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!

Lift Off!

For updates please see the comments by clicking on the word 'comments' below.....

A third peregrine falcon left its nest on Derby Cathedral at 15:30 this afternoon.
Thanks to amazingly nifty keyboard work by webcam-watcher, John B, we can bring you this, the only image we can now supply of the moment of departure.


At the time of writing this post, an hour has passed and we've heard no news as to whether or not she was successful in her maiden voyage. It's currently raining in Derby, and all three of the Project Team are away from the city centre today.

We hope you will understand that, as volunteers, we can't always be there on the off-chance of anything going wrong, though we are on call should the worst happen and we would come in if we were needed. So we have to rely on our existing contacts with the local police, city rangers and vergers to keep us informed if we need to drop everything and literally come rushing to the rescue. We've also emailed staff based at The Silk Mill to ask if someone could pop-out and ascertain whether or not the lift off went as well as we might hope for. So far we've not heard back, though Matt the verger reports that there's no-one on the Green right now.

The Cathedral is open until 18:30pm tonight, so if any blog reader is able to check for us on their way home from work this evening and drop in with the news to give to Matt the verger on duty today, that would be appreciated. He can then ring one of us if we need to come up into town.

Nick Moyes and Nick Brown.

Update:
After returning home, Nick Brown later took a call from Cliff to say that all six peregrines were visible this evening. So a big thanks to him for letting us know. Whether the most recently fledged female can get herself higher up the tower remains to be seen however.

First One Goes, Returns and Goes again

Update Monday 20th early morning: brief recap so far: 015, the only male, has successfully flown and was high on a pinnacle late last night. He seems to be a capable flier.
The three female young are still in the nest platform early Monday morning.
Our problems may come when these birds decide to take flight - being heavier and less maneouvrable, it is the females which mostly come to grief (think of 'Cathy' and the bird ringed as 009 from 2009, both females that hit buildings). A fuller account of 015 can be found in

comment 32. NB (DWT)

The top photo of 015 was taken by Geoff Barrow, an Australian visitor to Derby, on Saturday morning when he was on top of a local shop (that's the bird not Geoff!). Thanks Geoff!

And then there were three.

This morning (Saturday) saw our first peregrine falcon leave the nest platform. It had spent the last six weeks on a small wooden ledge on the side of Derby Cathedral being fed, growing up and developing its flight feathers and wing muscles, ready for this moment. And when that moment eventually came, it did what came naturally, and it did it well.

First to fledge - ring number 015 clearly visible.
Photo courtesy of Ian Fletcher. (Click to enlarge)

Chris Marshall was there and saw the bird fly off and land safely on a nearby building - though it flew off mid- morning and hasn't been seen since, despite searching.
A call from Tony Grantham and Nick Brown informed me that our first fledged peregrine was initially safe on the top of Emily Brigden's - the clothes emporium at the top corner of Amen Alley and Irongate. The team remain on standby in case the other first flights are not so successful.

I'm afraid it won't be possible to bring you any videos of the moment of fledging as the equipment inside Derby Cathedral remains out of action whilst the Project is in a period of partial hiatus.
The photos show the bird sitting on the top of Emily Bridgen's shop (top centre of the photo) - and a close up of her.
Saturday Watch Point Report: the fledged chick (actually 015 the solitary male bird) flew off and was lost to sight heading north. No doubt he'll be sitting somewhere on a roof but a walk round the area failed to spot him. The remaining three females did quite a lot of flapping at times while the falcon mostly sat above them next to the 'pud' cam. The male stayed on Jurys Inn.

Nick Moyes/Nick Brown
for Derby Cathedral Peregrine Project

All In A Flap

What a difference a two week break makes! I left England before the little white chicks chicks were ready to be ringed, and returned last weekend from a family holiday only to see four active, healthy young birds, all flapping about the nest, preening and looking eager to stretch their wings. I had envisaged a fledging date of around 23 June, though it does look like it will be earlier than that, although it's always weather dependant. Rain and wind delays their departure, and one year we saw one of our young birds being physically blown off the platform and forced to fly a few days earlier than intended! You can still see a litle bit of white down left in the image below, but they're all busy preening now and the last remnants are being rapidly lost.

So, with fledging imminent, we have alerted Derbyshire Police and the RSPCA Control Centre. They both now have all our mobile phone numbers, so Nick Brown, Tony Grantham and I will be on standby in case one or more of our birds doesn't quite make it into the air and a member of the public finds one on the ground and reports it to the authorities.

Past experience suggests that the more birds we have on the platform, the more likely it is for one or more of them not to make it into the air on their first attempt. This is presumably because they do not have so much room to exercise and strengthen their wing bones and muscles. It was for that reason that a year or two ago we fitted a "grip strip" to the platform's front lip in order to give the birds more purchase with their talons. If they can hold on better, they can exercise their wings more effectively and thus become stronger fliers when the time comes.

Whilst we generally have a policy of non-interference with these wild birds, it nevertheless seems wholly appropriate to attempt to rescue a downed bird from the busy city streets and to give it a second chance of flying by returning it to the top of the cathedral's tower. We would not encourage anyone to approach too closely if they do find a bird on the ground. Their talons are amazingly sharp and powerful, and if they're somewhere safe and away from disturbance and immediate danger, it's far better best just to leave it there until we can arrive with the Cathedral door key and the necessary equipment to safely transfer it back to the top again.

I'd like to reiterate an earlier comment I made, expressing gratitude to Nick Brown for doing so much for the project recently - a lot of it behind the scenes stuff, especially the coordination of  the watchpoints on Cathedral Green. Although our peregrines do have a world-wide audience, most viewers come from the Derby and Midlands area, and many come in person to the watchpoints on Cathedral Green, here in the heart of our city. We know that some of you like to combine a shopping trip to Derby with a chance to come and see the peregrines for yourself - and this makes eminent sense. There on watchpoint days you'll meet some of the Trust's team of keen volunteers that Nick organises, and who give their time so willingly to "man" the telescopes and share the excitement of watching peregrines in real life with all who come there.

And whilst thanks are being offered, I'd like to acknowledge everyone who has responded to the call on the previous post to donate to the Peregrine Project and give contributions to ensure its success and future development in these uncertain times. Do keep it coming!

Nick Moyes
Derby Cathedral Peregrine Project Team.

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.

Photos of today's fledging

Andy Byron from Nottingham took these photos this afternoon as the second chick fledged.

One shows the bird trying to get a foothold on the wooden louvres on the south side of the tower, without success.

Thanks to Andy for letting us use them.

Nick B (wildlife trust)

For the latest news on the two fledglings please scroll down to the previous post.

Lift Off!

Update 9.40pm Tuesday: the second chick to fledge flew around the cathedral several times this evening, landing on different buildings, ending up on a chimney above Irongate where it seemed to be settled for the night. Thanks to Cliff and Christine for keeping track of it (still not sure if it is male or female!). Monday's fledgling was up on a pinnacle near the tower top - clearly settled for the night there.

Derby's second peregrine falcon has fledged!
This photo shows the precise moment, captured and posted almost immediately by "Twwitcher" onto our Flickr photopool.



It seems it (she?) flew around 14:35 local time, though ironically we first heard the news via a phone call from Ruth in France to report her departure. So thanks to everyone who got in touch. As I write this (15:20) I've just recieved a text message from Nick B. to report that he has spotted the chick on the cathedral's nave roof, and that she seems OK. Whether or not she will be able to fly on from there remains to be seen.
Oops - a further call from Nick B. at 15:32 and she has flown on to one of the tall chimneys of the Silk Mill museum (the small one just left of centre on the photo), after not quite managing to make it to the tall, nearby Jury's Inn Hotel. But it does look like our second bird is a strong flyer and should be OK, too.

We gather that a photographer (Andy B) from Nottingham managed to capture the exact moment of take off, after waiting there most of the day with camera poised. He's agreed to send us some images and we'll try and bring this moment to you too. We'll retrieve a video clip of the fledging moment sometime tomorrow lunchtime if we can, and hope to post it just after lunch or later in the evening.

So what happens now?

It's still possible that one or both birds will come back to the nest ledge, and maybe confuse a few webcam watchers into thinking that they haven't left yet. But there's a much stronger chance that you'll see them at some point in the days ahead via the tower cam. This is a high vantage point on Derby Cathedral which the juveniles have used a lot in the past. So we'll switch the cams over in the next day or so to give better view looking across towards Jury's Inn Hotel. I'll also swap back the video recorders which have been running on both next cameras since yesterday so that the ledge is covered. (Apologies to those of you who wanting more video clips this season. It has been a very busy time for me both at home and at work recently, and it simply wasn't possible to find the free time to retrieve all the clips from inside Derby Cathedral Tower that you might have wished to have seen.)
(The photo shows the first fledger and the falcon both near the top of one of the pinnacles today. During the morning this bird successfully received food from the falcon in mid-air and took it first to the nave roof and then to the top of the Silk Mill, finally flying back to the tower top.)
Cathedral Green Antics
Despite the wonders of technology, nothing beats seeing peregrine falcons in real life. So this is where many of you reading this blog will now be earnestly wish you were living in or visiting Derby, because for the next few weeks there should be some amazing aerial antics to be seen from Derby's Cathedral Green. As the young peregrines gain in confidence their parents will be aiding the process of learning to hunt and fly, and all this can be watched from the ground. The Wildlife Trust-run Watchpoints will continue for some time yet, so if you haven't made it down to see them in the flesh (so-to-speak), do make a point of visiting in the days ahead. (Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays c.10.30am-1.00pm.).

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.

More recent photos as we await the first flight

Update Monday morning: we've spent three hours wandering round the local streets, peering from the tops of multi-storey car parks etc looking for the juvenile that fledged early this morning but so far without any success. The falcon (and the tiercel) have been flying over the whole area perhaps also searching for their youngster. Hopefully the bird is not on the ground but on a roof somewhere and will take off and return to the tower later. There are so many flat roofs, back yards, derelict plots, trees etc that finding the bird is like trying to find a needle in a haystack. Further update later today...

Update:Saturday's Watchpoint report has been added at the end....

Here are some recent photos via Flickr of the two juvenile peregrines, some taken from the ground by Colin Pass on Friday 11th June and some taken

via the webcams. Thanks to everyone for contributing them and especially Colin since he had to stand below the tower with his big, heavy lens and wait for the right moment!

There was not quite as much wing flapping on Saturday as we might have expected so opinions are now suggesting that fledging may yet be a couple of days off - even for the more advanced bird.

The forecast for the next few days is for good weather, perhaps with a few showers so that should not adversely affect the birds.
In a way, the longer they delay making their first flights, the stronger they will be and the less likely that they will come to ground...

The top four photos were taken by Colin. The two below were captured from the web cams by HelenSara and Craig. They show the chicks

waiting for food and then just about to get some!

Nice work everyone!

Nick Brown (DWT)

Here's the Report from the Watchpoint yesterday, Saturday 12 June

An early-ish start today! Chris and I were just starting to set things out at 10 o'clock this morning when a coach party from Chester on a sight seeing tour of Derbyshire ambushed us. We couldn't set telescopes up fast enough! So apart from seeing the Cathedral and Silk Mill museum as they had intended, they also got very good views of our chicks.

The falcon had already arrived at the cathedral at about 9.30 carrying a feral pigeon which she cached on a water spout and then sat back to enjoy the sunshine leaving the chicks calling to her and flapping to exercise their wings.

Just before 11.00 she suddenly took off over the river calling loudly and gaining height - a buzzard had drifted into her territory and was escorted off in the direction of the Bus Station.

This was followed by about twenty minutes of both adults flying together all around the area culminating in a breathtaking mock stoop by the falcon which took her low over Cathedral Green and around the corner of the Silk Mill before she soared away to land on the police radio mast near Chester Green.

Shortly after 12.00, we again saw both adults flying around to the North, sometimes landing for a while on Jury's Inn. The female then returned to her favoured perch just below the nest platform where she rested until, at about quarter to one, a crow flew across the Green and across the nave of the cathedral, just below the faclon - she launched herself at the crow and we later had reports from two ladies (who had travelled from Newcastle-under-Lyme just to see the peregrines) that an injured crow had been seen in Iron Gate trying to shelter in a shop doorway - presumably the same bird which won't be making the same mistake again!!!

Just as we were preparing to close the watchpoint (and this always seems to happen to us) the falcon took off again heading high over the Market Place area, we then saw why - the tiercel was coming in with a prey item. They flew around each other for a few minutes before making a food pass - the tiercel dropped his catch just as the falcon passed underneath him, she missed it at the first attempt but twisted around to catch it before it had fallen twenty feet. This was brought back to the Cathedral and plucked before being dropped into the nest platform, the falcon then returning to her perch.

The many visitors we had today (including a couple on holiday from Australia) were treated to excellent views of both chicks as well as the aerial displays put on by their parents.

Many thanks to all who came down today and thankyou for the generous contributions you made to our funds.

Andy, Chris and Helen.

Fledging (still) approaches

We are expecting the chicks to fledge probably within the next 2-3 days. The local police and RSPCA have been informed in case a member of the public contacts either of them having seen a fledgling on the ground somewhere. We have installed a stout box, gardening gloves and an old bedspread in the cathedral in case one comes has to be caught and taken back up the tower again for a second go.

(This 2007 photo by John Salloway shows two recently fledged young tangling with each other near the cathedral - with luck the 2010 youngsters will soon be doing likewise!)

The weather has been very poor recently - cold, wet and very windy...not conducive to making one's first flight! By the weekend things should have improved and wing flapping is likely to re-commence....possibly leading to a flight!

With just two young in the platform this year, the chance of one accidently catching the other with its wing and knocking it off the platform is less likely...we'll just have to wait and see.

This new photo was taken yesterday (11th) by Colin Pass to whom many thanks. Some wing stretch that!!

Several commentators have thought one of the chicks had fledged already - they are very difficult to see, especially on the right hand side of the ledge so you can be forgiven but please do try to make sure one has really left the ledge before you put up a comment if you will - we will get real alerts shortly and could do without any more false ones....
It may also be the case that one of the more adventurous chicks will climb out of sight onto the higher edges of the platform or up the central black strap giving the apperance that there is only one left. Check carefully for the ends of tails just in view somewhere!
Meanwhile once the weather improves there are likely to be watchers on the ground - at least in the mornings and afternoons and so if one comes down on a road hopefully someone will spot it in time to shepherd it out of danger from traffic.

The team members will do their best to get down to the cathedral as quickly as they can once we learn that a chick has landed - but we can't be there all the time of course.

We will update the blog just as soon as we can after any fledging happens.

Our fingers are crossed!

The team

Watch Point Update: today (Friday 11th) was quite busy with visitors from Italy, Greece and the USA coming to see the birds. The two chicks were doing only a small amount of flapping - perhaps they haven't yet recovered from the wetting they got yesterday! the female stood guard above but the male didn't show up all morning.....

Another sunny morning (updated)

Update (16:30) Male 008 has left the building -well, almost.
Latest reports are that our last bird to leave the nest was hanging on the the stonework just a short distance below the ledge. So not really a maiden flight yet. We're on standby in case a rescue is needed, but are hopeful that he'll be OK once he takes the plunge and lets go.
Subsequent update: Half an hour later one of our juveniles was back on the ledge. Is this the one that just left, and has managed to return, or is it one of the others? More information to follow later this evening.


Friday 12th has started sunny and calm in Derby.....though cloud is due to spread eastwards during the day.


Watchpoints have now been organised for today, Saturday and Sunday so do come down (or up) to Derby if you are in striking distance. There are a few DVDs on sale there but you can also order from the wildlife trust office by phoning 01773 881188 in office hours. The cathedral and museum shops may have copies for sale but did have some supply problems - please check.
Also remember that The Cathedral Centre on Irongate does excellent coffees, light meals and take-aways...well worth supporting!




Herewith some photos from flickr sent in by:



ann (Canada) - titled 'come on up',








by rejsharp (the threesome) and























by marski - showing one of the young on the roof of the cathedral.








Many thanks to them all!
Nick Brown (DWT)

Today's The Day . . .?

We're likely to see our first fledge today. Do please close your browsers once you've finished watching to try and avoid the problem other users experiened at peak times when some experienced freezing images, but others didn't.

Of course, we'll all be watching to keep the equipment working as well as we can, and checking out for signs of that first successful -or unsuccessful - fledge.

Here's a comment from Colin Pass after an very early visit this morning

We got down at the Cathedral before 5am. Falcon brought a pigeon in, and
left them to tuck in. A while latter the falcon dropped down and fed them, they are
still a bit lazy and would rather let mum top them up,rather than pull for
themselves. Then not to be outdone, dad decided he would feed them. I left around
7.30am they had all disappeared back onto the tray, with tennis ball crops to
digest. I guess they will not been to keen to try and fledge for a view hours at
least, to busy sleeping their large meal off.

This is Colin's who's who of our ringed peregrine family:
011 Tiercel (male) oldest
009 Falcon (female)
010 Falcon (female)
008 Tiercel (male) Youngest the only one not to venture out on the edge of the tray yesterday.

Fledging Imminent? (updated 22:00)

No, they've not fledged today! The shot above was by local photographer, Colin Pass, taken in June last year when he captured this image of the last bird to fledge from the nest ledge. Around 21:00 this evening there was a moment when reports suggested one of our birds may have left the nest for a few moments, but this is now known not to have been the case. Over the nicrophone to which the team have access, we could hear losts of calling sounds by the youg birds, with a parent up above, calling to them in return. Colin has just got back from the green, and this is what he reported at 21:50 this evening:

"Just got back both falcon and tiercel doing there best this evening to catch tea without success.Young screaming hungry. At times I thought one would get dislodged by the scambling and flapping. Tommorrow looks like the day, weather permitting, for a first flight. I might be a day out with my prediction for the 10th :) Nothing hsd left the tray by 9.30pm this evening."

This is another of Colin's recent photos:



With fledging likely any day now, there was plenty of activity in the nest platform this morning. There were times when it was very difficult to tell whether one of the birds has already flown or not, so careful checks of both camera images were often needed. But here they all were between 9.00 and 10.00am, still calling and screeching at their parents, and very actively clambering around, especially when food was being prepared by a parent up above.




Whilst it’s possible that one might fly off at any moment, past experience shows they can keep us on tenterhooks for quite a few days. And after the enforced inactivity during last weekend’s rain, this is quite likely. Here's what local falconer, Colin Pass wrote about them this morning:

"Well I have to say I have never seen peregrines as wet and soaked to the skin as the young this weekend.Lets hope for some decent weather over the next week. It would have been a disaster if they had fledged and got soaked like they were, and rendered flightless, it would have left them vulnerable to say the least especially if grounded. I suggest they get their oil gland motivated and get preening. If the weather holds they can get some serious wing pumping done and build up their pectoral muscles. If they follow form, and none of them are pushed :(011 should attempt to take to the skies first. I was lucky enough to see a couple make their first flights last year, I hope I am lucky enough this year."

Of course, the Team are all one standby in case one should come down – and we’ve already taken our first call from someone who saw a sparrowhawk on top of a car in Derby city centre this morning and not unreasonably thought it may have been one of our young birds. A quick check showed that all four birds were still in place.

With all this nest activity, we’ve put the second nest camera full size onto what was our "multi-view" page, but we’ll turn this back once fledging has happened as there should then be lots of activity around the top of the tower itself. So for just a short while, there'll be no image feed from the top of Derby Cathedral's magnificent tower.

The picture below was captured by rejsharp earlier this morning:

Some recent pixs

Herewith ex-flickr photos of the youngsters getting adventurous, the top one courtesy of Marski2009 and the second from rejsharp...... and the last from Jennie in Hong Kong showing how the virtually fluff-less youngster is beginning to look almost like an adult (except for the dark flecks on the mantle visible in this view).

At least the weather in Derby today

(Wednesday) is much cooler and

there's rain forecast in the next

few days too...that should help

them cool off a bit!

Thanks for the photos folks!

Nick B (DWT)

This week

There will be Watch Points on Thursday (4th), Friday 5th and Saturday 6th June this week.

As the chicks begin to exercise their wings and lose their fluff, so the day of their fledging edges ever nearer. This is a worrying time for the team and we usually have to rely on local folk to alert us to the presence of a fledgling on the ground somewhere nearby the cathedral.

Our theory is that the cathedral is too narrow. On a natural cliff, the first time fliers would be able to semi-circle round and land back somewhere else on the cliff. With a narrow tower, they can't manage a tight enough circuit to arrive back on the tower, instead missing it completely and landing either on a roof on the west side or even down on the streets.

The photo shows the feisty female youngster we rescued in 2006 - the only one to come to ground it that first year. You can see how big she was - males by comparison are much smaller in the hand - and easier to grab too!

Nick B (DWT)

Latest news: third youngster rescued tonight

Tiddler, 007, has just been rescued from the car park of The Dolphin, a local pub close to the cathedral.
Nick Moyes received a call from the police about 8pm this evening and, with Tony Grantham, the cathedral head verger, headed for town.
Apparently, a member of the public found 007 on the ground, picked him up and put him in a basket and took him to the pub itself.
Nick and Tony took him back up to the top of the tower to release him as the light began to fade.
So all's well that ends well for 007......but we still have concerns for one of the other fledglings since we have only seen three youngsters all day. ...unless 007 is indeed the fourth.
Hopefully the missing bird will turn up somewhere in the morning.
Nick B (DWT)

new photos for your delectation

Herewith a few new pictures, this time by Graham Whitmore who helped me shepherd 003, the big female eyass, into a garden where we could catch her up.

Graham works in photography so his pictures should be good and by goodness they certainly are!

The first shows 003 safely captured but complaining somewhat all the same!

Note the size of her feet - a feisty bird this one.......




Next Graham's picture of 003 before she was caught, standing in the shady alleyway below the trees through which she fell.

Once these powerful birds come to ground they are very vulnerable. They can't take to the air unless they can clamber up to some vantage point - and there no chance of that in a city environment.

Graham's third photo shows a couple of the fledglings being tempted by the falcon with a big morsel of food, right up on the top of the tower.

Double click on the image to see the details.

Thanks Graham - great shots!

Donations and DVDs

Thanks to those of you who have either offered or already sent donations to the project via the wildlife trust. These contributions really make a difference to the future of this project.

If you have enjoyed the web cams and the blog as much as everyone else seems to have done, then do please consider making a contribution. Email enquiries@derbyshirewt.co.uk or ring the trust on 01773 881188 in office hours.

And just a reminder that the excellent DVD is still on sale and is another way of contributing to the project, with 40% of the selling price going to the project for every copy sold via the wildlife trust. Again, ring 01773 881188 to purchase your copy.

Thanks

Nick B (DWT)

Ps. So far today as far as we know, we have only seen three youngsters. The fourth must be somewhere in the city, hopefully up on a roof somewhere and not down in some back alley or yard.

more pics of this morning's fun

Stop press: the live video feed has now resumed, albeit without sound. (Nick M 6pm)

Jon Salloway and Colin Pass kindly sent me these photos which add further to the story of this morning's rescue of 003 (see blog entry below).

First, Jon's photo of 003 on the ground in the alley before we shepherded her through a gate and into the garden where we could catch her up safely.

Next Jon's fine photo of the falcon (female) flying round while we were up the top of the tower releasing 003. She was calling anxiously of course, but soon settled down once we departed.

Great flight shot Jon!

Next Colin's photo of one of the youngsters trying to get in between the wooden louvres of the window by the platform. Hope it didn't get stuck!

Finally, another of Colin's photos showing one of the youngsters flying in front of the tower.

Thanks guys!

DONATIONS

Please remember to donate to this project if you have been glued to your web cams - see my plea at the end of the previous blog entry. Thanks.

Nick B (DWT) Ps. Double click on these pix to enlarge them and see the detail better.