Still no egg!
8.59 As the clock strikes nine, the nest box is empty. Is the church bell early or the livestream time wrong? The hollow of the scrape is clear to see. I can hear the wind blowing on the microphone. The Falcon is on the turret.
9.11 Sounds of Peregrines calling off camera.
9.12 The Tiercel lands on the nest platform
With gentle clucking, he settles into the depression in the gravel.
A quick bit of scraping, but then he is up again.
9.13 He trots to the edge and has a look below and then up.
9.15 He is surveying his domain, and then starts to preen before more looking around. The wind is blowing his feathers.
9.21 Gulls calling in the distance.
9.22 A metallic call off camera. The Tiercel seems uninterested.
9.23 He is looking around, alert. His feathers look soft and beautiful – like ermine. As he is facing the camera, I get a great view of his specially-adapted nostrils with their tubercles – bony conical structures that act like a baffle, causing the air to spiral rather than rushing straight into his lungs, allowing him to perform spectacular 200 mph stoops to catch his prey.
9.29 Dong! No reaction from the Peregrine.
9.31 The Tiercel takes flight, shrieking.
9.37 Gulls calling.
9.51 Gulls calling.
9.59 The bells chime. The Falcon is still on the turret, occasionally looking around. Behind it the sky and sea are grey and grim-looking. Although she is sitting in the most sheltered spot, the wind is still blowing her feathers.
10.15 Gulls calling.
10.16 Peregrine calling.
10.19 The Falcon looks very alert, up on her toes as if she is about to take off.
10.20 She has a quick look at her talons then settles back.
10.23 She has an itch and scratches round her face with her talon. Then she inspects the talon, and preens under her right wing.
10.25 She preens her chest feathers and then moves on to the other wing.
10.26 She is preening her back now – she looks like a headless Peregrine
10.27 Still preening her back, every now and again her head reappears.
10.29 Dong! Preening her belly feathers
10.30 She is re-arranging the feathers on her wings and back.
10.31 Preening under her right wing
10.35 Still preening – now on to her downy chest feathers
10.41 A bit of clucking and she’s suddenly very alert and then takes flight.
10.43 She is now on another turret, plucking her breakfast – possibly the cached Starling from yesterday.
10.53 She flies off clutching the remains of the prey in her beak.
Lots of calling off camera. 10.54 She is now in the nest box 10.56 Sits down, stands up, turns around and pecks some gravel.
10.57 Calling off camera, she looks up. 10.59 The clock strikes 11. She turns around and looks like she’s going to settle, but no, now standing looking north east. Fiddling with the gravel, she gets a feather stuck on her beak.
11.00, start of shift, with Poppy in the back of the nesting box.
11.08, something troubling Poppy as she's more aware of something going on around her.
11.11, Poppy still not settled, head continously looking around.
11.15, At last she settles down and starts to fall asleep, not for long as she starts to scrape and taking in stones for her digestion. Then she settles once again taking in more stones.
11.25, Poppy now sitting outside the scrape and looking around.
11.30, Church Bell rings chimes once, then Poppy moves to the front of the box, with a few of her feathers fluttering in the Cromer wind.
11.40, She falls asleep, Love how they are able to sleep with one eye open.
11.47, Poppy still on the edge of the box, looking around, doesn't look like she's going to be producing any egg soon.
11.50, Henry calling out, from somewhere in the background, making Poppy take notice then in he comes a short transaction between the two, then off goes Poppy leaving Henry home alone. Henry moves to the edge of the box, where he becomes alert of something going around him and starts calling out, moving into the back of the box.
12.03, Henry moves to the front of the box once again, looks about then leaves, soon as he left there was a lot of shrieking going on in the background. Then we see thanks to Chris finding Poppy on one of the crockets giving us a nice view of the sea.
12.12, Poppy fast asleep with the wind rustling her plumage.
12.27, Poppy now wide awake very aware of something going on below, then she departs. Henry arrives almost immediately onto the same crocket that Poppy was on with prey in his talon.
12.50, quick glimpse of another wing and off goes Henry with prey in his talon shortly followed by lots of shrieking once again.
12.52, the shrieking continued in the back ground of the nest box, making me believe they were somewhere on the roof.
13.00, End of shift
1.30 Male arrives on the nest. Moves to edge, blood clearly visible on talons. 1.31 Male flies off and lands on NW turret. 1402 Camera changes to female on NE turret. Dozing – alternate closing of one eye, usually right. 1405 Brief defaecation. 1406-1421 Alternating between alertness and one-eye dozing. 1421 Female flies off. 1422 Male on NW turret – blood clearly visible on talons and feathers between talons. 1424 Male hops to a higher ledge – only tail and talons visible. 1426 Full view now – bird alert, scanning around below itself. 1432 Tiercel flies to nest. Calling briefly and lowers itself into nest depression. 1435 Moves to edge of box. 1437-1443 Dozing, either with right eye or both closed. Maximum duration of both eyes closed was 19 seconds, usually less than 10 seconds 1447 Scratching head with talon. Erect posture now, preening neck, upper breast, shoulder and back. 1456 Male returns from edge of box into nest depression. Then out of nest and starts pecking gravel, doing a bit of spring cleaning around the back, right edge of box. 1457 Female now visible on turret. 3pm Female at front right of the box looking out and alert in the sunshine, the wind ruffling her feathers. 3.03 Goes to rear of the box, standing in the depression and facing right 3.09 Preens under her right wing briefly 3.11 Preens under her chin and around her chest/neck area. 3.12 Moves to the rear of the box to pick at the stones in the right corner. 3,14 Moves to front right and flies off. 3.19 Returns and turns in the depression, moving the stones about.
3.21 Now at the front left of box, looking out with the wind blowing around her. 3.23 Goes to the back of the box and "paddles" in the depression, moving the stones a round. 3.24 Laying on her front, she pushes stones back with her feet. 3.25 Standing in the depression facing left.# 3.26 Turning to face the front, she moves slightly forward. 3.29 Briefly preens around her left foot. 3.30 Scratches her face with left foot. 3.40 Still standing in the same position. 3.41 Cleans her left foot again and settles back into the depression 3.46 Now sitting in the depression facing to the right and front of the box, picking at the stones around her. (Photo) 3.47 Pushes stones back to the rear with her feet while still sitting down.
3.51 Resting in the depression and dozing. 4.05 Intermittently picking at stones in front of her. 4.15 Gets up and comes to the front of the box, leaves to the left. 4.16 Quickly returns, calling, and stands in the depression facing front and left. 4.19 Comes to front right and leaves. 4.30 Nobody home. 4.45 No returning bird as yet. 4.51 Female returns, calling. and stands facing front and left near the rear of the box. 4.55 Comes to the front right if box, looks out.
4.58 Flies off.
5pm Empty nest box.
Thank you to today's volunteers Val and Nick, Graham, Sean and Stephanie.