Sheffield peregrine falcons

[Phanerothyme 12]

Grim …

[clogginchris 10]

Quick summary - chick  hatched about 6.20 tonight, but only about 8 minutes later the intruder, which is a large female, appeared and sat on the nest, frightening the male away. She stayed there for a while, but didn't touch the chick or eggs. When she left, he came back, but by then the chick had been exposed for about 30 minutes in tonight's cold wet weather. At first you could see it breathing, but by the time he came back, I think it was dead, or nearly dead. He didn't try to brood it, but pecked at it for a while, I think checking if it was alive, then he picked it up in his beak and flew off with it, not sure where to. Then he came back and started sitting on the other eggs. If does only seem to be the male on the nest. The female was seen yesterday with an injured leg, maybe she had tried to fight off the intruder female. If anymore eggs do hatch I don't know how hes's going to manage to feed them on his own, if the female has disappeared. 

[hauxwell 243]

9 hours ago, clogginchris said:

Quick summary - chick  hatched about 6.20 tonight, but only about 8 minutes later the intruder, which is a large female, appeared and sat on the nest, frightening the male away. She stayed there for a while, but didn't touch the chick or eggs. When she left, he came back, but by then the chick had been exposed for about 30 minutes in tonight's cold wet weather. At first you could see it breathing, but by the time he came back, I think it was dead, or nearly dead. He didn't try to brood it, but pecked at it for a while, I think checking if it was alive, then he picked it up in his beak and flew off with it, not sure where to. Then he came back and started sitting on the other eggs. If does only seem to be the male on the nest. The female was seen yesterday with an injured leg, maybe she had tried to fight off the intruder female. If anymore eggs do hatch I don't know how hes's going to manage to feed them on his own, if the female has disappeared. 

Thanks for explaining the situation.

 

 

 

[clogginchris 10]

Another sad day. The male has tried to incubate  the remaining  three eggs, but the intruder female keeps coming and frightening him off.  So the eggs have been left exposed for long periods of time - and it's cold and wet. Unlikely any more of them will hatch now 😞  Think the original female is still around, but I don't think she's been spotted incubating the eggs.

 

[hauxwell 243]

I haven’t seen Mr P since yesterday.  At the moment the intruder is sitting on the nest looking around.  I think it’s saying,  I’m the queen of the castle now.

Sad I was looking forward to a second year of watching these birds and their chicks.

 

 

 

 

 

[taxman 12]

Desperately sad we will have no chicks this year 

[clogginchris 10]

Good summary of what's been going on here:

https://sheffieldperegrines.wordpress.com/

 

[hauxwell 243]

Didn’t see it all but there looked as though there was a stand off going on just now in the nest, think it was Mr P, I can only tell the difference when both Mr P and Mrs P are together as she is bigger than him.

Mr P was stood over the eggs and I think the intruder had brought her breakfast in the nest, what a noise both birds made, heads bent and tails in the air, making as much noise as they could, I thought there was going to be a fight.  Mr P stood his ground for a while standing over the eggs before flying off, he gave me the impressions he’s still trying to protect them. 

 

Wow what next?

 

It looks a good summary link.

 

[hauxwell 243]

Could the intruder be one of Mr and Mrs Ps chicks from last year?    I’m no expert on these birds and I know the intruder is bigger than both of them, but it is just a thought.

 

 

[clogginchris 10]

1 hour ago, hauxwell said:

Could the intruder be one of Mr and Mrs Ps chicks from last year?    I’m no expert on these birds and I know the intruder is bigger than both of them, but it is just a thought.

 

 

No, last years chicks were ringed with coloured rings  -  cant remember which colour, but different to the current intruder 🙂

 

[Sam71 10]

6 hours ago, hauxwell said:

Could the intruder be one of Mr and Mrs Ps chicks from last year?    I’m no expert on these birds and I know the intruder is bigger than both of them, but it is just a thought.

 

 

I also thought this.  What I am now wondering, and hope someone here can tell me, is will Mr & Mrs P still use this nest site or will the usurper now be the new tenant?

[hauxwell 243]

18 hours ago, clogginchris said:

No, last years chicks were ringed with coloured rings  -  cant remember which colour, but different to the current intruder 🙂

 

Thank you. It would be nice to know where last years young falcons are, or how many or still alive today.