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15 Apr 23 — Third chick hatches

The third chick hatched around 11.45 a.m. and it was a bit of a rough start… It was still curled up from being in the egg when revealed.

I will post all the photos and write up tomorrow.

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  • 9 Mar 23

    A day of exchanges, food offerings, egg keeping. I saw them mate this morning and witnessed a food pass late afternoon. Azina refused the pigeon offered when on the ledge but accepted it in the air and went to eat it on the roof of Muscal House (that block of flats she’s taken a shine to).
    I am expecting the third egg sometime in the night: around 4:30 if she keeps to the same schedule as the second egg (60 hours) or before (last year it took 57 hours so it could be as early at 1:30). Time will tell. She is currently in the box, on the eggs, after her dinner, which took about an hour.

  • 4 Apr 23 — Day I-26

    Sometimes the begging works 😉 But it can be quite tough getting up when you’ve been lying down for nearly six hours…

    Very quiet day today. Tom did three shifts totalling 3hr44 which is average. Azina did two day shifts and the night shifts. At the end of the day she’ll have incubated for 19hr16. The eggs were not left alone for one second 🙂

  • 5 Mar 23

    Shots from the last few days, including of the first egg today.

  • 13 Apr 23 — Day I-35

    A second chick hatched last night, around 10.20 p.m., and was revealed at 5.47 this morning when Tom brought food (Starling) which Azina fed to the two chicks.

    Azina removes half an eggshell from under her at 10.20pm last night
    Azina removes half an eggshell from under her at 10.20pm last night

    A pip and crack were also visible on one of the two remaining eggs but as I am typing this the chick hasn’t hatched yet. (Yesterday’s egg was also pipped by 6 a.m and the chick didn’t hatch until late, the process can take a long time). There was a time I thought it had hatched because Azina took some eggshell from under her and nibbled it. She’d done a magic trick on me as I didn’t see that bit get under her 😉

    Two chicks and a pip early this morning
    Two chicks and a pip early this morning
    Two chicks and two eggs
    Two chicks and two eggs

    Azina has mostly been incubating/brooding but she’s also left the chicks for 30 minutes at a time twice. On the first occasion Tom spent some time with them, even tried to feed them, but on the second one they were left entirely on their own. Good thing they had each other to keep themselves warm.


    The chicks were fed four times and again a mixture of pigeon and starling.


    During one of her absences Azina went hunting and came back with a pigeon that she cached by the nest box. Tom picked it up a bit later and started plucking it. When Azina arrived he legged (or winged it) with the prey and she went in hot pursuit 😉 (the first four shots)

    Shots for today:

    And a very short clip to finish:

  • 23 Apr 23 — Day 12

    A day of rain and sunshine. At the end of the day Azina had to act as an umbrella as a heavy shower battered the nest box.

    Azina broods the chicks, acting as an umbrella
    Azina broods the chicks, acting as an umbrella

    But the chicks were left on their own for even longer periods today. I was showing the Peregrines to people this lunchtime and Azina was perched on top of one of the blue cranes. From there she’d have a great view of the chicks in the box. And Tom was by the ledge. So the chicks were not really alone.

    Pancakes
    Pancakes
    https://youtu.be/aD4zQXGS6gQ

    They continue to develop nicely. The two oldest ones are now doing a bit more wing flapping (even if they often end up with their face in the gravel) and even did some while holding food. And they’re starting to move around a bit. You can see a shadow of the cheek feathers starting to come up too.

    Azina feeds the chicks - One chick practices wing flapping
    Azina feeds the chicks – One chick practices wing flapping
    https://youtu.be/-UtjKl7hm3c
    https://youtu.be/eKHsYe1h_EQ

    There were six feeds today and some were over thirty minutes. It was only pigeon on the menu.

    Tom feeds the chicks
    Tom feeds the chicks

    Watch the small chick steal a big piece of food from one of its siblings’ mouth! No push over that chick! I want that piece and I will have it! 🤣 (and it dropped it in the end…)

    https://youtu.be/CwMMo1Mx03E

    And a bit of a funny one 😉

    https://youtu.be/_7guFwnB3BQ

    Shots for today:

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