Watch Worcester’s Peregrines!
STOP PRESS...LATEST PEREGRINE NEWS....
Moving home
When the nest box/tray was installed earlier this year two were provided, and there is a second one to the left off camera. Its in a similar position behind the parapet, facing south. The idea was to give a choice of nest site, and different positions have been used in past years. Luckily the birds nested as we predicted right in front of the lens as positioned, pointing at box number one. Had they used the other box we would have moved the camera early on by 90 degrees, but the camera is essentially fixed once nesting has started. Now the chicks are growing fast and exercising their wings, they are moving around a lot and not staying in the original box, which is normal behaviour as they learn to fly. Our site is bigger than some, so they have started to wander around behind the parapet, and they are now using the second box, and sometimes sheltering out of sight under the camera which has a bit of cover from rain. We know that's where they are as the parents keep bringing food in and walking left off camera, or they come directly in from the south. The adults are calm and feeding is all going OK, so we know there is no problem with the chicks. They may wander back to the first box we'll see , but we reckon they will fly in 2-3 weeks time, the biggest one is already getting primary feathers, and will get stronger and bigger by the day now.
The ringing went very well last week, you can check out the action here......
Youngsters to be ringed !
On this Thursday morning, probably around 11.30, the two chicks will be ringed by experts from the BTO (British Trust for Ornithology, check out the link for more information).
http://www.bto.org/ringing/ringinfo/index.htm
This is a very skilled and delicate operation only possible by license, and will help to track the birds in future helping the BTO, RSPB and others understand their habits and lifestyle which will help conservation measures to look after Peregrine Falcons across the country.
So, don't be alarmed on Thursday morning...the ringer will take the birds from the box back into the tower to ring them, and put them straight back within a few minutes so they are disturbed as little as possible. The ringing will be filmed in the tower and we will post the video for you to see soon as we can, so keep checking back later.
The Peregrines are back for 2008!
Following last year’s really successful “Aren’t birds brilliant!” bird watch in St Andrew’s gardens, with RSPB staff on hand, this year a camera has been installed providing spectacular views of the birds as they approach what we hope will be another successful breeding season.
Last year over 500 people had a close - up view of the peregrine falcons now resident in the city centre. This year there is another chance for everyone to see these impressive birds of prey over the weeks during spring and early summer. The action isn’t on a Scottish sea cliff or Welsh mountainside, but our own St. Andrew’s Spire right in the city centre.
Click here to see the Peregrine Falcon.
(The image is updated every 10 seconds).
The City Council is hosting a partnership with the RSPB featuring the birds, and a number of events are planned throughout spring and early summer. The RSPB stall will be either at St Andrew’s Tower or the Guildhall, from Wednesday to Sunday between 10 am and 4 pm, with information, the chance to join the RSPB, and lots more besides. The stall will be there until the youngsters fly the nest. For more information from the RSPB, and lots more about peregrines, checkout
http://www.rspb.org.uk/supporting/campaigns/birdsofprey/index.asp
The peregrines’ return coincides with the launch and publication of new updated biodiversity and wildlife advice from the City Council, and there will also be an exhibition about Worcester’s wildlife at the RSPB stand. You can see it online at http://www.worcester.gov.uk/index.php?id=1124 (Click on Biodiversity and Trees)
Peregrines are at the top of the food chain and often roam huge tracts of hilly countryside, but they are also happy with Worcester’s green corridors, open spaces and historic buildings like the Spire and Cathedral, so we have one of the 1,285 pairs in the whole of the UK right on our doorstep. The biodiversity policies in the guidance that the City has been following have helped to make Worcester a place for spectacular birds like the peregrine to thrive.
Several combined exhibitions and live events are planned both outdoors in St Andrew’s Gardens and at the Guildhall. RSPB sales and advice staff will be on hand and the City Council will be explaining and exhibiting the new biodiversity guidance.
St Andrew’s spire, or The Glover's Needle, is the only remaining part of St. Andrew's Church. Its history is well documented and it is a much loved feature of the city's skyline. It owes its nickname to its slender shape and to Worcester's association with the glove-making industry. The current spire dates from 1751, while the tower dates from the 15th Century. St. Andrew's Church was originally built in the 12th Century, although there were periods of demolition and re-building until the middle of the 18th Century. It stands in public gardens, opened in 1953 to commemorate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. It is a grade II* listed building and lies within the Historic City Conservation Area.
Falcon Facts…
- Peregrines are the fastest animals in the world. They are believed to achieve speeds approaching 200km/h (124mph) when plunging from the sky after prey. One has been logged by radar at 183km/h (114mph) after a dive of 305m (1,000ft).
- Peregrines feed almost exclusively on birds, but they occasionally hunt small mammals, including bats, rats, voles and rabbits. Insects and reptiles make up a very small proportion of their diet.
- During the Second World War the British Air Ministry ordered the destruction of peregrines due to the threat they posed to carrier pigeons. In the 60s and 70s they suffered from the effects of pesticides such as DDT, but since these organophosphates have been banned, their numbers have increased.
- The peregrines' courtship involves some impressive aerial acrobatics. The male ‘loops the loop' after making a mock dive at the female. He also passes food to the female, often while in flight.
Chris Dobbs, the City Council’s Landscape Architect, is helping to put the project together. Chris said: “This is a unique project, and it has been a real team effort to get this far, following the peregrines’ progress and now being able to share it on the live webcam. Everyone has helped: IT experts, electricians, property maintenance, conservation, communications, the police and fire service, security and many RSPB staff.
“Worcester is a city, but it’s full of wildlife quite happy to share space with us if we don’t take it for granted. We’ve got many nature reserves, one of which has European status, and the new biodiversity guidance explains what we have and how to protect and sustain now and for future generations. Worcester’s real value though is outside the reserves, a green city with big gardens, rivers and streams, open spaces, hedgerows, woodlands, trees and buildings linking together to create a green infrastructure. This sustains the habitat and the wildlife we see and enjoy around the city all the time, including the peregrines!”
Daniel Farber of RSPB said: “We were so pleased with Worcester’s response to the peregrines last year: everyone was so excited and proud! We are happy to be back again helping people see the birds and their nest. However, not everyone likes these birds and birds of prey continue to be killed, despite the fact that it is illegal and has been for decades. We are calling for the killing of birds of prey to stop. Pledge your support here, and join the growing movement of people who say killing birds of prey must stop.”
Please support our campaign and visit: http://www.rspb.org.uk/supporting/campaigns/birdsofprey/index.asp
Peregrine fact file:
- The peregrine is the largest of British breeding falcons
- Peregrines typically pair for several years and may live up to 10 years old
- The oldest peregrine on record was 15 years 6 months old
- Both adult birds tend the young
- The young take their first flight 5 or 6 weeks after hatching
- Peregrines feed on other birds, which they catch in high-speed aerial stoops
- Peregrines are the fastest animal in the world, reaching speeds of around 180kph when diving for prey (stooping). The fastest peregrine was recorded in the Guinness Book of Records reaching 217kph.
- Their name comes from the Latin peregrinus, meaning wanderer. They are among a very small group of species that can be found in virtually every continent in the world.
- Peregrines are protected under UK law but have a history of persecution by humans. Egg collecting, illegal hunting and the taking of the young for falconry have contributed to the peregrine’s vulnerability.
- During the Second World War, peregrines were officially regarded as the enemy. They were shot down in their hundreds by the army to protect homing pigeons carrying important messages back from the front line. Out of a national population estimated at 700 pairs in the 1930s, about 600 peregrines, mostly in the south of the UK, were killed. There are now estimated to be around 1,400 breeding pairs.
- The single biggest threat to peregrines came in the 1950s, when a group of chemicals known as organochlorines became widely used in North American and European farming. Staunch campaigning from the RSPB and other organisations saw the use of these pesticides banned, and numbers slowly make a recovery.
