The Lincolnshire Bird Club

I often have the 24/7 webcam of the St. Wulfram's Peregrine nesting tray as background when I'm sat in the Computer Room writing or doing some light reading.....it's a privilege to be able to occasionally glance at/watch the Peregrines LIVE at
http://www.lincsbirdclub.co.uk/pegcam.html
The lead character of course. until the eggs hatch, is the female.

The system refreshes a 'live' image of excellent definition from a camera every 5 seconds and at night images are seen using an infrared camera.

In 2010 the first egg was laid on 29 March and the first chick hatched on 9 May. The first 2011 egg (hopefully fertile) was laid on 30 March, so we should be getting some real action in the next few days. The female Peregrine will be most certainly relieved.....her incubation duty with her doing the longer sessions must represent a supreme exercise in 'avian instinctive patience', sat there day after day, often motionless, for over a month in all weathers. (It makes me reflect that it's a pity more of us don't possess a parallel 'human instinctive patience, me included).

The website noted above also gives a most interesting and readable 'History of the Grantham Peregrines and Project information', plus being a click away from the Peregrine Blog with recent images and news, AND with video highlights of the nest site in 2010.....a really comprehensive Peregrine package for Peregrine fans.

We are informed that in the identified remains of Peregrine prey collected at St. Wulfram's Church from May 2009 - January 2011 no fewer than 31 birds are listed. For me, the more interesting ones include :

Quail - 2
Knot - 2
Snipe - 3
Woodcock - 17
Feral Pigeon 116
but Wood Pigeon - 1
Green Woodpecker - 2
Swift - 3-
Jay - 1
Magpie - 1
.....and that list represents only 10 species out of 31.

I would certainly give this unique website a 5 star rating with full thanks (and admiration) to the Project Team : Bob Sheppard, Alan Ball and Andrew Chick.

Freddy
PS. If you are not an existing regular 'watcher', do log on......you won't be disappointed : you might even catch the male delivering a food item.

Freddy,

Many thanks for your kind words. The privilege of being able to share the fascinating insight into the lives of the breeding Peregrines, has made all the hard work put in by the 'Peg Team' worthwhile.

As you rightly point out, we should hopefully have the patter of tiny talons on Monday or Tuesday or next week. Fingers crossed !

Thanks,

Alan - on behalf of the LBC peregrine team.

This afternoon (6th May), I just happened to log onto the Grantham Peregrine webcam at 2.10. Within 5 minutes or so, I noticed that the incubating bird, facing the camera and looking skywards, had its beak wide open and was obviously calling to its mate. This calling and looking skywards was repeated 2 or 3 times and then 'suddenly' the 2 Peregrines were side by side in the nesting tray, standing and facing outwards (South). Almost immediately, both birds departed and the 4 eggs (none hatched yet) were left open to view and uncovered for c 1 minute before the relieving bird appeared and took over incubation duty.

I could be wrong, but 'sizewise' it looked as if the male had relieved the female. An interesting piece of Peregrine interactive behaviour and all of it LIVE ...right in front of me.

Freddy

Just an update regarding the Grantham Peregrines. As of lunchtime today (Wed 11th May) we now have three chicks. There is still a chance that the remaining egg may hatch within the next 24 hours.

Don't forget you can watch the action from this nest live at:-

http://www.lincsbirdclub.co.uk/pegcam.html

Alan