During the previous ringing of the peregrine chicks it wasn’t possible to fit the Darvic rings due to a fault with them and so tonight, again with the aid of licensed bird ringers, the Darvic rings were fitted. The Darvic rings differ from normal metal rings in that they are big, bright and easily readable through binoculars or a spotting scope. It is hoped that by fitting these rings, our peregrines may be identified elsewhere in the country and we will gain an understanding into how far they move from the nest site. The adult female holds the territory around the cathedral and she will eventually drive the chicks out as they head towards adulthood.
Danny Kirmond, captain of the Wakefield Wilcats, is a keen follower on Twitter of Wakefield Peregrines and so he was invited along to watch the rings being fitted. There will be more on this story in the Wakefield Express this week
When are they due to fledge?
Hi Sue
The chicks are four weeks old and they should fledge between 6-7 weeks. You should notice them sitting on the edge of the box doing lots of wing flapping exercises in the days leading up to their first flight.
Thankyou……I will be eagerly waiting and unable to tear myself away from the screen. Fantastic project.
One more question…Don’t they need water? Just a thought on this hot day.
Hi Sue
We have to assume that they get enough fluids from their food as there is no water in the nestbox and I am not aware the adults would bring water in their feathers like, for instance, sandgrouse.
I saw the 3rd chick fly at 5.30pm….missed the first 2!
It’s amazing how quickly they have grown and how quickly their plumage has changed, they actually look like young peregrines now except for one which I assume is the youngest, would it also be the female?
I live in Cornwall and there is a peregrine nest on the cliffs at Anthony’s Head which can be observed from a hide and your webcam encouraged us to go, There are 2 chicks in the nest there but I think they are a couple of weeks younger. Amazing to watch them in their natural habitat and we even saw the peregrine hunting over a field of pigeons but it wasn’t successful on that occasion!
At the ringing, I was so absorbed that I did not take not of whether the female was the youngest bird. However, it is now clear that the youngest bird is obviously the largest, so this must be the female. If so, the Darvic ring should read 4Z. I have tried to get a good picture of the bird’s leg but I haven’t managed it yet.
I was watching peregrines at a nest in PembROkeshire earlier in the week and they also looked well developed than the Wakefield ones. I assume that weather conditions on the coast caused laying to be later than in the city centre. I also noticed that the Pembrokeshire female spent most of her time at the nest, covering the chicks. This is quite different from the Wakefield female, which hasn’t covered the chicks since a time when they were quite small.
It’s good to hear that the Wkefield birds are encouraging people to go out and look at peregrines and, I assume, other species.
The male birds develop quicker than the females, presumably because the female would become dominant when feeding due to her much larger size.