1 May 23 — Day 20

Chick #3 is making attempts at standing up. Chick #1 is almost a pro at it. Chick #2 doesn’t seem in too much of a hurry.

Chick #1 standing
Chick #1 standing

Again they’ve spent most of the day sleeping. On their own. Azina paid them a few visits but was more a disturbance than anything, unless she brought food 😉

sibling pillow
sibling pillow

Food was again just pigeon and there were 6 feeds, by both Azina and Tom.

Azina feeding the chicks
Azina feeding the chicks

Feathers are starting to break and this is now the best way to distinguish between the three chicks.

feather tips
feather tips
Sleepy chicks

Shots for today:

30 Apr 23 — Day 19

It is getting difficult to distinguish between chicks #1 and #2.

Azina feeds the chicks
Azina feeds the chicks

Chick #2 has started standing up today but not much. Chick #1 has got better.
Most of the day has been spent sleeping, as usual. No brooding at all today except for 30 seconds. Azina spent some time in the box overnight but didn’t brood them.

pancakes
pancakes
Sleepy chicks


There were six feeds today, of varying lengths, but no varying menu. It was pigeon all the time.

Not hungry, Dad!

Shots for today:

29 Apr 23 — Day 18

Chick #3 is two weeks old today!

Azina feeds the chicks
Azina feeds the chicks


Chick #2 didn’t follow in chick #1’s footsteps and hasn’t stood up today. Chick #1 is a bit more steady on its feet.

Azina feeds the chicks – chick #1 is standing up!
Azina feeds the chicks – chick #1 is standing up!


There were five feeds today, most of them quite long. Pigeon was on the menu for all of them.


Azina spent the night in the box with the chicks but she wasn’t brooding them. She brooded them a couple of times in the morning but on the whole the chicks were left on their own for most of the day. Except for feeds (which amounted to 2 1/2 hours in total)

Azina and the chicks all asleep in the box
Azina and the chicks all asleep in the box

To finish, it can happen to the best of them! Azina has an off moment this morning…

Shots for today:

28 Apr 23 — Day 17

Two things today: first the chicks spent most of the night on their own and second chick #1 stood up and did a few steps for the first time.

Home alone


The chicks were also left on their own for most of the day though Azina did come and brood them from time to time.

Azina brooding the chicks
Azina brooding the chicks

There were seven feeds, usually not very long except for one that lasted 40 minutes. Only pigeon on the menu.
Maybe tomorrow chick #2 will also stand up? Maybe chick #1 will decide to explore a bit more?

Azina feeds the chicks
Azina feeds the chicks

Shots for today:

27 Apr 23 — Day 16

I’ll start with a very short funny clip 😉

Another good day. Azina did a fair bit of brooding again in the morning but left them on their own a bit more in the afternoon.

Azina brooding the chicks
Azina brooding the chicks

All three chicks can now be quite active at times. The oldest chick has been trying to stand a few times.
Interestingly they seem to take turns at feeds. Rather than compete, one will feed while the others either rest or flap or wander.


There were seven feeds today, one by Tom. Pigeon was on the menu for almost all of them. For a change, Collared Dove was also on the menu, only the second time I see the pair bring one.

Shots for today:

26 Apr 23 — Day 15

Only five feeds today but they’ve all been long at around 30 minutes, except for breakfast, and the chicks were very full at the end of all of them. Only Pigeon on the menu.


Often feeds were the occasion for the chicks to practise their wing flapping, even the youngest one.

Tom with the chicks – look at these great pin feathers on wings and tail
Tom with the chicks – look at these great pin feathers on wings and tail


Azina brooded the chicks for most of the morning but left them on their own a bit more this afternoon.

Azina brooding the chicks
Azina brooding the chicks

Watch Azina go after a pigeon from the ledge. She came back empty taloned a minute later but look at that acceleration!

Shots for today:

25 Apr 23 — Day 14

The first chick is two weeks old! How time flies! It, and its siblings, has had a great day of sleep and food 😉 With a little bit of preening and flapping, and some shuffling around.


It was really cold overnight and in the morning so the parents brooded the chicks continuously until lunchtime. Then they left them alone a bit.

Pancakes
Pancakes

I like the alternate positions in the above shot. They do that a lot.

There were seven feeds today. There could have been eight but the chicks were still so stuffed from their previous meal that they didn’t even get up 😉 Starling and pigeon on the menu once again. Tom fed one of the Starling heads to the chicks, so at least that’s one less of them 😂


In brief, it’s all good 🙂

Azina feeding the chicks
Azina feeding the chicks

It took Tom a lot of dancing around before Azina accepted his food offering in the clip below.

Tom got to feed a chick under Azina once again today 😉

Shots for today:

Look at the size of crops on some of the shots!

24 Apr 23 — Day 13

Quite different to yesterday. Colder and wetter so Azina has brooded the chicks for most of the day and when she wasn’t then Tom did it. Though he’s struggling a fair bit to fit them all, and so is Azina to be fair 😉

Azina brooding the chicks
Azina brooding the chicks


Which means that pretty much the only times they could flap their wings were during feeds and they did that a lot.

Tom feeding the chicks - Feeds often time to do some flapping
Tom feeding the chicks – Feeds often time to do some flapping


There were 6 feeds today, one by Tom. Mostly pigeon on the menu with a bit of Starling.


One thing I noticed today and that’s thanks to the 4 day gap between the chicks. When they hatch their feet are pink. When they fledge they’re pale yellow. On the shots where you can see that the feet of the older ones have started to turn yellow when they’re next those of the younger one. Because it’s a very subtle change I’d never noticed that before, and also because we’ve not had such big gaps before (especially with single chicks! 😉 )

Tom feeding the chicks
Tom feeding the chicks

Shots for today:

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:

22 Apr 23 — Day 11

Happy one week birthday to the youngest chick! And I am pleased to say that it is thriving. And is a bit of a character, definitely holding its own against its bigger siblings.
It has just started to show pin feathers on its wings. And you can clearly see the difference 3 or 4 days make when you look at the older two.

Nice pin feathers
Nice pin feathers

Tom had taken a bit of a step back yesterday. He took two steps forward today 😉 He ended up feeding the chicks twice and doing a fair bit of brooding. Azina still did the majority of it but the chicks were left on their own a bit more again today.

Azina brooding - chick preening
Azina brooding – chick preening

Pigeon and starling was on the menu today. There were six feeds.


Some people are saying that they would usually bring Parakeets. But they wouldn’t, that’s always a bit later in the season (and the Peregrines are nesting earlier than they used to). The Peregrines mostly catch the Parakeets at dawn and dusk when they go from and to their roosts. As the Parakeets are nesting at the moment they’re staying put and the opportunities are fewer for the Peregrines.

Azina feeds the chicks
Azina feeds the chicks – in a line again

To finish, this made me laugh when I saw it first. A game of ‘pass the morsel’ 😉

Shots for today: