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Writer's pictureChris

Thursday 15th April 2021

A huge thank you goes to Mike, Julian, Stephen, Barbera and Sue for todays blog


08:10 It is a beautiful sunny day in Cromer and all is quiet and calm on the top of the church. Neither peregrines are in view at the moment.


08:29 The peregrines may not be visible but you can definitely hear them! Just before the bell tolls there is a brief but loud screech from one of the birds.


08:32 The Falcon (female) comes and inspects the nestbox as she stands just in frame to the left hand side. After a minute she walks to the scrape and moves the gravel around, both with her talons and beak. After a bit of tidying of the gravel, she eventually settles on the scrape.


After about 10 minutes on the scrape the female comes to the front of the box and looks regal and majestic as she dozes off and on.


Just after 9am the Falcon shows off her dexterity and preens her back feather - making her appear headless. After several minutes of preening she dozes standing guard once again.


10:17 the tiercel can be heard calling off screen, the falcon settings into her scrape


10:26 The male comes into the back of the nestbox and has several minutes of conversation with the Falcon from the back of the box and at 10:29 he eventually scurries out leaving her on the box.


11.00 female on nest box


11.30 female departed


12.00 male appeared, stayed until 13.00


13.00 Still no eggs. Falcon lying quietly, gentle wind noise in the mics, until


13.23 Screaming from outside and she wakes and looks up, gets up and stares and looks all round. She’s very puffed up, it’s cold up there.


13.27 One eye closed – how do they do that?


13.57 Still standing on the edge of the box. There has been a lot of squealing but the bird has been unconcerned.


14.00 The church bell startled me but not the peregrine!


14.02 What was that noise!


14.09 She has now turned her back, still standing on the edge of the box.


14.14 Starting to preen, a lot of squealing in the background.


14.15 Tiercel arrives, lots of squeaking together then the tiercel makes a series of funny coughs or squeaks. I’ve not heard that before. Stands horizontal making these squeaks and seeming not to look directly at the falcon who is still on the edge of the box. Turning round and round in the scrape looking for all the world as though he is going to lay an egg and I’m going to have to change all my gender assumptions.


14.25 He leaves again, scrape still empty, falcon still on the edge.


14.37 She is moving around and stretching on the edge of the box, eyes open and alert.


14.59 She is still standing, eyes open, feathers ruffled by the wind, and I hand over to the next observer. I have spent 2 hours watching Peregrines do very little - there are worse ways to spend time.


15.00 Sitting on the edge of nest box only left side visible looking S/West left eye closed, sheltering from rain no doubt, still no eggs, not sure which Peregrine it is.

15.10 looking around, but then closed left eye again.

15.13 Preening under left wing, looking around again fully alert facing out of the box

15.20 Dog barking blackbird calling

15.28 Turned to look East

15.29 Has flown the nest

16.00 empty box for the whole of the hour.


16.02 sound of gulls.


No further action or sound until

16.38 prolonged calling from the two birds. Then intermittent calling until 16.41


16.55 - 57 a few more calls from one bird.




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