With thanks to Malcolm, Graham, Daniel and Debbie for todays blog
08.59 Church clock chimes to an unoccupied nest tray. Sun shining onto gravel. Occasional sounds of chirping noises from a nearby peregrine.
09.06 More chirping noises close by. Is there a proper name for the soft noises made by a peregrine?
09.08 Falcon arrives at nest tray. Stands in scrape.
09.10 Tries to sit in scrape, looks very uncomfortable, stands up again. Feathers on legs sticking out from legs. She has a very large bottom. She must have an egg ready to lay.
09.12 Finally sits down in scrape, looking out from the tray
09.13 Digging vigorously into the gravel in front of her with her beak.
09.15 Stands up turns 180 degrees and digs in gravel in front of her. Continues to stand in scrape. She looks very well standing there alert and healthy.
09.18 Tiercel calling. She replies, still standing in scrape.
09.23 Still standing in the scrape facing left looking up and around.
09.25 RAF planes doing their stuff overhead. She is unperturbed.
09.26 Preens her back and front then resumes digging in gravel. She attempts to sit scrape. she can't get comfy and stands up again. Resumes preening and rearranging the gravel.
09.30 She is so uncomfortable not knowing what to do with herself. Begins vigorously attacking the gravel. Digging into the left hand corner at the back of the tray. Can hear the gravel scraping on the back of the tray.
09.34 She finally turns around and sits in the scrape snapping her beak together. She will soon be in the sun.
09.36 Now has a fluffy feather from the gravel stuck to her beak. Feather gone, blown away by the wind.
09.40 Dozing in scrape. Finally looking settled facing to right.
09.45 Alert and looking round still sitting in the scrape. Sunshine has now reached her wing.
09.52 Can see her back raising up and down as she breathes. Still dozing.
10.01 Tiercel calling close by, she looks up and goes back to dozing.
10.03 RAF planes are very close and noisey; she ignores them.
10.04 She stands up and goes for the gravel by the left hand wall, digging vigorously with her beak. She is now in the sunshine.
10.06 Turns back to the scrape and stands in it.
10.10 Begins preening.
10.23 Still standing in the scrape, a triangle of sunshine in the middle of her back.
10.26 Stretches her left leg. Shuffles in the scrape can hear the gravel grinding. Sits down in the sunshine looking out.
10.43 Stands up turning round. Moves to the front of the tray. Tiercel calls.
10.48 Moves to the front left hand side of the tray. Can only see her back and tail.
10.50 Can now only see her tail feathers.
10.51 99% out of view. Just a fluffy feather showing. Flies from the tray
10.59 Deja vu. Church clock chimes to an unoccupied nest tray.
11.00, start of my shift, once again with no one in site. Was 10 mins ago when Poppy left.
11.17, a little black insect walks across camera screen
11.55, Henry arrives, goes to the back of the box and starts to scrape.
12.03, Henry moves to the front of the box, when starts having a good look around
12.09, Henry starts making himself look good, by having a good preen
12.11, in a blink of the eye, Henry has disappeared
12.29, Poppy fast asleep in the same place as yesterday on the Fleur-de-lis. Thanks to Chris for finding her!
12.41, one minute she awake and then she's asleep again
12.49, Poppy wide awake, looking around then turns her back on me once again
12.50, She starts having a preen, making herself look good for Henry
12.54, another change of direction
12.56, Poppy looking good on the Fleur- De - Lis
12.58, just seen something flash past the camera presume it was Henry as she was getting very interested
13.00 female turns with back against the camera, male flies past. She then moved back to a side view and starts to vocalise.
13.01 lots of vocalisation with female and sea gulls as the male flies past again. Female hunches over and starts to vocalise again.
13.02 female starts to groom her feathers, resuming a side on view.
13.04 female shakes her feathers and moves so her back is facing the camera.
13.06 she lifts her right foot up and starts to clean it.
13.08 she looks down, then moves to the other side facing the church, lifts her rear end up and defecates.
13.13 looks up and very alert.
13.15 feathers flapping in the wind.
13.16 has her right eye closed, resting.
13.20 looks straight down, alert.
13.26 looks straight up again, alert.
13.27 moves to side view again, keeps looking up, something has caught her eye, lots of sea gull alarm calls.
13.29 moves so she is facing the camera, starts to vocalise. The male then flies into the nest box and starts to call/vocalise.
13.30 male has a good scratch and has his gape wide open, looking straight at the camera.
13.32 female closes her left eye.
13.36 male opens gape wide again.
13.39 female starts licking her feet.
13.41 Male starts starts picking up stones from the scrape.
13.47 female starts to move and opens and starts to stretch and flap her wings.
13.49 male picks more stones up, then moves so back is facing camera.
13.50 male scrapes some stones out of the scrape.
13.53 male picks more stones up, climbs out of scrape and carries on in the corner of the box.
13.56 males scraped more stones out of the scrape again.
14.00 male picks up stones around the box again.
14.01 male moves to the front of the box and flies away. Lots of alarms calls of sea gulls as soon as he left, female looks up, very alert.
14.15 female looks around and constantly looking up, very alert.
14.29 female looks up again, very alert.
14.41 female turns to face the church and looks up constantly.
14.43 she then faces the camera, stretches out her wings and flies away.
14.44 I can hear lots of vocalisation and alarm calls from sea gulls.
15.00 No peregrines seen or heard on either camera
15.36 Calling off camera
15.46, 15.48, 15.51, 15.55, 16.00, 16.03, 16.15, 16.24, 16.27, Calling off camera
16.31 Calling sounds very close and may be made by more than one peregrine
16.56 Henry arrives into nest box, scrapes at hollow, pecks at some gravel
17.01 Flew off