Peregrine Falcons 2014

[Scubbie]

Well they are back again this year.

The camera isn't live yet, but should go live soon.

I managed to get a few pics today, but nothing spectacular. Below are a few but I really need to save up for a more powerful lens.




If you want to follow them, see this website: Chichester Peregrines

[Scubbie]

The Webcam has been up for just over a week now. I think that the bandwidth is struggling as periodically I get 'buffering' reports.

Yesterday both the male and female were present on the nest. The female appeared to be 'nesting' most of the time.



This morning we have an egg on the nest. I don't know when it was laid, but it most certainly is there.



This year's pair are both new to the site. I'm not a bird expert, but I think that she should be sitting more on that egg at the moment.

[Scubbie]

It appears that a pair in Norwich had a little bit of fund today:

BBC News - Norwich Cathedral peregrine falcon eggs face intruder threat

Some nice pictures of both Peregrines and all four eggs.

For their live feed: Live Norwich Cathedral Peregrine Web Cam 2014 | Urban Peregrine Projects

I think the female at Chichester is a new mum and lacks experience. She has hardly sat on her single egg today and it is still exposed as I type this up. Basically anything that might be inside the egg is very unlikely to survive.

[JPL]

No need to worry yet. From SCPBRG: Peregrine Falcon FAQ:

'Q. The parents have left the nest, and the eggs are just sitting there! How long can the parents not incubate the eggs without damage to the developing embryos?

A. With two eggs in the nest, and probably at least one if not two more to come, the parents will do what we call "partial incubation", meaning they don't sit constantly, and not much is going on inside the egg. This helps the chicks hatch close together, since there are 48-72 hours between laying eggs, if they started "hard incubating" the first egg, the last could be up to a week+ younger than the oldest. Even when "hard incubation" has started, eggs can stand considerable chilling.'

[Scubbie]

Thanks JPL.

Sadly it looks like the egg has been damaged today.

It could be a bit of dirt, but their guano is white, so it isn't that.

[Isitme]

Looks to me like the bird it is dead or injured.

[Scubbie]

I don't think that she has been in a fight recently. I haven't exactly been camped out in the Cathedral grounds 24/7 watching them.

She moved the egg earlier so you can't see than potential hole any more. She has been sitting on it more this afternoon though.

[Scubbie]

Nearly a week has passed since she laid the first eggs and this afternoon she has laid a second.

As I'm typing this the male has just popped in to inspect what has happened.

[gymno]

Nearly a week has passed since she laid the first eggs and this afternoon she has laid a second.

As I'm typing this the male has just popped in to inspect what has happened.

Quite like human life then.
He'll be off for a beer with the lads to celebrate soon. 'squark 2 - nil squark'.

[Scubbie]

More likely gone for a pint of the Abbott's Ale.