We have all waited patiently with fingers crossed to see if our pair of buzzards would settle down and raise a family on our webcam nest but after a lot of early activity they seem to gone to somewhere else. So not to worry here at Arne we have always got something else up our sleaves and I am sure a lot of you will remember our kestrel family from last year. They had a brilliant 2011 by succesfully raising four healthy chicks including the smallest one that worried a few people early on.
We have decided to put this nest back online now and you can also come and watch it in the visitor centre. The female is sitting on 5 eggs at the moment and this is the same as last year although one failed to hatch. We are not sure when she laid her eggs as she was already sitting on the 5 when we turned the camera back on a week ago. However we think she is at least 2 weeks earlier than last year and the first chick actually hatched on the 21st May 2011. It is a bit difficult to predict when they will hatch but the female will incubate for about 28. So given this information please feel free to have guesses on dates!
To Watch this webcam online follow the link on our main web page or click here http://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/a/arne/webcam.aspx
Don't be confused by the buzzard information still on the page it will be updated in the next couple of days!
Had a triple fledge here today..................
empty nest syndrome...............
peek-a-boo.....
that's better..............
I got pushed off onto house roof!!!
Video to follow when I can cut the end bit off - or you'll get seasick - watch this space!
2013 photos & vids here
eff37 on Flickr
Brilliant photos Wendy :-)
Thanks pudweena - here, I hope, is link to video - http://s1268.photobucket.com/albums/jj569/ethelmong/
Not very good at links (doggie will be disgusted with me as he has tried to teach me!!) but if you highlight it and right-click it does work!
Here are a couple more from yesterday - did upload vid to youtube but quality is shaky so will abandon that one................
This one was about to eat his 'tea' - missed fantastic vid of him/her shrieking at the others to stay away and mantling over his prize!
another one of the three on the ledge and when mother flew in with food it was such a squeeze one fell onto house roof below...
was at wrong angle to get whole body shot!! It could fly and made it back to nest after a while
Took the previous vid at 7.30 this morning -hopefully will get more pics later but is overcast & cold here with rain forecast for later - will be reduced to capturing pics from open window so restricted though - cannot photo through 'cos have leaded lights!!!
Morning doggie and thankyou - trying hard to emulate!!!
OK doggie - hope you're up again to tell me just where did you get that link from?????
Great pictures of the young Kestrels, Wendy. Are these the same ones where the male was hanging about? If so what happened to him?
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Tony
My Flickr Photostream
Hi TJ yes this is where the young male was - haven't seen him again, keep looking though - there is a female parent feeding the fledgelings but I've not caught her on camera yet! Is raining steadily here now and just caught site of her doing a spot of nest-raiding in greenery on top of cliff - did you notice that the fledgeling in my pic had a sparrow?? That is the 'shaky' vid I made - him eating it - gory!!!!!!