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Writer's pictureChris

Friday 1st May 2020

08.25 Female incubating the eggs

08.28 Female looks around the box

08.38 Female shuffling

08.50 Male makes an appearance to take over the incubating

08.53 Male makes himself comfortable

09.04 Male turns the eggs, 1 egg appears to be pipped

09.18 Male has a look around

09.30 Male picks at the surrounding gravel

09.37 Male turns the eggs once more

10.18 Male turns the 3 eggs again

10.30 Male shuffles again

11.00 Tiercel comfortably settled facing left. Sometimes looking at camera and closing one eye. Sunlight – or winking at his watching fans.

11.02 He is doing a lot of wriggling about. Trying hard to glimpse the eggs.

11.04 Looking around and pecking at gravel. Definitely more restless.

11.06 Lots of wriggling. Glimpsed 2 of the eggs – I think both are pipped.

11.09 Pecking at gravel again – maybe flavoured with essence of pigeon. A lot of wriggling about still. Now turned around so half his back is to the camera.

11.14 Alert and listening.

11.16 Wriggle wriggle.

11.19 More wriggling. Lifting tail but can’t glimpse eggs.

11.21 Lots of active wriggling – he looks as though he is laying an egg himself.

11.22 His tail is in the way, but the right hand egg looks well pipped. Possibly even moving a bit? Tiercel is now side on, facing to the right.

11.29 More lovely gravel

11.33 Looking alert

11.34 More wriggling, feathers fluffed

11.40 Disturbed by an invading fly. He’s a very handsome tiercel!

11.42 Alternate dozing and looking around. Seems relaxed.

11.44 Same. Bit of preening.

11.48 Something has caught his attention. More alert.

11.57 Sun has come out – golden gravel and illuminated feathers

12.00 Return of the fly.

12.15 Little shuffle, little peck at gravel. Probably wants his lunch

12.33 Another good shuffle. Slight turn so he is facing backwards towards the right hand corner.

12.44 Much more wakeful and alert. Looking expectant. Has he heard something?

12.49 I think so. He has got off the eggs and left the nest.

12.50 Good view of eggs now. All look pipped – one looks well pipped – but no chicks yet. Can’t be long though – call the midwife?

12.52 The falcon has arrived. Settled herself down facing right. Shuffled around with her back to the camera. Shuffled again and settled down facing to the left. Goodness, she is a big bird.

12.58 Another shuffle. Good brief view of left hand egg.

13.00 female on eggs, all 3 eggs are pipped, lots of shuffling on eggs

13.07 female calling

13.11 female off eggs and calling then flew off, so pipping of all eggs visible

At 13.11 an intruding peregrine makes itself known, Gavin Fitt, a huge follower of the Cromer peregrines who also lives within sight of the Church informs us the intruding peregrine has landed on the North West turret, the resident male makes dozens of fast fly pasts trying to dislodge the intruder, an aerial battle ensues and ends up with the resident female joining in and ultimately chasing the threat away, she can be seen returning to the box at 13.51 panting heavily.

13.12 female back on eggs

13.13 shuffling a lot on eggs and calling

13.31 more settled on eggs

13.34 picking up and dropping debris in nest

13.37 sitting up, looking down at eggs

13.40 standing up and calling, then back on eggs

13.44 female left nest box

13.45 male on eggs

13.51 female back, with male sitting on eggs

13.55 female flew off

14.06 male sleeping on eggs

14.30 male picking at gravel

15.00 male still sitting on eggs

15.00 Poppy facing back of nest, shuffles slightly, beak motions

15.03 Shuffling looking to her left

15.10 More shuffling and looking to her left wind ruffles her feathers

15.24 More rigourous shuffle and stares to left

15.28 Shuffle and looks to left

15.29 Shuffle to right and looks to her right, picks at gravel near her head

15.32 Diligently continues to move gravel towards her ‘nest’

15.35 More settled and still

15.36 Big shuffle, facing outwards, used beak to check eggs, more gravel moving

15.39 Still gravel moving

15.40 Big fidget, 2 eggs clearly seen, shuffle into position, facing back of ‘nest’

15.42 Shuffle and looks to her right

15.43 Very settled

15.58 Shuffles and looks left

16.02 Changes position, sunshine on her face, resting

16.10 Gravel moving and alert

16.14 Fly buzzed in and out

16.15 Looked around keenly as if at a fly I didn’t see

16.17 Shuffle, I saw front egg with a small hole/crack

16.25 All fine and settled

16.34 Gravel pecking

16.38 Still gravel pecking

16.39 Big shuffle, facing right, 3 eggs seen, 2 cracks clearly seen, ‘she’ pecked at the hole in the nearest egg

16.42 Shuffle to right, lifted her body to check her eggs

16.45 Resettled facing away, and then settled to the left

16.49 A fly disturbed her

17.10 Male has just come in and female has left the nest, he is rearranging the eggs, (chicks could be getting dizzy) he has settled down, what a beautiful bird.     

17.27 not much happening a bit of shuffle round and then settles again, One eye covered the left open, interesting, now both covered

17.35 another shuffle not moving eggs

17.45 Raised itself up a bit,  eggs visible, took a look and settled own again, could have been making a sound as the beak was moving and some movement at the throat, he really is a handsome bird.

Now shuffling again and when he lifted up one of the eggs looked as if the  hole  was a bit bigger, keeps shuffling, perhaps the chick is coming out, who knows

18.22 The female makes a return to the box with a lump of meat, she looks ready to feed the unhatched chicks, when she realises no eggs have hatched she takes flight with the meat


A huge thank you todays volunteers, Brendon Ollett, Anne Shilton, Julian Thomas, Debbie Colman and Barbara Gardner also a special thanks to Gavin Fitt for his reports of the intruding peregrine.

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