Norwich Peregrine killed-collision.

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I posted the live webcam a while back. Just been told that one of the Norwich cathedral peregrine chicks was killed last saturday when it collided with a light aircraft which was taking off from Norwich airport.:(

 
Shame for the bird, glad it wasn't more serious for the aircraft.
 
Taking off from Norwich airfield is fairly hairy too
You hurtle straight at a high earth bank at the end of the runway... you did in the 70's anyway.
 
Sad but 4 chicks is impressive. Iirc they lost one in a previous year that flew into the spire.
I guess learning to fly is tricky

I think my friend told me about the one that flew into the spire. She’s part of the watch team and told me about this one.

I believe the survival rate is 50%. of a batch . I suppose if it was 80% it would really impact on their prey numbers. It was always sad to see...what looked like..blackbirds, or any song bird being brought to the nest. Unfortunate for individual pigeons ..which seems to be their staple diet..but I suspect there are a lot more of them. Best to check..lol. Well, there’s a surprise..the .mostly unseen, wren is tops with 8.5 million breeding sites. Behind it comes the wood pigeon and the sparrow..house sparrow. It’s not as straightforward as you’d think,though

2020....https://www.rspb.org.uk/get-involved/activities/birdwatch/results/
 
Taking off from Norwich airfield is fairly hairy too
You hurtle straight at a high earth bank at the end of the runway... you did in the 70's anyway.

Sounds a bit scary. Surely,by now,that’s been sorted ?
 
Taking off from Norwich airfield is fairly hairy too
You hurtle straight at a high earth bank at the end of the runway... you did in the 70's anyway.
Sounds a bit scary. Surely,by now,that’s been sorted ?
I think it even moved to a wartime one.

Norwich International Airport is a bit more than an airfield these days ;)
Several scheduled connections to Schiphol as well as domestic and charter jet flights.

You can clearly see the mothballed planes from the A140 on streetview so I think that the earth bank has gone.

For the £10 I get surcharged every time I fly out of there I'd hope they'd made some improvements since the 70's :)
 
It was always sad to see...what looked like..blackbirds, or any song bird


Excuse the snip!

Some years ago, there was a webcam trained on a nest up a church spire. The blue feathers that appeared one day solved the mystery of the budgie missing from a nearby house...

More recently, the users of the nest site have been seen to kill a trespassing buzzard.
 
Excuse the snip!

Some years ago, there was a webcam trained on a nest up a church spire. The blue feathers that appeared one day solved the mystery of the budgie missing from a nearby house...

More recently, the users of the nest site have been seen to kill a trespassing buzzard.


I didn't know peregrines would kill buzzards.I wondered how often they would do that and top of the Google list was this article from.... Exeter... but back in 2014. Obviously still doing it, then. https://raptorpolitics.org.uk/2014/...amed-for-killing-up-to-15-buzzards-in-exeter/

That was unfortunate for the budgie. Escapes from a caged life only to be killed by a peregrine. I assume because it could so easily be seen.They say that escaped birds,like the budgie, don't last long in the wild due to their colours. Years ago we had a an Australian zebra finch living, quite harmonously, with the 20-odd sparrows that lived in our hedge (now long gone). It was there for three days. I got some shots of it, Some kids had cut open the aviary wire in the city park and most of the birds many escaped. Someone,who knew about them, came onto the on the local radio and said that once the cold weather came they wouldn't last long which begs the questiuon..why have them in an outdoor aviary here ? Maybe they housed them inside as it got colder. . It was September 2009. I'd just started on photography.

These were taken in September 2009. I was new to photography then so not the best. Taken with a 40D and MK1 Canon 100-400. A lot of noise for 400ISO.

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I didn't know peregrines would kill buzzards.I wondered how often they would do that and top of the Google list was this article from.... Exeter... but back in 2014. Obviously still doing it, then. https://raptorpolitics.org.uk/2014/...amed-for-killing-up-to-15-buzzards-in-exeter/


Yup, that's the nest I was talking about. The blue feathers were before I was ill (so, pre 9/2012) and I'm pretty sure the buzzards were killed when I was cured. A friend of mine took some shots of the fatal attack (well, one of them) but has sold the shots to someone who's writing a book so can't share them.
 
Taking off from Norwich airfield is fairly hairy too
You hurtle straight at a high earth bank at the end of the runway... you did in the 70's anyway.
I don't think it's as bad as Clacton airfield, which has a raised footpath across the runway.
I've only flown from Norwich in a Helicopter so a bank at the end of the runway wouldn't have been as noticeable for me, but I don't remember one.
 
John, I just checked out a local church ,2 fledged, sadly it appears one got blown off before it could really fly properly in a bad storm we had about a month back. It's gone off for PM so I might hear more, such a shame but life is brutal at the top of the food chain

. It was lovely,we bumped into the guy that spotted them mating, on the church. He had a quick chat with the vicar, then, he got a dog basket( of all things :D up there quick sharp and the peregrines have been using it to nest in since. A lovely tale they are 3 years in now. Sadly it appears a second site I know. has totally failed this year, but I know little more.

Really cool seeing two kids today and maybe both parents,,,,,,,,,,,, Tis a shame I suspect I have nothing to little image wise to keep. They are such astounding birds, sort of humbling to just be in their presence . The nest site is completely in accessible, two locked doors so they are very safe.. There is no way for a photographer to disturb them from the ground.., which is sort of wonderful with them being sched one an all. I asked for thoughts on making images " we welcomed it" . The gentleman asked us to actively show people walking around the church grounds, the falcons, the more folks that are interested the better, saw a few folks go wide eyed today not just me;):cool:

You know you are staring at the fastest moving species on the planet, and yet they shacked up in a dog basket on top a little church on the wolds, thing of loveliness!!


Does anyone know when peregrines with two recent fledged kids are at their most active what time of day, are they early risers? Is there a habitual hunt feed then rest in the early stages of the day . ???
 
John, I just checked out a local church ,2 fledged, sadly it appears one got blown off before it could really fly properly in a bad storm we had about a month back. It's gone off for PM so I might hear more, such a shame but life is brutal at the top of the food chain

. It was lovely,we bumped into the guy that spotted them mating, on the church. He had a quick chat with the vicar, then, he got a dog basket( of all things :D up there quick sharp and the peregrines have been using it to nest in since. A lovely tale they are 3 years in now. Sadly it appears a second site I know. has totally failed this year, but I know little more.

Really cool seeing two kids today and maybe both parents,,,,,,,,,,,, Tis a shame I suspect I have nothing to little image wise to keep. They are such astounding birds, sort of humbling to just be in their presence . The nest site is completely in accessible, two locked doors so they are very safe.. There is no way for a photographer to disturb them from the ground.., which is sort of wonderful with them being sched one an all. I asked for thoughts on making images " we welcomed it" . The gentleman asked us to actively show people walking around the church grounds, the falcons, the more folks that are interested the better, saw a few folks go wide eyed today not just me;):cool:

You know you are staring at the fastest moving species on the planet, and yet they shacked up in a dog basket on top a little church on the wolds, thing of loveliness!!


Does anyone know when peregrines with two recent fledged kids are at their most active what time of day, are they early risers? Is there a habitual hunt feed then rest in the early stages of the day . ???


Very sad, Stu. Fantastic birds.

I'll send my Norwich peregrine-watch friend an Email right now and ask her that question you've asked at the end....Done.
 
Does anyone know when peregrines with two recent fledged kids are at their most active what time of day, are they early risers? Is there a habitual hunt feed then rest in the early stages of the day . ???

Just got an Email reply,Stu. Assuming the chicks are hungry blighters which most are then dawn to dusk hunting/feeding and in built-up areas like Norwich with street lighting etc they hunt at night and catch migrating birds but also bats. Adapting well.

Good luck. (y)
 
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Thank you John, that's incredibly kind.

buddy don't morn the one lost.

To hurtle through the sky at 200kph or what ever it is, demands. a physicality, this is mum nature's work, why a peregrine is: . You are simply the best or don't make it. there isn't a half measure !!

A huge amount to celebrate I know of two new girl chicks . they have to be they dwarf dad :D .... about to wreck their form of havoc on the world. Hatched in what is a fairly new breeding site................. this bodes well,

your friend's words sort of confirm my hunches ,the times after dawn between hunt and kill, will probably present those beguiling chances at seeing a food pass let alone an image..

they are hungry blighters John !! I'm guessing the kids take an afternoon sprint then return early eve and wait again to be fed . I'm aware of the species hunting by night. but this pair would be hunting a dark place largely,i'd never be surprised, but I suspect they are largely diurnal hunters this pair So by morn the kids will be screaming,LMAO especially two girls.:LOL:

THANK YOU mate, really kind,:) I'm trying to pare down the hours which is lame.that's why I asked to my shame.

I might post something of Dad John I've already called him " Bri", which is probably not befitting:LOL:
cheers
 
Mrs Nod used to work very near the Exeter church nest I mentioned above and the car park there was pretty quiet during the day. At least one of the peregrines used to sit on the back corner of the building while it dismembered its prey! Came back to the car one day to find a small square of skin on the boot lid of the car - decided to change our regular parking space!
 
If one walked around looking down in this quaint little church yard, not up , stared a bit, wow that really was a grave yard............. pellets bits of wing, the odd claw................ no one saw, all was well,

I suspect some one quietly cleans up a bit :) and that erm " carnage" is probably going into a knowledge base.

There were some on Truro Cathedral Nod, waaay say 30years back...................... you could watch them from the city streets, I've no idea if they have descendants in residence?
 
The Exeter ones can (if they're about!) be viewed and photographed from a relatively close multi-storey carpark. The carpark is a bit uphill from the church so you're not looking up as much.
 
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