Over the past few months I managed to secure funds to extend the rooftop safety rail beyond the nest box. That allowed me to remove the old box, which was about 8 years old and needed replacing. We are in the process of building a new one. This will have two sides and a pitched roof. I have six 20kg bags of pea shingle ready and we are going to move at least two of the cameras next week. However...
Top right of the photo
They remained on the side of the building for at least 5 hours.
I borrowed a Canon camera from a member of the public who was hoping to do some filming at the rear of the college. Quid pro quo and all that. He's going to share the files via Google Drive as they were shot in raw. I will add them once I receive them. The photos above were taken with a basic Nikon and a 50mm lens. I borrowed that from the theatre manager!
The problem I now have is, do we have time to complete the construction and installation of the new box? I have not seen the Peregrines together in flight, but they seem happy enough in one another's company. A lot of dining has been taking place near the nest box and we also have to have repairs carried out to the small platform near the nest. I hope the birds aren't so far ahead in their courtship that they are likely to nest. Is that unprecedented? I notice that the Sheffield birds seem to be paired. At least I don't have a shrubbery to deal with! I might have to put back the old box at this rate!
YouTube link to Camera 1
YouTube link to Camera 2
YouTube link to Camera 3
There is also a Twitter account
THIS YEAR'S DATA:
Egg #1 laid 17-03-20 at 23:34:04
Egg #2 laid 20-03-20 at 09:43:51
Egg #3 laid 22-03-20 at 21:33:10
First chick hatched 30-04-20 at 07-41
Second chick hatched 30-04-20 at 11-00 approx
Unicum arbustum haud alit duos erithacos
(One bush does not shelter two Robins)
Zenodotus (3rd Century B.C.)
A week or so back, I spoke with Mark Speck of the Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust and asked his advice regarding treating the marine ply we are using for the new box. He recommended using a water based wood preserver. This afternoon I applied the first of two coats to the box. The box itself is in the workshop at our Creative Industries Centre. One of my colleagues (Gary) took my basic design and improved on it greatly. The box is designed to be constructed 'in situ' as it would be too large and unwieldy to carry up to the roof and install in one piece. The design also makes it easier to maintain the box, as I can remove the sides and roof without the need to empty or move the tray. There will also be an aluminium cover on the roof. This will add protection to the timber and will include a 4cm run off at either end. This will hopefully keep the box nice and dry.
I also moved camera 3 from the end of the parapet to a spot next to the nest box. There is about 10m of spare cable on the camera, so I can move it next year if I so choose. IT will be testing the cameras in the next couple of weeks. Both Peregrines are still present during the day and roost on the West elevation overnight. They have made a mess of my nice clean roof, but I can clear that up when we install the box.
Here are some more recent photos to be going on with...
The three cameras in their new-ish locations. Camera 3 is on the angled scaffold pole.
Probable view from Camera 1
Camera 2
Camera 3
These views were taken by holding my phone in front of the lens of each camera. There will no doubt be a degree of tweaking required before I'm satisfied...
The new box (without roof). This is roughly the perspective we will get from camera 3
Camera 2 view. The pitched roof will be supported by the dexion struts. The side and rear panels are hinged. This offers additional support and aids installation. These two panels will be bolted to the sides of the tray (see below).
View from the rear.
Finally, the underside of the tray. The unistrut will keep the tray off the ground, thus assisting with drainage. We will be making a series of holes in the tray for this purpose.
This is the aluminium cover for the roof. It has a 4cm run off on each side.
Thanks to Dean for creating this.
I applied the second coat of wood preserver today. The first complete construction of the box is scheduled for Thursday. I hope to have it installed early next week.
Kind regards, Ann
Unknown said:f the Peregrines don't use it then I'll hand it over to my Pidges!
Will be interesting to see, who makes the first bid
We finally finished the box today and installed it on the roof. There was zero space between the roof and the pipes, but that should help to keep it all in place.
There is a welded frame bolted to the sides of the box and that supports the roof. The small return on the rear right also offers some support to the structure.
Within about half an hour or so, both Peregrines were on the parapet near the nest. Hopefully that is their seal of approval. IT are working on getting the cameras up and running.
Thanks to Gary, Dave, Dean, Bryan and everyone else who was involved in the design and construction of the box. Thank you to Lorraine for sorting out the purchase orders. Big thanks also to Mike and Catherine for their support and patience throughout as well as authorising the funding. Let's hope the Peregrines see fit to use the accommodation.
Fabulous piece of work, surely Peregrines will love it? Well done everyone involved in giving us hope of viewing successful breeding in 2020!
2013 photos & vids here
eff37 on Flickr
"Let loose the Kraken!"