It’s been another busy weekend here at the watch point, with visitors of all ages and several languages as well; plenty of French and Polish were a highlight. It was also an important weekend for meeting two visitors from a little closer to home, who were my first confessed followers of this very blog. They where treated to some prize views of both the peregrines but made it very clear they would not be content until I made my mind up as to how many eggs we have this year and to keep on blogging as much as possible.

 So, as for the egg request, I sent two of the most eagle eyed volunteers up a very steep hill, armed with a telescope, so they could look down into the eyrie from a great height without disturbing the birds. They have confirmed that there is only 1 egg this season.

I had got a little hopeful yesterday morning that there had been some new activity. When I arrived on site the tiercel was hopping excitedly around the female, who was incubating, trying to get a look under her, twice getting himself tangled up in the infamous dog rose bush that grows on the eyrie ledge. This is normally the kind of behaviour I would associate with the hatching of the first eyass. However I believe we are still a good couple of weeks away from that. He may well have been trying to encourage the falcon to take a break and wanted to take his place in the sun and do his morning duties incubating our only egg. After a few minutes she left and kindly obliged him.

After his battle with the rose brush the tiercel later returned after another successful skirmish. This time he had managed to predate a blackbird, which he plucked on the overhanging branch of the oak tree in full view of lots of enthralled onlookers.

As for more blogs to read, I’ll do my best.

 That’s all for now.

Adam Murphy – Peregrine Ranger