations fly in

As the day of hatching approaches, it seems timely to offer a big, big thank you from the project team for the excellent donations we have received from around the world in the last few weeks since we put out a request for financial support .

The running total is just under £800 which makes a really great start towards the total amount that we are likely to need this summer to cover all our costs.

There have been 17 individual donors so far - so a big THANK YOU to everyone of you. Your names are listed on the project home page, and new supporters will be added at intervals. Please let us know if we've missed you off or put in the worng details.

In addition, we received a donation of £150 from The Derbyshire Ornithological Society (DOS) for which we are very grateful. The DOS has been very supportive of this project since its inception, regularly printing news and requests for volunteers etc and a full account of the prey story (written by NB) in their Annual Report of 2007. The DOS website is at http://www.derbyshireos.org.uk/ and you will find much of interest there - latest bird sightings in the county, bird watching sites and details of their meetings and outings. Becoming a member of the DOS will put you in touch with the county's bird watchers......details on their website.

Finally, we'd like to thank our Tourism Office for offering help towards the cost of producing a new promotional leaflet which aims to bring more visitors - both real and virtual - to watch Derby's peregrine falcons. For more information on making a trip to Derby, go to http://www.visitderby.co.uk/.


Ps. The line drawing above is by Jackie Farrand who worked for DWT as a graphics artist several years ago but whose art work we still use.

This changeover was captured by Ruth in Grenoble this morning (27th) at 9.12 am......nice shot, thanks Ruth!

Nick B (DWT)

Donations Needed!

Running a project like this costs money and we need to raise considerable funding to keep it going. For example, it costs £1400 per year for our two web cam streams to be hosted and a new flier will cost us over £400.

So this blog entry is the first of 2009 to invite you to make a contribution.

The Derbyshire Wildlife Trust (one of the three project partners) is a registered charity and a 'not for profit' organisation. As such it is the best recipient of funds for the project. The Trust holds the funds and then pays the bills on behalf of all three partners.

Fortunately we received one large four-figure anonymous donation early on in the project's life which really set us up. That money is now exhausted as are the donations received last summer. So we do need new donations now to help us pay our expenses this summer. Two generous donations, from Jennie in Hong Kong and Roger in Austria, have set the ball rolling even before we asked!

Rest assured that any money given to the Wildlife Trust will be used only to support this project. We display an annual list of donors (but not the amount) on the project home page, but gifts can be anonymous if you wish.

All donations, however small or large, are acknowledged either by email or letter. You can donate in one of the following ways:

UK donors:
Post a cheque made payable to DWT to the Trust at East Mill, Belper, DE56 1XH including a covering note stating that your donation is for the peregrine project and your address so we can thank you.

Ring the Trust office in office hours (01773 881188) and make a payment over the phone by debit/credit card.

UK Taxpayers only: you can greatly increase your donation by filling out a Gift Aid form whereby the tax people give the Trust a further 25% of the value of your donation. The form can be sent by email or through the post…just ask.

Overseas donors:

Please email enquiries@derbyshirewt.co.uk asking for the codes you need so that you bank can transfer money to the DWT account. (Unfortunately Gift Aid does not apply unless you are a tax payer in the UK.)
Donors from most overseas countries can also ring the Trust (on 011 44 1773 881188 ) to pay by credit card......as long as you can work out when the office is open of course!

It helps if you would clearly mark on your payment that it is intended for use by the Peregrine Project, either in the current financial year or carried forward, if unspent.

Payments should only be made to one of the three Project Partners. Derbyshire Wildlife Trust is best placed for this. Please note that no other organisation or website is authorised to collect funds on our behalf.


Thank you in advance,

Nick Brown (DWT)

Ps. The Trust office is open until Thursday 3pm but then closed for Easter until Tuesday 14th April.

Pps. The photo shows one of the youngsters that we had to rescue last summer.....

Ppps: Nick M has added a slide show of the male bird sleeping it off in front of tower camera late on Tuesday evening.

A full clutch!

The fourth egg was spotted about 7 am on Tuesday morning and was probably laid about 3 am.

Thanks to Roger in Austria who sent me this picture, taken this morning.

Incubation will start (or continue) in earnest now and will last for about 30-33 days. Last year the first egg hatched on 4th May (and on 9th May in 2007) so we can expect it to be about five days earlier this year....around the end of April maybe.
As the female gets older so she lays a bit earlier each year. A clutch of four is the norm, fives being exceptional.....and four chicks on that platform is quite enough thank you!
The female does the lion's share of the incubation, the male spending most of his time off the eggs and hunting to provide the food for the female, who doesn't hunt during incubation or when the chicks are small, relying entirely on the male.
Please scroll down to read about Jennie from Hong Kong........and a big thanks to Jennie from me for being such a good sport and coping with the massed media in a such a calm way! AND for giving the project such a generous donation....you're a star!
We may not get some of the national publicity of other peregrine sites, but we more than make up for it locally and regionally...and no site has such splendid donors and commentators! Thanks to one and all.

Nick B (DWT)

Ps By the way - and despite some poo and a spider, our web cam views are second to none (thanks to Nick Moyes' wizardry).....and anyway, who said there were other urban peregrine nests in the UK? It is just a rumour.....don't believe a word of it or be tempted to look elsewhere! Stick with us....we're sure you will.

Getting egg-citing!

While we wait for the first egg, here are a couple of photos of our pair taken very recently by local photographer Colin Pass. Being a falconer as well as an addict of our cathedral birds, Colin refers to the female as the 'falcon' and the male the 'tiercel', as you can see.
The photo of the tiercel shows one of the three 'gargoyles' situated above the nest platform.
When you look at the so-called 'pudding cam' images, you see the top (or more correctly and rudely, the bottom!) of the mythical beasts which were carved from the sandstone by the mediaeval stone masons in the 1530s.

Strictly speaking I was advised some time ago that 'gargoyles' are carved stonework which have holes running through them allowing water to drain off the roof above them.....usually through an open mouth. So the Derby ones are not gargoyles but 'grotesques' ......though I still find myself calling them gargoyles!

Donations: following a comment to the previous blog entry about reminding people of the need for donations to keep the project up and running, one of the most dedicated followers of our web cams, Jennie in Hong Kong, is shortly coming to the UK on a business trip. While here she's going to visit Derby, see the birds for herself and also make a donation to the project, avoiding the bank charges which are a deterrent to making a donation from overseas.

Jennie has already provided the local paper with a quote saying how much the Derby birds mean to her and the local BBC radio station hopes to catch her for a quick interview when she is here. Jennie found the site very early on and her comments have appeared regularly since then. You can see a big red dot on Hong Kong when you look at the Clustr map on the blog. The map shows where folk are logging on from around the world.

We've even had some dots from the middle of the Pacific ocean and I had wondered if these were from Midway Island or perhaps an interested loggerhead turtle 'loggering' on......who knows what they get up to out there in the oceans!

Nick B (Derbyshire Wildlife Trust)

Ps To make a donation, ring the Derbyshire Wildlife Trust office (01773 881188) in office hours and the team there will be happy to take your money from you then and there - or explain how to do this should you live abroad (or email enquiries@derbyshirewt.co.uk). For reasons related to the ending of the financial year in a few days time, we would prefer donations to be made AFTER 1st April so that they don't have to be accounted for (and spent) in this financial year....but if you are desperate to part with your money, don't let that stop you!

Season's Greetings from the project

Season's Greetings

to all our wonderful supporters and peregrine watchers around the world - we've had a very successful year once again - in no small part due to the excellent number of people who have dedicated themselves to the web cams and blog.

You have demonstrated your enthusiasm for our site and the birds themselves, donated to the project and bought the DVD too!

In particular, thanks to everyone who has left feedback to help others appreciate what the birds have been doing, almost hour by hour. (See bottom of page for visitor survey and a chance to win £100 or equivalent in your local currency)

As you may recall, four young peregrines fledged successfully last summer, though we think the only female youngster may not have survived....it's a very steep learning curve for these novice fliers. Let's hope for another brilliant season in 2009!

The photo on the right shows the tower bathed in early morning sunshine with decorations that cross Irongate (the street than runs down into the city centre from the cathedral) silhouetted against the blue sky. The sandstone stonework of the tower has a pinky colour but the effect is much enhanced by the low morning light. The night shot was taken recently and one of the peregrines was roosting on the ledge that links the gargoyles (or 'grotesques' as they should more properly be called!) trying to hide from the glare of the floodlights.

The Cathedral now has a brand new website (http://www.derbycathedral.org/index.html) . They hope to see many of our local peregrine watchers at this year’s Christmas services detailed on the website.

Finally a big thank you to all the volunteers who helped to run the Watch Point which ran for 56 days last summer, with only two days rained off!
If you want to help next year please email enquiries@derbyshirewt.co.uk If someone is willing to organise the volunteer rota that would be a big help to us - again please email us. It's a demanding job in some ways but it doesn't require going to the cathedral - so it could be undertaken by someone from their home computer......think about it and get in touch after the holiday period for more information.

Again, thanks for supporting and encouraging us throughout the past year.

Best wishes from the team:
Nick Moyes (Derby Museum)
Tony Grantham (Derby Cathedral)
Nick Brown (DWT)

Hoping you all have a nice Christmas and New Year.

Website feedback minisurvey
How did you find this site, what were you looking for and what do you think of the experience?
Renaissance East Midlands works with museums to help them be the best they can for visitors, staff, volunteers and the community. We are keen to help improve museum websites by finding out how well they are meeting users’ needs at the moment.
Once you have finished your visit to this website, please spare five minutes to share your thoughts by filling in this quick survey. To say thank you for your help, you will have the chance to enter a prize draw for £100 at the end of the survey (July 2009)

Fantastic new DVD offer!

The Peregrines of Derby Cathedral DVD price has been cut to £6 so now is the time to buy a copy if you don't already have one.
Delta Echo Media, the company that produced the DVD, have now covered their costs and want to contribute to the project rather than take any profit which means that when you buy a copy at this new price, almost all of your money will go directly to the three project partners.


Ashley Sims, of Delta Echo Media, said:

" We have enjoyed been associated with the peregrine project and been greatly impressed by the passion and incredibly hard work of everyone involved, so much so that, we have decided not to make any profit from this venture, instead preferring to give everything over and above the direct production costs directly back to the project partners".


So, please buy a copy now if you don't have one already, in the knowledge that most of your outlay will come directly back to support our work.
{If you have bought one at the original price, please think that only because you did so has Ashley been able to make this great offer to us now!}


To get a copy by post, just phone the Derbyshire Wildlife Trust on 01773 881188 in office hours and we'll send you one at £6 (exclusive of postage) the same day.

As they say: Hurry while stocks last and while you have withdrawal symptoms!
Follow this link to find our more, or to read viewer testimonials of the DVD
Nick B (DWT)

Of doting donors and inspired infants

Following our appeal for donations to help support this project, we are pleased to report that 26 people emailed the wildlife trust to find out how they could get money to us.

Of these, 18 kind folk have made donations totalling just over £500 to date, a very encouraging response.

Today we have been chasing up the remainder, making sure we had sent them the necessary information. So far, most have responded with encouraging emails along the lines of 'thanks for reminding me, I'll get my cheque in the post to you tomorrow'!

If anyone else is inspired to send a donation, however small, please email us at

enquiries@derbyshirewt.co.uk to find out how to do it.

On Monday, a large red folder appeared at the Trust office containing wonderful drawings and writing from children at Brigg Infant School near Alfreton, spurred on by Helen Naylor, their class teacher.

Once we can locate a colour scanner, we hope to reproduce some of this fabulous work by these young but eloquent children here on the blog - so watch this space!

Encouraging children to admire and understand peregrines will be a major theme of our developmental work over the winter though we will need to seek funding to underpin the staff time involved....nothing comes free these days!

The photo, taken at the watch point on one of the few wet days, shows Andy M, one of our regular volunteers, helping one local youngster to see the young peregrines standing on the edge of the platform.
We have calculated that our brilliant 24-strong volunteer team contributed over 300 volunteer hours to the running of the watch point - an excellent effort.
They were (in no particular order):
John & Sue H, Andy & Chris M, Steve & Ann R, Mary C, Ian & Judith F, Mary B, Peter W, Margaret K, Sue J, Margaret & Brian H, Jackie T, Pat S, Barry P, Mike S, Jan H, Matt B, Diane L, Lynne M and Alison R. (We hesitate to publish their full names without seeking their permission).

Meanwhile, we have been busy writing articles and short news pieces about our peregrines - check out July's Derbyshire Magazine, August's Bird Watching magazine, Bird Guides webzine (accessible only to subscribers), August's Derbyshire Ornithological Society's bulletin among others.
The pud cam has continued to give plenty of good viewing of our birds even though their visits to the nest platform below have been rather few and far between...so do keep on logging in!
Shortly we hope to have a new exciting announcement about the DVD - so keep an eye open for that too!
Nick B (DWT)