Flying now for three weeks, stronger and stronger every day, the young peregrines are absent from the cliff for lengthy periods each day, and we have judged it's time for us to vacate Date With Nature Peregrine Watch at the Lakeside hide.
It's not totally over, though. This afternoon (Monday 26th July), as we were clearing away some of the equipment, we heard screaming directly overhead and looked up to see one of the young birds chasing a parent across the lake and round in a circle above the hide. When they are not away somewhere learning to hunt, they are still to be seen sitting on two or three preferred ledges, quite some distance away from the ledge that was chosen as the nesting site.
Nor is Date With Nature at Lake Vyrnwy totally over either. This strategy of engaging the public by grabbing their elbows and saying, "Here, come and have a look at this!", has worked well, both for us in terms of membership recruitment, and, we hope and judge from the feedback we've had, for the public, many of whom have had first-time encounters with the natural world that will live with them for years to come. So, we're going to carry on for a while. There's more to Vyrnwy than peregrines.
For example, what about dippers, grey wagtails, and kingfishers on the rivers? What about siskins on the feeders and crossbills in the conifers? What about our birds of prey - the buzzards and goshawks, and the ospreys that are now turning up more and more often? Long-time RSPB members may not get excited about these things, but lots of our visitors are delighted to be shown them, and we intend to continue for a while introducing people to nature by means of a roving Date With Nature site, combined with weekend guided walks.
When you come and see us, watch out for the DWN signs. We may be popping up almost anywhere!
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