06:36 female moved to front of box leaving chicks uncovered. Both chicks looking ok and a bit dryer than yesterday! Now 6.55 no food yet but she has been calling.
07:14 Food arrives. She’s plucking as well. Lots of feather’s flying about (pun intended!)
After the feed the falcon resumes brooding.
12:00 Chicks are fed.
13.00 The Falcon is sitting upright with the two chicks asleep at her feet. The gravel is festooned with feathers.
13.03 The female looks around, and one of the chicks stretches a downy wing.
13.04 The Falcon is very alert and turning her head. She starts to honk and the Tiercel can be heard calling.
13.05 She leaves the nest, with the chicks flat out.
13.06 There is a lot of calling off-stage, and then the Tiercel appears in the inset frame and makes his way onto the nest.
13.08 The Falcon can be heard chirping and calling in the background.
13.10 The chicks are shuffling about under the Tiercel's chest.
13.11 A fly draws the Falcon's attention.
13.12 The larger chick is awake and sitting up.
13.13 The Falcon is whistling somewhere nearby.
13.14 The alarm of an emergency vehicle disturbs the chicks' sleep, but the Tiercel fluffs up his feathers and tries to cover them up
13.15 He chirrups softly.
13.17 Calling off-screen attracts the male's attention, and wakes up one of the chicks. The male makes his way off the nest, and the female soon arrives with a plucked carcass that she proceeds to feed to the larger chick. The smaller chick is still asleep.
13.18 The smaller chick wakes up and demands its share of the feed though it is facing the wrong way so the larger chick manages to waylay most of the meat.
13.19 The smaller chick turns its head and is rewarded with a chunk of meat, which seems to be enough to fill it, as it then lies down.
13.21 The Falcon leaves the nest with the prey in her beak.
13.22 The Tiercel returns and snuggles down onto the sleeping chicks
13:35 The Falcon tries to take a pigeon from S face of the church above the clock but missed.
13.31 There is a lot of chirping and the female returns to take over parenting duties. She settles over the chicks facing north-west, covering them with her wings.
13:49 The Tiercel is perched on the SW corner of the church.
14.01 She begins to preen her back and beneath her wings
14:02 The Tiercel takes off at speed.
14.06 She has worked her way down to her tail, carefully preening and rearranging each feather
14.08 One of the chicks has a quick wander from beneath its mother before returning to huddle with the other one.
14.12 Although she is still upright, the Falcon begins to doze.
14.13 The watchpoint is busy with visitors
14.20 The wind appears to be picking up - the feathers in the nest are being blown about.Gull flying close over head but is not challenged.
14.21 A fly buzzes around the Falcon's head. She begins to preen her chest feathers.
14.22 She stretches her wing out in order to preen it.
14.23 She hunkers down over the chicks.
14.26 The preening continues, with much care and attention paid to her breast feathers.
14.27 She preens the beautiful barred feathers on her legs.
14.31 She moves on to her tail coverts and under her wing.
14.34 She has finished preening and now settles back to keep the chicks warm.
14.40 She looks down at the chicks, chirruping softly.
14.42 An illegal drone is spotted flying directly above the church the Falcon looks up.
14.43 One of the chicks can be seen moving occasionally beneath the Falcon.
14.51 The Tiercel can be heard screeching nearby and the Falcon responds with a honk. Despite a vociferous exchange, the Tiercel doesn't appear, but she remains alert and looking expectantly out of the box.
14.52 She appears to be calling to him with honks and screeches.
14.54 She is settling and begins to doze.
14.55 One of the chicks is moving about.
14.57 It is stretching its leg.
14.59 The Tiercel calls in the distance.
15.00 The Falcon and the chicks are sleeping as I finish my shift.
16.13 The Tiercel is perched on the SE pinnacle.
Photo credits- Jane Crossen
17.24 Feed in progress, both chicks being fed.
Thank you to today's volunteers- Bev, Jane, Valerie, Richard and Peter.
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