Peregrine Latest

 

Of the 17 pairs I monitor, 8 pairs have now laid eggs as of today, the earliest layer being March 9th with another pair possibly even earlier. Long gone are the days when most pairs laid around the end of March, testament I would expect to warmer temperatures and global warming. Last year I had a pair lay on February 28th which is the first time I have known a pair lay into February if I recall correctly.

The Factory pair laid eggs on the 11th and 13th, I would expect a further egg today likely, they usually lay around 50+ hours apart from each other. A concern with the Falcon, was seeing her standing on the egg, obviously not ideal, when I looked straight after at the egg, there was a mark. I am hoping that it was a blood mark from feeding on prey, hopefully so.

                                                                       Clumsy Falcon

                                                                          Broken?

On another site, unfortunately 2 Fireproof boards were blown loose at the nest site and one of them, then partially covered the nest tray.

As you can imagine at this time of year, pre-eggs or even on eggs, the last thing you want to do is disturb her at this stage, desertion is extremely likely, however she had not laid yet thankfully if she still could, with the board half covering the Tray.

With no eggs confirmed at distance by a long lens, a very careful operation was then immediately mounted with the owners, under licence, we then removed the boards in under 3 minutes, when she was absent, but sitting above the nest site but unable to see into it.

                                              One of these was partially covering the nest tray

Checking the site after and since, showed her none the wiser and back in the nest tray, as I write this, she could even have laid an egg or 2, a great result.

Elsewhere, as yet the Battersea Power Station Falcon, now at a minimum of 13/14 years of age, not surprisingly has not laid, much the same as last year. No doubt fertility and being able to produce an egg at this stage in her life, will play a major part.

Copulation/Display continues, and she spends hours in the totally accepted new nest box resting, forming an egg scrape within the Grit, but sadly it looks like it will not happen again, we will see. Given the number of singles around in the outer counties and even further afield, I had expected her to relinquish her territorial position at the Power Station to a younger stronger Falcon last year.

She is holding on well and has been a fantastic female since her arrival in 2012 as an adult, she has produced no less than 22 juveniles, all during construction, more than the previous Falcon 2000 – 2012, who produced 14 juveniles.

I will be checking Parliament next week, hopefully she has laid but where, old, or new?

                                   Has there ever been a more adaptive resilient Bird of Prey?