An update on: An extraordinary Picture Essay: The nesting Peregrine Falcons …
OCTOBER 24:
Mum comfortable brooding
Female off getting food from male. The oldest is a week old
Female tangled trying to shade chicks from the intense sun
Fast asleep with female on guard
At last asleep, they can be brooded
Watching a blowfly … brooding adults will catch and eat them if they can
Male, preening
Male arriving for brood duties
All the male can do now is squat over the chicks
OCTOBER 26:
First light
First peek of the sun
First snooze of the day
Female stands waiting for food; the hungry chicks peck and beg at each other
After the first feed they watch something overhead
Female preening primaries
Starting to look like two females and a male chick
Dad back to check
Male cleaning his talons
A hot day and female arrives with a wet breast from bathing
She broods the chicks; maybe deliberately cooling them
Suddenly the female jumps up to receive food
It’s an unlucky rosella, partially plucked and eaten by the male
After feeding the female stretches her right wing and leg
Female alighting
OCTOBER 27:
Adult female brooding in early morning
Brooding female with feather stuck to her beak
Female feeding very small bird, possibly a goldfinch, to chicks
Female half brooding. Note the egg tooth still on the chick’s beak tip
Twinkle-toed
Another very small bird being fed to chicks. Note the bird foot about to be consumed
The dapper male feeding young a starling
The kids watch another starling about to be served
Antics … avoiding treading on the chicks
Even the female has trouble brooding
Although their airframe is very rigid, peregrines have long, flexible necks
Female about to launch
Female retrieves yet another starling. Note the typical yellow beak of the starling
And down the hatch it goes
Female gagging on a stuck bone
Preening the underside of the left wing
Chick scratching
Female ruffling … a sign of wellbeing. Note the long banded vent and rump feathers
Exhausted brood … looks like two males and a female by head size
OCTOBER 28:
Her very own silly walk
Partly-eaten starling taken off the male
Adult male arrives at sun-up. Note the highly-contrasting breast; very rich orange/yellow coloured legs, cere and eye surround of the female.
Tip-toeing around the brood
All comfortable
Starting to nod off basking
Out like a light
Bit of a preen
A bit more
Standing waiting for food
Another starling for the big-bellied brood
Note the hint of primary pin feathers already
Adult male arrives with, yes, another starling
Female takes the starling
… and re0rientates. From this age the male will have to increase his provisioning rate and in another 10 days food demands will be (huge)
Female’s favourite brooding posture … partly propped on left wing
.jpg "My, how you've grown ... an update on the Peregrines 184")
Adult male at speed over Stanley (Pic: Adam Hardy)
