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Cromer Peregrines Activity Blog- 25/03/2022

8.20 Falcon sitting very settled on her eggs


9.06. She stands so that both eggs are visible. She resettles with the sun on her face and chest.


9.08 She is looking all about her contorting her neck to see


9.11 She stands, goes to the edge of the nest box and flies off leaving eggs unattended


9.20 Tiercel flies in and settles quickly on the eggs. His eyes are bright and wide open as he looks about


9.38 His eyes are mostly closed


9.41 He swats his beak at a passing fly and seems to yawn. He shuffles and resettles and uses his beak to gently move one egg.


10.01. The tiercel shuffles around giving a quick glimpse of the two eggs. He then settles down facing SW. He is very relaxed mostly with eyes closed and an occasional peep until

10.30. When he is disturbed by a pesky Cromer fly close to his face. A few seconds later it has gone and he settles down again.

10.34. He stands and very carefully shuffles his feet to reposition facing SE.

10.48. Something catches his attention and he becomes more alert then settles.

10.50. He shuffles around rearranging the eggs as he turns to face East.


11.00 The Tiercel is sitting in the box facing north, looking very relaxed and sleepy.


11.03 I can see him breathing hard in the heat, he is a bit more alert.


11.05 Dozing off.


11.11 A bit more alert, looking around, then it’s back to snoozing.


11.21 He is panting with his beak slightly open, but soon drops off again.


11.37 Much more alert – looking around as though he has heard something – but then it’s back to gently roasting in the sun; he has his wings slightly extended away from his body to help him to cool down.


11.44 He has a little peck at the gravel, then he’s on his feet rearranging the eggs, carefully shielding them from the sun with his wings.


11.46 He has settled back into almost the same position as before, and continues to brood the eggs.


11.59 He is sound asleep, with his head drooping.


12.01 He repositions himself on the eggs, and is turning them with his feet.


12.03 After a lot of fidgeting he finally settles down facing into the back of the box.


12.05 He looks around at the fly that is buzzing about.


12.07 In a flash he is up off the eggs, giving us a very fine view of his rear end before he leaves the box.



12.08 Eggs home alone.



12.11 He returns and immediately snuggles his brood patch down onto the eggs. His body is facing north, but he is looking out of the box.


12.20 He is sitting on the eggs, alert but calm. To start with he doesn’t seem to be affected by the heat as much as earlier, but he is now beginning to pant.


12.28 He is beginning to doze off, then a fly buzzes past and wakes him up.


12.47 He has a bit of a shuffle and moves the eggs slightly, then settles back down, still facing north.


12.57 He is obviously really hot, with his beak open as he pants. Looks like it’s time for another snooze.

13.00 Tiercel tuned eggs then settled down.



13.06 Appears hot, beak open and panting. Several flies present around the platform.

13.13 Dozing intermittently.

13.21 Awake, alert and watchful.

13.25 Turning the eggs again then settled down and again dozed intermittently.

13.50 Shuffling on the eggs briefly.

13.54 Shuffling again.

14.04 Dozing.

14.11 Shuffling, then briefly preened dorsal feathers.

14.17 Shuffling then turning eggs

14.22 Shuffling, mantles wings as he settles on eggs and is panting.

14.27 Pecks briefly at the gravel, shuffling and moving eggs.

14.40 Change over as the falcon flies in, settles on the eggs and the tiercel leaves the platform.

14.48 The falcon is shuffling on the eggs, wings mantled and panting.

14.51. Still not settled.


14:55 I understand that there was a changeover just before I took over. The Falcon has taken up the job of panting away in the sun!


15:02 The Falcon has settled down to face directly away from the camera (essentially North). She is not entirely relaxed though, as she keeps looking back over her shoulder.


15:08 More relaxed now, the Falcon is closing one of her eyes at least, although only for a few seconds at a time.


15:12 A bit of stone picking just in front of her.


15:14 The Falcon is suddenly quite alert, looking around to both sides, perhaps in response to noises outside.


15:24 The Falcon stands up, picks briefly at one of her talons, then settles back down. She stands up again, and re-arranges the eggs, during which process one egg appears that it might have a small hole in the end! I understand that providing the membrane is undamaged, the egg could still hatch, as happened in 2019.





15:27 The Falcon settles back again, but is still restless.


15:30 The Falcon is up on her feet again, re-positioning to face South-West. She has a fragment of feather hanging just below her beak on her right side, possibly from preening?


15:37 The Falcon was relaxing and dozing, then suddenly her head came up with a start, and she began looking around again. Evidently not a big problem though. She remains sat over the eggs, and no longer in the full sun, so possibly not quite so hot now.


15:45 Something attracts the Falcon’s attention, so she rotates her head onto one side to look at it!


15:49 Relaxed enough now, the Falcon is closing both eyes, and seems to be taking a nap. Then a fly goes past her head, which wakes her up again! Flies seem to be in attendance early this year, presumably because of our recent warmer weather.


15:53 She picks up some stones, then drops them, followed by a gape, then sets about some preening.


15:54 The Falcon stands up, re-arranges the eggs a little, but then stands for some moments astride the eggs, looking straight out of the platform. After a few moments she settles back down again, but has a look up above her. Now facing South, straight toward the camera.


15:58 She is still looking around to her right, as the shadows have moved round, and she is again in the sunshine. She has an intense gaze at a stone nearby, staring at it for many seconds, not moving or blinking. I began to think my picture had frozen!


16:03 The Falcon gapes (yawns?) straight at the camera!


16:08 She stands up, looks at the eggs, and starts stone picking over to her left. As she moves her feet around , she STANDS on one of the eggs in order to reach some stones!! Then backs up and settles down again, facing South-West now.


16:14 I understand from WhatsApp that the Tiercel is at this point sat at the top of the South-East turret.


16:17 After all that exercise of stone picking, the Falcon again appears to be almost asleep.


16:32 Once again, the Falcon’s head starts to sink toward the stones as she drifts off.


16:47 She seems properly asleep with her beak resting on the stones, although her eyes still open a little from time to time.


16:53 The Falcon wakes up and begins swiping her head around to her right, possibly to get rid of something from her mouth. She picks at some stones, again staring intently at one or two, then tracks flies in the air.


17:00 This session ends with the Falcon dozing in the sun, facing South-West.


Thank you so much to todays volunteers: Debbie, Julia, Jan and Peter


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