Thank you to Malcolm, Ann, Daniel and Debbie for todays wonderful blog
08.45 Early report as excited to see the falcon in the tray. Falcon trying to settle down in the scrape. Has to stand up, looking out of the tray. Preens, dozes and rearranges the gravel with her beak.
08.48 Vigorously rearranging the gravel. Hopefully a final preparation before egg laying.
08.49 Tries to lay down in the scrape again. She looks so uncomfortable. Stands in the scrape looking to the west.
08.53 Preens
08.57 Stops preening to do some more gravel rearranging. Tries to lay down again without success. It's just too uncomfortable for her.
08.59 She stands in the scrape looking at the back wall.
09.00 Sounds outside gains her attention and she looks up.
09.02 Walks to the front of the tray and stands partially in the sunshine with the wind ruffling her soft side feathers.
09.05 Tiercel arrives at the tray and she leaves. He has an attempt at laying in the scrape but only fidgets around pushing the gravel with his feet..
09.08 He walks to the front of the tray and stands on the edge of the tray.
09.09 He looks very handsome with his feathers blowing in the wind. He is very alert looking out from the tray.
09.11 He leaves the tray which now looks forlornly empty.
09.14 Outside the falcon sits on a grotesque on the west pinnacle nearest to the sea.
09.22 She looks alert and cleans her right talons before preening.
09.23 Looks up but continues to preen.
09.25 The nest tray is still empty
09.30 Dozing on the pinnacle with her head turned to her right.
09.32 She seems to be in a good position out of most of the wind. Only the feathers on her right side are moving in the wind. The camera has a slight shake but the picture is still wonderful.
09.38 She is scratching her face with both feet in turn. After cleaning talons on her left leg she preens feathers on her upper body.
09.41 We have a headless peregrine as she preens her back feathers. Not only owls can turn their heads through 180 degrees.
09.45 Preening vigorously all over her body, tail and wings.
09.50 She has stopped preening and having doze. Both sets of side feathers splayed from her body moving in the wind.
09.53 She is standing on her right leg occasionally cleaning her left leg.
09.59 She has begun to preen again in earnest while standing in the sunshine.
10.19 She begins to call repeatedly.
10.27 Still calling. Is she hoping for a meal to be delivered.
10.32 She has a good stretch of her left leg and wing, Still calling. Now standing on her right leg with her left talons showing from her feathers.
10.45 Still calling, her right side feathers moving in the wind. Occasional dozing, left eye closed.
10.48 She is looking out to sea, possibly counting the white horses.
10.50 All the while she has been sitting on the pinnacle she has looked healthy, alert and content doing her toilet.
10.51 She has left the pinnacle but not returned to the tray.
10.52 She has returned to the pinnacle.
10.56 She begins to call gain between bouts of dozing. You can hear her calls while looking at the tray camera.
10.59 I leave her calling in the sunshine.
11.00 Falcon sitting on one of the turrets - box is empty
11.24 He flies past. She follows, then returns to the turret
11.37 The Falcon is back on the box and in the scrape. Settles down for a while
11.56 She is preening, then picking at the stones again.
12.20 Calls heard and she responds. The Tiercel returns to the box, goes to the back and she moves forward. She then flies off and he settles down in the scrape.
12.22 He comes to the front of the box then flies off. Box now empty again.
Lots of calls heard and she is sitting on the turret until 1pm
13.00 female sitting on turret facing the camera, head turned to the side.
13.07 head now facing the camera.
13.09 feathers flapping in wind.
13.10 moved head to left, alert looking down.
13.11 female flies off.
13.12 lots of vocalisation, female flies into the box.
13.13 starts picking up stones around the box.
13.15 prooning feathers.
13.17 sits in scrape, side on view.
13.22 resting left eye.
13.29 picking up stones.
13.30 sat up from scrape, picking up more stones! Then moves back to sit in scrape facing camera at an angle.
13.31 picking up stones around the edge of scrape.
13.32 sat up, picking up even more stones.
13.36 moves to edge of box, sea gulls calling, alarmed.
13.40 moves back to scape, side on view.
14.09 sea gulls alarm calling. Male then flies in, lots of vocalisation between the two of them, female flies off leaving male.
14.13 male sitting in scrape, facing away from camera.
14.24 male moves to edge of box.
14.34 male flies off.
14.35 female on turret giving herself a good clean!
14.57 feathers flapping in wind.
15.00 For the entire watch no peregrine used the nest box. However, Poppy was on the church tower for all the watch and Henry wasn't spotted at all. Poppy was awake and resting as her feathers ruffled in the breeze.
15.01 Poppy calling but no audible response
15.16 She cleaned her talons and preens
15.41 She stayed on the same lookout ledge but changed her position
15.50 She flew downwards and out of sight. (No peregrine to watch)
16.04 Camera scanned and re located her. She is awake and resting
17.00 Just as my watch finished, she calls out