Don't put your camera on a round spike in loose ground where high winds are likely - or even a stiff breeze.Don't mount your telescopes on a shelf that wobbles whenever somebody leans on it (especially children).Very important - don't make notes on a pocket voice recorder and leave them for weeks without transcribing them.Only today, when we looked back at voice notes made over the last six weeks, did we deduce that the young peregrines are actually at least a week older than we thought.For example: 24th May 2010 - 13:50 adult off ledge; another landed; then first bird returned, 2 birds on ledge, and feeding activity going on. 14:15 adult flew off carrying something; another bird returned but didn't land.Fairly obviously, the peregrines had hatched their young well before we noted:28th May 2010 - Certain there is a chick!So, taking the figure of 39 days hatch-to-fledge time given in the RSPB Handbook of British Birds, our new revised calculation is that the young birds should be flying around Thursday or Friday, 3rd or 4th July. This certainly tallies with their appearance. All three are well grown, almost completely out of their down, and looking more adult every day. No bets being taken - we shall see!This morning (Sunday) they were being fed by the female parent from 9:00 to 9:30, when she flew off carrying the remains as usual, but this afternoon, at 14:10, she brought a carcase to the ledge, dumped it and flew off again immediately, leaving three nonplussed young birds to deal with it on their own.
Apologies to roving reporter "CatInTheHat" for delay in posting! Roger.
Are you a member of the RSPB? Nature is amazing, help us keep it that way. To join contact me on roger.whiteway@rspb.org.uk