There is a pair of peregrines nesting on Norwich
cathedral; they occupy a platform positioned by the Hawk & Owl Trust half
way up the eastward facing section of the spire. This platform has been used as
a nest site for the last seven years with a good deal of fledging success
during that time. There is a live web feed from a camera positioned just above
the nest which generates a huge amount of interest from the general public who
can watch the antics of the birds 24 hours a day. And it really is something of
a soap opera. Two years ago a big, aggressive female arrived on the scene,
ousted the resident female (who was never seen or heard of again) and took over
the territory. The resident male, as men do, took an instant fancy to this
young bird and started flirting with her quite unashamedly. There were great
fears that in the throes of new found love he would neglect his young
offspring, but to his great credit he managed to provide for them and raised
them single handedly. The new female, referred to ever since as GA because of the
code on her leg ring attached to her in Bath, had nothing whatsoever to do with
the chicks because they were not hers. All was good until the chicks fledged
and left the nest whereupon GA attacked them one by one and sadly caused their
demise. Last year the new pair had a full clutch of four eggs, but one or two
mishaps resulted in only a single chick fledging. That’s ok; peregrines are
long lived birds and top predators, so fledging one or two chicks a year is
success enough. This year with greater experience, 3 of the 4 eggs hatched and
the resulting chicks are currently robust, healthy and on course to fledge
sometime towards the middle of this month.
I volunteer my services at the H&O watch
point in the cathedral close on a Monday afternoon and this allows a great
insight into the lives of these majestic Falcons. The setup is very slick
nowadays with several telescopes trained on the action for the public to use
and see nature red in tooth and claw. (There really is nothing like seeing in
close up the entrails of a disemboweled pigeon sliding down the cathedral spire
to make you realise nature can, and often is, quite brutal). Volunteers like me
point things out and tell people about the birds and their habits. It really is
heartening how folk of all ages and from all walks of life engage with these
raptors and are fascinated by their lives.
Anyway today, although quiet in terms of
numbers, did illustrate the effect seeing such dynamic wild creatures in the
flesh can have. I heard more than one ‘wow!’, ‘amazing!’, and various other
utterances requiring exclamation marks. All these an involuntary reaction to
being able to see a beautiful adult peregrine falcon simply sitting on one of
the cathedral crockets. With the chicks now well grown and fed, the adult birds
had relatively little to do. There was one food pass however, resulting in what
was, for me, the sweetest moment of the day. GA having taken her fill allowed
the male to take what was left of the pigeon carcass for his own. He
disappeared behind the spire from where a paper chase of downy feathers could
be seen scattering in the quite chilly northerly breeze. Within a couple of
minutes a group of swifts appeared circling around the spire. Initially I
wondered if these were simply mobbing the falcons but then realised they were
catching the feathers in midair to use for their nests. That pigeon was well
and truly recycled.
Sometimes one or other of the birds can
disappear for some time. On my last shift GA was absent for three hours and
upon her return her mate flew off and hadn’t reappeared by the time the shift
was over. On the off chance that something good may happen given the long
period without prey being brought to the nest site, I chanced a few minutes
wait in the cathedral cloisters from where you are much closer to the action.
My hunch paid off within a few minutes when the male brought a complete feral
pigeon carcass to the female. She accepted the prize and proceeded to circle
the spire calling loudly, dead pigeon dangling from her talons. Its moments
like these that make long uneventful waits and the whole volunteering effort so
worthwhile.
Great pictures Barry. Am following via the webcam and am getting nervy in case I miss the first flight. Had a heart attack the other day when could only see 2. Sat there watching the screen for 15 mins until one shifted and I could see the other 1. better than soap opera
ReplyDeleteThanks Clare. It is addictive I understand. The chicks should fledge within the next 7-10 days and hopefully will all survive this time round. Once thy start standing on the edge of the platform exercising their wings you’ll know it’s neat time.
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