Another early bird: tawny owl chick is thought to be the first in Britain to be recorded and ringed

On Friday we told how our falcons’ first egg – we now have three by the way – was believed to be the first peregrine egg this year to be laid in a monitored nest in the UK.

Tawny Owl chicks (library picture)

Not to be outdone, it now appears that a tawny owl chick found in a nest box at our Brackenhurst campus could be the first to be recorded and ringed in Britain this year – and is one of the earliest recorded in the last 40 years.

The recent mild weather could be the reason for the early arrival and may have been responsible for causing the adults to nest early.

Staff found the chick, along with its mother, in a nest box made by wildlife conservation students at the campus, which is home to our School of Animal, Rural and Environmental Sciences. A former student, who also works for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) ringed the chick under the supervision of Jim Lennon from the South Notts Ringing Group, which is part of the British Trust for Ornithology.

The chicks usually stay in the nest box for about four weeks and this one is expected to fledge the box any day.

Our Brackenhurst campus, near Southwell, is thought to be home to several pairs of adult tawny owls, which are non-migratory and so remain there all year round. Tawny owls – which are nocturnal birds of prey and mainly hunt rodents and small birds – live for about five years in the wild and are largely monogamous.

Dr Louise Gentle, the wildlife conservation programme leader, said that she was delighted with the new arrival and that it had been causing quite a stir over at Brackenhurst.

She said: “We created the nest box because there is a lack of natural breeding sites and are absolutely thrilled that the idea paid off. We really hope it is a sign of things to come and that we’ll be able to welcome more tawny owl chicks to the campus in the coming years.”

Dave Rogers
Nottingham Trent University

First peregrine egg laid in the UK this year!

As regular vistors to our webcam will know, our falcons are currently incubating two eggs, one of which is believed to be the first peregrine egg to be laid egg in a monitored nest in the UK this year.

The first egg was laid at 8.18 am on Wednesday 14 March and was spotted by viewers watching the nest via our live webcam. The second one was laid earlier today at 11.47 am. Video footage of the both eggs being laid is now available, alongside some other highlights from the year so far, on the ‘2012 footage’ section of www.ntu.ac.uk/falcons.

Speaking about the new arrivals, Erin McDaid of Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust commented: “We have been watching the peregrines around the nest for some weeks now and we had been speculating whether we might get an egg earlier than in previous years. However, we did not expect the first egg to arrive nine days earlier than in 2011! Having been in touch with a number of other peregrine projects across the UK our birds appear to have laid the 1st recorded egg in the country.

Whilst we have no way of knowing if peregrine’s elsewhere on nests without camera have laid eggs yet, this is very early record and it’s exciting to have the 1st egg that people can see round the clock 24hrs a day. Depending upon how many eggs the female lays we could well get the 1st chick of the year too, due in about a month.”

The new HD cameras, situated 40m up on Nottingham Trent University’s Newton building, have proved to be a big success since their launch in February. The arrival of the first egg saw a dramatic rise in numbers viewing the camera taking the number of views in the month since launch to a staggering 82,000.

Mr McDaid continued: “Now that we have an egg in the nest we are expecting even more people to view the camera on a regular basis and we look forward to sharing the trials and tribulations of our city centre pair with hundreds of thousands of wildlife lovers over the coming months.”

Our first egg: something interesting always seems to happen when your back is turned…

Last week I was away on holiday and as I didn’t have regular access to the internet I was unable to keep an eye on Mr & Mrs Peregrine back home in Nottingham. Thanks to facebook updates posted by my colleagues at the Wildlife Trust I was, however, able to keep in touch to some extent – I was especially interested to see the pictures of the wood pigeon sitting nonchalantly on the ledge!

The female on the first egg (March 14)

As I’ve been busy catching up after my week off (I’m sure people save up their emails for me and then send them when I’m away) I’d still not managed to view the live stream. So it was with great excitement that whilst still ploughing through emails I spotted one informing me that we had an egg. I’ve now had a look at the wonderful close up of Mrs Peregrine on the nest this morning – now we have our first egg, the webcam should always have something in view.

As the adult birds had been active around the nest site for a considerable time we did wonder if the eggs might arrive a little earlier than last year, but from memory, this is over a week earlier. It will be interesting to see how many eggs she lays; the pair have consistently had three or four chicks each year and once she finishes laying we’ll only have around a month to wait for them to hatch.

Erin McDaid
Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust

Spring is in the air

Nottingham Trent University's Brackenhurst campus

Over at Nottingham Trent University’s Brackenhurst campus we’ve been viewing the peregrine falcons  (Falco peregrinus) with much interest since last month’s launch.

We have been able to watch on the screen in the reception of our Bramley building, which has been delivering footage to staff and students alike as they pass to and from lectures.

Probably the key thing for us at Brackenhurst – besides the opportunity to get ‘up close and personal’ coverage of the Peregrines – has been the chance to watch these magnificent birds bring their prey back to the building’s ledge. We have also seen the female inspecting and sitting in the hollow in the nesting tray, though this turned out to be short lived as she seemed a little distracted by something to the right of the camera, possibly her own reflection.

Spring is certainly in the air here at Brackenhurst, which brings with it the imminent arrival of new born calves and lambs from our own on-site herds, along with the prospect of sporadic sleep patterns throughout March, for all involved. With the pregnant ewes being brought inside towards the end of last week, only days away from the first ‘due date’ when the first lambs were calculated to give birth, we have already had a number of early arrivals along with two Lincolnshire red calfs, born in mid-February.

Here’s hoping for a successful season for the falcons too!

Simon Taylor & Gemma Clark
Field & Environment Technicians, Brackenhurst.

A response to a few recent questions from the Wildlife Trust

The Wildlife Trusts

We welcome contributions to this Blog from people with many different points of view and would like to take this opportunity to discuss certain points that have been made, regarding the perceived threats of peregrines, in particular with regard to racing pigeons and local breeding bird populations.

As discussed previously, peregrines are protected by law. They are rare and threatened by man in the wider countryside. The last few years have seen a rise in the number of thefts and damage to peregrine nests from egg collectors. The number of incidents involving  young and adult birds being stolen or killed has also risen. It is a myth that their UK population is high. It is only just recovering to pre-1940’s levels, when their numbers crashed due to damage by pesticides that caused thinning of egg shells and failure to hatch.

Peregrine falcons are wild birds; they choose their own nesting sites. They chose to nest on the ledge of the Newton building and were first discovered when the University was investigating building work. Later, when the university carried out the refurbishment, they provided the nestbox to allow the peregrines to continue to breed undisturbed – and to ensure the university and their contractors did not break the law.

Here in Nottingham, the peregrines’ presence will have a minimal impact upon local breeding bird populations as peregrines have large territories and travel over a large area to hunt. The birds are foraging well away from the town centre. In fact many of the species caught are northern UK or even migrant Scandinavian breeding birds caught as they migrate north along the River Trent.

Peregrines do not specialise on a single species or size of bird so there is a wide selection of possible prey species for them to catch. Recent studies have shown that a peregrine’s prey can vary from small goldcrests, to bigger great tits, thrushes, gulls, waders and ducks. Over 100 species have been recorded at the Derby Cathedral peregrine nest box site, and over 150 species at the one in Exeter. With such a wide range of species, racing pigeons are not especially targeted.

Red Kite

Peregrines also ‘discourage’ and drive out other birds of prey from the area, which would otherwise compete with them for food. In fact last year our pair in Nottingham were spotted chasing a red kite over the town centre.

We now have an opportunity for a wider audience to learn more about these beautiful birds. Our Peregrine Cam provides a privileged window into the private family life of this magnificent bird of prey. The webcam cameras allow people to see a side of the peregrine’s life that most would not see – from the comfort of their homes.

Andy Lowe
Conservation Officer
Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust

Winging our way around the world…

One of the NTU Peregrine Falcons

In the first 14 days since we launched our falcon webcam for 2012, we have attracted almost 30,000 unique visitors from 61 different countries. Unsurprisingly, most visitors are from the UK (94.45%) around half of which (46.58%) are from the Nottingham region.

As a Nottingham lad, for me the great thing about this project is that we can watch these amazing birds raise their family right in the middle of a city centre which we know so well. It’s intriguing to think that while people do their shopping or go for a meal in the nearby restaurants, there is a completely different circle of life happening a hundred foot or so above our heads.

The sheer range of visitors we have seen from other countries prompted me to wonder what kind of birdlife can be found in their parts of the world. The peregrine falcon is the world’s most widespread bird of prey and can be found nearly everywhere on earth except the extreme polar regions, very high mountains, and most tropical rainforests (the only major ice-free landmass from which it is entirely absent is New Zealand). But there are a lot of other birds out there in our viewers own countries which are unique to their environments.

The American Bald Eagle

The biggest non-UK portion of our visitors for the first two weeks has come from our neighbours in the USA (1.54%). America’s national bird and symbol is the Bald Eagle, a bird of prey found mainly in the northern states. It’s significantly bigger than our peregrine falcons, with a body length of 70–102cm and a wingspan typically between 1.8-2.3m. By comparison, the peregrine falcon usually has a body length of 34-58 centimetres and a wingspan of 80-120 centimetres – we think ours are around 40-45cm in length.

Unlike our falcons (who feed almost exclusively on medium-sized birds) the diet of this eagle is usually fish, trout and salmon. It’s nowhere near as fast either, only managing to reach speeds of around 35–43mph when gliding and flapping, compared to the peregrines which can reach over 200mph during their characteristic hunting stoop.

The Marabou Stork

Moving across the South Atlantic ocean, a small portion of our traffic (0.03%) has come from South Africa, which is famously home to the Marabou Stork. This is a large wading bird which can be found in both wet and arid habitats, often near human habitation. It is nicknamed the ‘undertaker bird’ because of its cloak-like wings and skinny white legs. A relatively large bird, specimens can reach 152cm (over three times as big as our falcons). Unlike most storks, the Marabous fly with their necks retracted like a heron – but they are not known for their speed. Their feeding habits rely more on their guile and their diet is varied amongst scraps, carrion, fish, frogs, insects, eggs, small mammals and reptiles such as crocodile hatchlings and eggs. They have also been known to eat other smaller birds.

The Australian White Ibis

Australian visitors have accounted for 0.1% of our traffic so far and among their native birds is the Australian White Ibis. When I was visiting Brisbane a few years ago, I sat outside the Museum eating a sandwich and a flock of these descended upon me to scavenge for crumbs, like pigeons would in the Market Square. These birds are usually around 65–75cm long and to me look like something out of an Edgar Allen Poe novel, so you can imagine it caused me mild panic to be surrounded by a hungry flock of them (much to the amusement of the more street-wise locals). Although historically the Australian White Ibis were rare in urban areas, many have now immigrated into the major east coast cities and debate continues as to whether they should be considered as a pest or as a vulnerable species (though they are currently ranked as Least Concern on the ICUN red list).

The full list of 61 countries we’ve had visitors from is below. If you have any experiences of birdlife in those countries, or thoughts to share, please post them in the comments below – we’d love to hear them!

Country
United Kingdom
United States
Ireland
Netherlands
Germany
Canada
France
Spain
Finland
Australia
Belgium
Greece
Isle of Man
Italy
Switzerland
Russia
Sweden
Austria
Hungary
South Africa
Denmark
Hong Kong
China
Libya
India
Poland
United Arab Emirates
Bulgaria
Jersey
Japan
Malta
Norway
Romania
Slovenia
Tunisia
Turkey
Taiwan
Brazil
Cyprus
South Korea
Mexico
New Zealand
Slovakia
Thailand
Albania
Brunei
Czech Republic
Estonia
Croatia
Indonesia
Iraq
Iceland
Sri Lanka
Morocco
Nigeria
Portugal
Saudi Arabia
Singapore
Ukraine
Venezuela

Jared Wilson
NTU Digital Marketing Team

Environment Team follows falcons’ progress

The ends of the ledge are the falcons' favourite spots

Nottingham Trent University’s Environment Team has been keeping a close eye on the falcons. Thanks to this year’s moveable camera, we have been able to watch the birds sit at the very ends of Newton’s ledge, usually cleaning and preening themselves, allowing us to see them looking stunning in high definition.

Their good looks have attracted not only local media stardom – and almost 4,500 views on this blog – but they’re hitting the news further afield too and have also become a feature of the University of Salford’s Environment Team blog. No wonder they want to look their best.

The nest camera has also had a fair amount of our attention, as when they’re in or around the box this camera will let you hear them – and hopefully the chicks when they make their grand entrance – squeaking and chirping away. By the look of the nest these great parents seem to be getting things ready for the arrival of the eggs which we are all eagerly awaiting.

The ends of the ledge seem to be their favourite places. First thing in the morning they survey the landscape before they take to the skies for a few hours, either returning to the ledge mid to late afternoon, or heading over to the opposite end to enjoy their catch of the day, which they are able to pluck out of the sky in a dive that can reach 200mph. They seem to be just as busy during the night too. The new infrared camera has extended our viewing hours even further, allowing us to catch glimpses as they come and go at all hours, though this routine will change with their return to parenthood, as the eggs will need to incubate for 33 days.

These birds have definitely got us gripped here in the Environment Team, and we can’t wait to watch the family develop again. Hopefully we won’t get too distracted as fair trade fortnight started this week! Check out our fair trade fortnight events.

NTU Environment Team

Wildlife Trust unearths member’s film, ‘The Peregrine’

Changing times: many pairs now nest on tall buildings across the UK

Well, peregrine fever really has struck here at the Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust Office – (don’t worry, peregrines can’t catch it!).

We loved keeping an eye on the family’s progress last year but seeing them in such detail on the new cameras is breathtaking. I particularly love the view late in the afternoon as the sky becomes darker and you can see one of the adult birds peacefully watching the world go by with the bright lights of the city as his / her backdrop.

Whilst thinking about ways to promote the peregrine camera I remembered that we had a copy of an old cine film called simply ‘The Peregrine’ created back in the late 1960s or early 1970s by a Wildlife Trust member.

After a bit of rummaging through boxes I found the copy we have on DVD so I stuck it in my PC to see what it showed.  Whilst very much of its time in terms of the film quality and the style, what struck me most was the lengths that the filmmaker had had to go to capture footage of the birds. The opening sequence showed that the birds were occupying what you’d consider to be traditional peregrine territory. They were perched high on an inaccessible mountain ledge and the film also showed its maker scrambling over rocky outcrops to secure a decent vantage point. This set me thinking to how times had changed for the birds, with many pairs now making their nests on tall buildings across the UK. It also made me realise just how lucky we are here in Nottingham to have these wonderful birds right on our doorstep.

To complement the live cameras and regular blog we’ve just created a new factsheet about peregrines which can be downloaded from our website at www.nottinghamshirewildlife.org

Erin McDaid
Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust

Falcons’ arrival sparks fresh media interest

Keeping an eye on things: one of the falcons looks out across the city

The cameras have been live for almost a week now and our peregrine falcons are once again finding themselves in the media spotlight. In the first few days of launching the webcam the birds were featured on both radio and television through BBC Radio Nottingham and BBC East Midlands Today, as well as in print, courtesy of the Nottingham Post. One of the birds was even kind enough to grace us with their presence for the start of an early morning radio piece, proudly perching atop the Newton building to survey the live interview below.

They have been creating the usual reaction on social networking sites too, with people hurriedly flocking to Twitter to post their falcon sightings. While we at falcon HQ have been busy hatching this year’s webcam project, the falcons – who are of course no strangers to this level of interest – are seemingly taking it all in the stride.

Representatives from our environment team and estates and resources team have been busy explaining to the media about what we’re doing differently this year, while Erin McDaid of the Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust has been talking at length about the falcons’ breeding and nesting cycles and the careful steps taken to protect them and keep them safe.

Our new blog is receiving some very positive praise too, with comments from viewers such as ‘welcome back’, ‘well done Nottingham’ ‘these new cameras are brilliant’, ‘keep up the good work’ and ‘what wonderful pictures’. And our team of experts have been able to answer viewers’ questions on issues such as the brooding habits of the birds and the way in which the chicks are ringed.

All in all a busy and successful first week for the returning birds and we’re all very much looking forward to taking them under our wing once again.

Dave Rogers
Nottingham Trent University

Why St Valentine’s Day?

Love is in the air...

You might be wondering why we chose St Valentine’s Day to launch our falcon webcam again this year. Well the reason is that Feb 14 always marks the start of National Nest Box Week – a long running event designed to highlight the importance of nest boxes for wild birds and to encourage people to install boxes at home, at school or even at work.

Here on Nottingham Trent University’s Newton building we haven’t got a nest box as such – more like a nest platform – but the idea is just the same. We have created an artificial nesting area to help give the peregrines a better chance of success – and judging by the fact that the pair have so far raised 16 chicks – we must be doing something right.

We also feel that Valentine’s Day is appropriate due to the fact that peregrines pair for life. Whilst it’s not a great idea to impose human emotions on to wild animals – there is something a little romantic about a life-long partnership and returning to their favourite spot each year. During courtship the male birds even present females with ‘gift-birds’ in mid air. In reality he’s more likely to be doing this to demonstrate his hunting prowess rather than to prove he’s an old romantic, but its still rather impressive!

Last year the female laid her eggs in late March but the pair have been regularly seen around the nest since late January and if the weather warms up the eggs may well arrive a little earlier – we’ll just have to wait and see. Once all the eggs are laid it’ll be about four weeks before we see the first chicks – I can’t wait!

Erin McDaid
Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust