Want to know more about peregrine behaviour?
Marc has prepared a detailed study on our two peregrine families. By examining the video footage from Carrowdore and Kilrea he has been able to identify key behavioural patterns that the peregrines display. To read his reports click here…
Got a burning question about raptors? - If you have any queries about raptors, or if you have seen something on the website and you're not quite sure what it all means, why not ask Marc and his colleagues your questions? Marc can't respond to every question but he'll do his best, and we'll publish his answers in this section. See below.
I have noticed Raptors in Donegal but think they may have declined since mink appeared in the area and decimated the rabbit population. Can this affect raptor populations?
The raptor that feed on rabbits in this area are likely to be buzzards and of course more recently the introduced Golden eagles. Predators are intricately linked to their food source and competition with other species always occurs. Competition from introduced or pest species such as mink can affect food populations. Hence why these pest species are often trapped and removed. The interaction between these two species had not crossed our minds. There may be some link locally to a decrease in breeding success of e.g. buzzards, if insufficient prey is available, although the mink too will decline if they eat all their prey and then the buzzards will come back again (the circle of life!).
If raptors don't breed they may be less obvious to bird-watchers, as more activity is associated with breeding thereby increasing your chances of seeing one. The buzzard is generally doing quite well across Ireland. However, introduced and pest species cause huge problems. Read more here (http://www.quercus.ac.uk/pages/rathlin_phd.htm.about) about an interesting project on Rathlin Island ferrets, which are a relative of the mink.
What is the largest...male or female buzzard?
The female is largest, this is the same for all species of raptors. A male buzzard weighs approximately 780g and a female buzzard weighs approximately 1000g.
Do Peregrines kill racing pigeons?
Yes, Peregrines kill some racing pigeons. There has been some research carried out into this subject area in Scotland, Wales and also in Northern Ireland. This is an unfortunate conflict in which the Peregrine has no concept of the problems that it causes. They are hunting prey, which meets their natural need for survival and pigeons are released into areas and fly over Peregrine territories are at a risk of being caught. Also some pigeon lofts may be near to breeding territories too. Some of the pigeons that are predated may have been lost from races or not returned to lofts from training flights. Often it is juvenile pigeons that are caught, as with the way in which they have been catching a large number of young starlings at both Carrowdore and Kilrea, young birds are easier prey and not often as wise to how to respond to predators. Not all pairs will predate pigeons as diet varies widely in individual pairs. This webcam project has shown that there were two pigeon kills in each of the nests at the two webcam sites although we could not be sure of whether these were racing pigeons as no rings, or wing-stamped feathers were found when we ringed the chicks at 3 weeks of age in the nests. We will be looking at the nesting areas again in July to get a picture of what they have been feeding on throughout the year. Some of you have mentioned seeing footage of dead racing pigeons: we will be looking at all the footage in coming weeks to provide you with a breakdown of the whole nesting period and will attempt to examine in detail what prey was being delivered, as unfortunately we have not picked up any of them, but it may have occurred as we have not been able to watch all the clips yet. We appreciate the passion, time, money and enjoyment that goes into pigeon racing and indeed have met with many pigeon fanciers over recent years to discuss the problem; and we hope this can continue; as the dedication and time devoted to pigeon racing is obvious and incredible and certainly any loss; through weather, collisions, straying or predation must be devastating. However, the Peregrines are not killing racing pigeons out of spite or malice, and are only hunting prey that is available to them within their territories. Raptor conservationists are keen to meet with pigeon fanciers to discuss further potential resolutions to this issue, any suggestions are welcomed as indeed we recognise that it is a difficult subject to resolve.
I have been watching Buzzards and their mating and was wondering when I can expect to see the young flying around?
Buzzards, in Britain and Ireland, typically build their stick nests, in trees or on cliffs, in March, lay eggs in mid-April, hatch the chicks in mid- to late May and the young fledge in late June or early July.
Will the chick still left on the nest in Carrowdore continue to be fed until he flies or will the family move on without him?
You may have seen that one of the chicks was the last to fly at Carrowdore, this was one of the males, F4 (or Clifford to his friends). He was getting fed whilst still on the ledge, although the other chicks will often get most of the food before the adults get to the nest ledge. But he was still getting some, he has now left the nest and just yesterday a few of us were down at the quarry doing some filming for the second program and we saw all 4 chicks and the adults brought in some food for them. Clifford wasn't flying as strong as the other three, but it will take him a few more days to practice and get better at it. The Raptor Study Group fieldworkers and the quarry men and women are keeping a close eye on the chicks as they learn to fly and we will keep you updated what we see on our visits to the quarry.
Are all the Peregrines in NI the same age as these chicks?
No, they all lay eggs at slightly different times, but only by a couple of weeks. The Carrowdore nest was one of the earliest we have found this year and were one of the first to fly. The youngest chicks, at other nests, we have seen so far are only about 3-4 weeks of age at the minute, so it will be another few weeks before they fly. The Raptor Study Group will work over the next few months to count all the chicks at the territories, meeting with the quarry workers and the farmers and landowners whose cliffs the peregrines breed on, so we can get a picture of how good the breeding population is this year. So we are very busy counting chicks and ringing more of them so we can follow where they go and find out more about them. There are many fieldworkers surveying for the other raptor species such as Merlins and Hen harriers so don't forget to let us know if you see any of them...
While watching the video archives I've noticed in most of them the parents aren't there, where do you think they are?
The adults are out hunting most of the time now bringing food back to the nest for the chicks. The chicks are more able to feed themselves now and the adults will often just drop food on the nest for them. The amount of time spent caring for the chicks on the nest decreases once the chicks can "thermo-regulate" efficiently. That is until they get their brown feathers which control their body heat. The white down, can get quite wet in bad weather and this is why the adults need to cover them to keep them warm, but also in hot weather they shade them from the sun as we have seen particularly at Kilrea. Often, too the adults would be sitting in their favourite roost areas near the nest, just out of sight of the cameras and that is why we can't see them all of the time.
The Carrowdore chicks have been reduced to two what has happened?
You may have noticed a reduction in the number of chicks in the Carrowdore nest.....two of the chicks have fledged and David Edwards will be updating us in his diary as to what he saw. It appears the two females were first to go, but the other two should fly in the next day or two as well. This is great, but now it will get harder for the chicks as they learn to hunt they can get into all sorts of difficulties. Their colour rings will enable us to follow the progress of each of the chicks and we will keep you up to date.
Do peregines live in the countryside as well as urban areas?
Yes. Peregrines utilise natural cliffs and mountain crags in both coastal and inland areas. Falcons are recorded at an increasing number of urban sites in the UK in Ireland, nesting on a variety of buildings such as power stations, churches, apartments and offices. There are only a few sites in Northern Ireland where they use buildings and one of these was in the Belfast shipyard (where the Titanic was built) on an old Harland & Wolff building. The wall they nested on was knocked down several years ago and we have been unable to find where they are now nesting, so if anyone knows please let us know. During the 2002 Peregrine survey, organised by the BTO, there were 62 urban nest sites identified across the UK and even two cases of peregrine falcons nesting in trees, which is very rare indeed.
Are the parents trying to keep the chicks cool and shelter them from the sun?
There is some very interesting behaviour that has been happening at Kilrea quarry with the adult female adopting a spread-wing position to shade the young from the recent heat wave that we have had (although this has since changed and she would be better with a raincoat now!). The nest at Kilrea is south facing and gets the sun throughout the day and the chicks seem to be much hotter, and are often seen gaping their mouths to cool down. The Carrowdore ledge is east facing, and if you watch the early morning archive footage you can often see the sunrise coming across the cliff face. Look at the temperature graphs too and the peaks on some of the days at Kilrea goes up to 40 degrees Celsius. This is very warm and hence why the adult is sheltering the chicks and providing some shade for them. The direction the nest faces could limit the success of nests in extremes of weather and this behaviour is very interesting to watch, but the adult birds too seem to get very hot whislt shading the young, you can see she opens her mouth panting too, but are trying to look after the chicks the best they can.
How did all the raptors get out of Ireland?
Unfortunately, in the 17th and 18th Century, raptors were treated like vermin and many were shot and killed. In many parts of the world bounties were paid for their destruction. Ireland lost half of their breeding raptor species as a result of persecution. Birds like the osprey, red kite, white-tailed eagle and marsh harrier all were lost as breeding species. There are many examples of attempts to reverse these declines by re-introduction projects by RSPB and by the Irish Raptor Study Group and Golden Eagle Trust. There are ambitious projects to return the golden eagle, white-tailed eagle and red kite to Ireland over coming years and hopefully the natural balances can be re-stored following the historical loss of some of these majestic birds of prey. Indeed there has been some incredible news this past week, and the first Golden eagle chicks hatched in Donegal for 100 years and if you click here you can see a photo of the chick http://www.goldeneagle.ie/2007_0512eaglechicks0081.jpg
Do chicks ever fall out of the nest (PART 2)?
Previously this question had been asked and it appears that the webcams have provided us with an answer! One of the chicks at Carrowdore, on the 1st of June, sometime just before 5:15am, perhaps in the hustle for food or just decided it was time to go exploring, jumped and fell onto the ledge to the left of the main nest area. You can see this all in the video highlights from the 1st of June. F4, one of the male falcons, or Clifford as he has been named by Carrowdore Primary School, was on the lower ledge until just before 9.30am when the lure of a food proved too much and he jumped back in, when the adults came into with some food. The chicks are beginning to get very adventurous, and several of them have done it now, and are starting to move around the ledges, at both sites and in coming weeks they will be flying. Hope you are all entering the competition to see who flies last..... does that count as Clifford's first flight though?? More of a jump, but they are certainly keeping us on our toes as they keep disappearing from the camera's view.
What happened during the ringing of the chicks at Carrowdore?
The quarry had arranged a hoist for us to get safely up to the nest ledge, we put the chicks into a basket and brought them down to the ground just below the nest so we could put rings on their legs. They all had two rings each, a metal ring on their right leg and a blue colour ring on the right leg. Based on the measurements we made from each chick, we reckon there were 2 males and two females. This work was all carried out under BTO and EHS licencing. The female flew around us for a while and then sat and watched on the cliff nearby. As you can see from the cameras and the highlights there are no effects from the ringing and the adults were feeding the chicks within half an hour of us finishing the ringing. Keep an eye out on the webcams on Thursday 7th June as we will be ringing the chicks at Kilrea in the same way.
What is the largest prey item recorded for a peregrine / buzzard / sparrowhawk taking?
Peregrine have been recorded taking birds the size of greylag geese and herons, but this would happen very rarely. The largest we have recorded in Northern Ireland was a Shelduck and the smallest a Goldcrest (which weighs only 6grams!). Buzzards prey mainly on rabbits and rarely take large prey, indeed for their size they hunt a range of small prey such as beetles, mice and they can often be seen "worming" in fields and are catching earthworms on the ground! Ian Newton in his book "The Sparrowhawk" records three occasions where sparrowhawks killed hen pheasants, again this is likely to be a rare occurrence, as they prefer to hunt small birds such as chaffinches, thrushes and blackbirds.
Predators typically take easily caught prey items that are mid-range weights in relation to their own weight and according to the availability of the prey i.e. how many there are of that species in the environment around them. We have seen this happening at Carrowdore, when we checked the nest after ringing. The nest contained largely young starlings which are abundant at this stage of the season, and it will be interesting to see what is in the nest after the young fly.
Is there somewhere I can report a bird of prey sighting or nest?
Several people have reported sightings or nest areas they know of. I hope you all continue to watch them but please do not go too close and disturb them while they are breeding. The Northern Ireland Birdwatchers Association maintains a Flightline where you can report sightings and additionally the Northern Ireland Raptor Study Group here maintains a database of breeding raptor records as we monitor them during the breeding season. There are many active projects such as those on hen harriers (RSPB/EHS/Queen's University) and barn owls (Queen's University) that would be very interested in your sightings and nest records and you can report them to info@niraptorstudygroup.co.uk. Perhaps you could then become licenced to monitor that nest in the future and provide more details, such as the number of young that fledge and the grid reference, but please contact us to find out about licencing before you disturb any breeding birds. For those of you elsewhere in the UK, that have asked similar questions, local raptor study groups would be very interested to know any sightings.
Which parent usually feeds the chicks?
The female does the majority of the feeding of the young but the male still does some. Perhaps you are all able to see the size differences between the adults to tell them apart now at the nest? Observations in 2003 and 2004 showed us that of 141 feeds, 117 (83%) of the feeds were made by the female and only 24 feeds were made by the males. The males however, do most of the hunting, particularly when the chicks are small.
What has happened to the nesting Peregrine Falcons that have nested at Scrabo Tower area for a number of years?
A few of you have asked this question this year and yes there is normally a pair that are great to watch at Scrabo quarry - a site managed by Environment & Heritage Service. Scrabo is an old quarry and over time it has become an incredible habitat for wildlife. This year there are other raptors such as kestrels and long-eared owls nesting in the quarry but unfortunately only the adult male peregrine is present. The adult female was killed, we believe on the Newtownards-Comber carriageway, probably hit by a lorry or car as she crossed the road to go hunting on Strangford lough during the winter. There has been no new female to replace her and consequently this is only the third year in Scrabo's history that they have not reared chicks.
Why do falcons and kestrels have pointed wings flight?
All falcon species have primary feathers which are pointed, making the wings look like that in flight. This makes them more aerodynamic as they hunt more by speed, in mid-air, particularly Peregrines, when compared to the say the sparrowhawk and buzzard. The short, broad wings of the sparrowhawk are designed for flying through trees, a shorter, broader wing making twisting and turning easier in the forest habitats in which they live and hunt. Buzzards and eagles have wide, broad wings to allow them to catch thermals, (hot air currents) as they soar high up looking for prey. Wing shapes are designed for the individual hunting methods the birds adopt and the shape which best suit their habitat.
What killed lots of falcons in the UK in the 1950's and 1960's?
The organo-chlorine chemicals, namely DDT, used in agriculture, travelled through the food chain. When seed eating birds ate the seeds sprayed with the chemicals, the falcons then ate the birds, such as woodpigeons, and this built up in their system causing them to lay thin-shelled eggs. The adults were then crushing the eggs during incubation and no chicks hatched. This caused a population decline. These chemical were subsequently banned.
Are Peregrine native to this country, or was they introduced?
Peregrine fossil evidence dates Peregrine possibly to the glacial periods (more 10 000 years ago) in Britain. Cave earths in Somerset and Derbyshire in particular have yielded presence of Peregrine bones from the ice ages. The late Derek Ratcliffe, the well known Peregrine biologist, provides a good review of the evidence in his book, “The Peregrine falcon”, as glaciers retreated from the uplands, leaving more cliffs available for Peregrine to nest and spread. He says it is difficult to estimate what numbers are likely to have been present. The Peregrine is thus a native predator to Britain and Ireland and no systematic restoration or introductions programs have taken place. The recovery of Britain and Ireland peregrines, from the devastation of agricultural contaminants (i.e. DDT) is entirely natural. Peregrine populations, particularly in the United States, were restored by releasing captive-bred birds back into the wild, due to the almost complete eradication of breeding wild falcons by DDT.
The eyes on one of adult falcons looks like it is blind, it is white coloured…
We have checked all the adults and all their eyes seem fine. We think this may have been an image of the adult with what is known as the “nictitating membrane” across its eye. This is a third eye-lid that they have to clean the eye and it is closed to protect the eye when the bird is striking its prey during a hunt. It is an additional membrane comes across the eye, a bit like a windscreen wiper! If you watch the images, you may see the eyes go white on chicks and adults, watch while they preen their feather too as they usually close it then too.
Why don’t the chicks try to follow the adults when they leave the nest to go hunting?
They will eventually, but it will take approximately 40 days for them to develop feathers that will enable them to fly. As they develop, you will see them beginning to exercise their wings on the nest ledge. Until they have all their flight feathers, they cannot possibly leave the nest unless they are knocked out by accident. Adult bird flight feathers are hollow inside the shaft, but the chicks have blood inside the shafts to allow growth. Once the feathers are fully grown, the blood will drain from the feather and it will become hardened. In falconry, this is often called “hard-penned”.
Does the camera not disturb the parent birds?
We installed “dummy” cameras that looked exactly like the real cameras a considerable time before the birds were nesting to allow them to get used to the shape of the camera. They are completely tolerant of the camera. Initially, they did not like the movement of the camera when we changed the angle and the zoom, but they got used to that after about half an hour too and it does not seem to bother them. Although sometimes I look at the video archive clips and I am sure they are looking at the camera and watching us too!
What raptors are native to Ireland?
The breeding birds of prey are the Peregrine, Sparrowhawk, Kestrel, Buzzard, Merlin, Hen harrier, Goshawk and Golden eagle. Historically there were breeding White tailed eagles, Red kites, Osprey's, Marsh harriers, Hobby's, Honey buzzards and Montagu’s harriers, but these are rare occurrances . The owl species that occur in Ireland are long-eared owl, short-eared owl and barn owl. There are records of Snowy owl’s breeding too. Some of these species are considered high conservation priorities and to maintain the populations. Other raptors are being re-introduced to restore viable breeding populations such as Golden eagles, White-tailed eagles and Red kites.
How many pairs of goshawks breed in Northern Ireland?
Probably in the region of 5-10 pairs, although they are a very secretive bird and it is very difficult to find their nests. Each year members of the Raptor Study Group report sightings to the database so that we can try to establish where the territories are. Over recent years, there have been localised sightings in counties Antrim, Down, Fermanagh, Londonderry and Tyrone.
Do all the chicks get fed equally?
Often chicks in large broods such as the four at Carrowdore do not get fed equally. Small broods (i.e. one or two chicks) are much easier for the adults to distribute food equally. With larger broods, older or larger chicks may get to the food source first as the adults bring it in. However, invariably the adults will bring more food in and feed all the chicks and they will get some. We hope that all the chicks will fledge successfully from these two large broods, but we’ll have to wait and see...
I have seen a large brown bird of prey with a pale chest, what is it?
Many of you have reported birds of prey sightings to the website, this is great and I hope you are all keeping an eye out for what is around you. Many have reported seeing large brown raptors with a pale chest and blotches or markings on the chest. This is most likely to be a buzzard. The buzzard is the largest of the raptors currently breeding in Northern Ireland.
When the peregrine catches its prey, does it carry it back to its nest to feed or find another suitable location?
They will catch the prey, kill it, and pluck most of the feathers in the place where they caught it. During the breeding season, the food will be carried back to the nest site to feed the chicks. During the non-breeding season, they may just eat it where they catch it. When feeding the chicks, the adults will often store the remaining food, in a hole on the nest cliff, as the chicks can't eat it all at once. This is called "caching".
When the chicks hatch how long is it before they open their eyes?
It takes 2-5 days for the chicks to open their eyes after hatching.
Do we know the sex yet of the chicks or when do we find this out?
As they grow, we should be able to see what sex they are by the size. When we put rings on the chicks in the nest, we will be taking measurements of their legs and weight to enable us to determine exactly which sex the chicks are. Watch them as they grow and you may be able to see the size difference, the males being the smaller.
Do many chicks fall over the edge of cliff face?
I suppose it would be possible. I have not come across it but if people go too close, when there are small chicks, there is a risk of the adults flying off when disturbed and knocking one of the chicks out.
How did you manage to get the webcams in position?
This was thanks to a combined effort from many people from the quarries and Eco-watch. There were many months spent laying cables and putting up dummy cameras to get the birds used to the camera shape. The staff at the quarries made all of this possible, getting their electrician and the quarry men to put the cables in and get everything in place for the cameras. To mount the cameras initially, we had to use ropes to access the ledges, but then the Patrick Bradley's and Cemex hired cranes to make it easier. I hope that you got a chance to watch the television programme and have seen what way we did it.
We watch the chicks being fed but how and what do they drink?
Birds of prey very rarely drink. They obtain all of the moisture and fluids they need from the meat they eat. Raw meat contains up to 60-70% water and this is why the chicks do not need to drink. Very occasionally, the adults will take a drink, when they are having a bath, which they often do in a river, or even a puddle. Myself and Harry Byron from the Raptor Study Group were watching the female at Kilrea drinking and bathing in a big puddle on the quarry floor a few weeks ago. This is the first time we have ever seen this behaviour.
How long will the chicks remain in the nest before fledging?
It takes about 40 days, which is about 6 weeks, before they first fly.
Are magpies classed as raptors?
No, magpies belong to the Corvid (crow) family and are not a raptor species.
What is the highest possible number of eggs that a female peregrine falcon?
There have been clutches of five recorded often and six recorded very rarely, but normally the maximum would be four.
What killed lots of falcons in the UK in the 1950's?
The organo-chlorine chemicals, namely DDT, used in agriculture, travelled through the food chain. When seed eating birds ate the seeds sprayed with the chemicals, the falcons then ate the birds, such as woodpigeons, and this built up in their system causing them to lay thin-shelled eggs. The adults were then crushing the eggs during incubation and no chicks hatched. This caused a population decline.
Are owls raptors?
Yes, owls are raptors but they are not related to
other birds of prey. Let me explain. Raptors belong to two scientific
orders, the Strigiformes and Falconiformes. The former are the owls
and
the latter are the hawks, eagles, falcons, ospreys and vultures. Whilst
the owls and other birds of prey are not related, they perform a similar
function. Owls seize their prey in the same manner as diurnal (day)
birds of prey, with their feet and talons, but they hunt predominantly
during the nocturnal (night) or crepuscular (dawn and dusk) times of
the day.
In Northern Ireland there are only two main breeding species - the long-eared
owl and the barn owl. The short-eared owl has been known to breed but
these occur only in small numbers. Barn owl numbers
are thought to be very low in number.
I have heard that there is an 8th raptor in Ireland, what is it?
Since 2001 there has been a very exciting project in Donegal by the Golden Eagle Trust and the Irish Raptor Study Group, to re-introduce Golden eagles to Ireland. Golden eagles last bred in Northern Ireland in the 1950’s in County Antrim but we lost them as a breeding species. There are also projects in coming years to bring back White-tailed eagles and Red kites. Golden eagles are now nesting in Donegal and hopefully soon they will spread across the island. For more information please visit www.goldeneagle.ie
Is it easy to distinguish peregrines from buzzards or kestrels in flight? If so, how?
Yes. Look at the way they are flying, the shape of the wings and the size. If they are hovering very quickly then this is likely to be a kestrel. Their wing tips are pointed and they are quite small. Buzzards are the big brown birds you normally see sitting on a fence, telephone poles or flying in circles quite high up. This is called "thermalling" as they catch warm, rising air currents so they don’t have to flap their wings. They have rounded wings, often with what looks like "fingers" at the tips. These are the primary feathers. Peregrines, similar to kestrels, have pointed wing tips that is a distinctive feature of all falcons but they are much larger than the kestrel and would never hover. Peregrines will probably be moving very fast too!
How likely am I to come across other birds of prey in Northern Ireland?
The seven species of raptor in NI are spread throughout
the country. Although some like hen harriers and merlins can be hard
to find, more commonly you will see Buzzards circling high looking for
rabbits. Kestrels are the ones you see hovering as they hunt, often
near roads. Sparrowhawks are very fast and secretive and you may see
them chasing small birds in your back garden. These are the three that
you are most likely to see, so keep your eyes open. Don’t forget
you may be very lucky and get to see the golden eagles that have been
released in Donegal. They are moving throughout Ireland
and some are occasionally seen in Londonderry, Tyrone and Antrim.
The Carrowdore male has a ring on his leg, what is it for?
Many people from Raptor Study Groups in Britain and Ireland put rings on the legs of birds of prey. Each metal ring has a special code on it so that if the bird is found we know where it has come from and how old it is. Sometimes we can put rings on their other leg such as colour rings which can be read with a telescope. Also, microchip rings can be read just like a microchip on your pet dog. A colleague of mine, Mike McGrady from Natural Research, has started a big project (http://www.natural-research.org/projects/pereguine_pit.htm) using the microchip rings to find out if the same adults come back to the nest every year and when they die, divorce or start to breed. You have to have training and special licences to put rings on birds of prey. These are issued by the BTO (British Trust for Ornithology) and the EHS (Environment & Heritage Service). Hopefully we will be finding out who the male is at Carrowdore and where he has come from shortly, so watch this space...
How long and far do peregrines migrate for?
American peregrines undertake long migrations which last many weeks, but Peregrines in Ireland do not migrate. We think some of them move to the coast during the winter to feed on the waders, ducks and geese that spend the winter in Ireland. Often they stay on their territories throughout the year. Some young birds disperse quite far to find a territory of their own. The longest movement by a Peregrine in Northern Ireland was to Portugal; this was 1700km! Most young birds only travel 50-100km, but this is one of the reasons why we put rings on their legs so we can find out how far they go and where to. If you watch the Carrowdore footage you’ll see the male has a ring on his leg, we are hoping to read it and find out where he is from...
Are all raptors territorial?
Yes, all birds of prey are territorial although only during the breeding season. Territories are not all the same size. During the winter, some birds of prey like Hen harriers will use communal roosts with many birds using the same area. Hen harriers can be a bit different in the breeding season and sometimes a male can have two females both at different nests, this is called "polygyny". They will still defend their territory though from other males, they just have to do twice as much fighting!
What is the average life span of a peregrine?
The typical lifespan of a peregrine is 5-10 years. The oldest known bird in the wild in the UK was 17 years and 2 months old. However, only about 40% of the young survive to the end of their first year.
What age do Peregrines first breed?
They normally can breed after they are 2 years old.
How much food does a peregrine eat?
\It has been estimated that an adult Peregrine requires to eat about 17% of its bodyweight if it is a female and 15% for a male falcon. The females, being larger, weigh about 900-1200g and males about 700-900g. This would be an equivalent of eating approximately 150-205g and 100-135g of food per day, for the female and male respectively. Just like humans, birds are different sizes and weights so the amount they need is dictated by their minimum energy requirements. Depending on what size of prey they catch they may need to feed only a few times each day. If they catch a starling which weighs about 75g they would need to eat two or three of these a day. If, for example, they catch a magpie at 245g females only need to eat one or about half of it for the male. The chicks will need lots of food as they are growing and the adult will need to be fit and healthy to be able to feed all the hungry mouths.
What are the statistics to show how successful Peregrine chicks are when they first fledge?
Not all chicks survive even to fledging. In large broods, particularly with four chicks, the adults can struggle to feed all the chicks and sometimes the smallest ones don’t get enough food and they may not survive. Once they all fly, it gets very hard for the young falcons and lots of them die in the first few months as they learn the skills to keep them alive. About 40% of chicks (2 out of every 5) that leave the nest successfully are alive after their first year.
Can I visit the webcam quarries?
No, quarries are working environments and are hazardous
for people who arrive uninvited or trespass. You should only visit a
quarry by prior arrangement or by invitation from the Quarry Manager.
Please do not attempt to visit these quarries without arrangement or
cause disruption to the staff as they run their businesses.
The quarrying industry is very concerned about trespassing in both active
and disused sites; anybody not supervised is trespassing and will be
prosecuted. A new nationwide survey from the QPA has found that 85 per
cent of quarries that responded were concerned about adult trespass.
In the majority of cases, this was associated with leisure activities,
such as dog-walking, motor-cycling and bird-watching. In some cases
over recent years, fences have been cut by adults trying to steal the
eggs of rare birds. By cutting or breaking down fences to gain entry,
a gap is left which provides easy access for youngsters and leaves them
exposed to a range of potential dangers. Every year, young people are
injured and sometimes tragically killed while playing in quarries, marine
wharves and other operations around the UK. The Quarry Products Association’s
(QPA) annual Play Safe... Stay Safe campaign has been set up to explain
the dangers of trespassing and treating quarries as playgrounds.
There is potential disturbance to the birds too, for which we are required
to have licences, any additional disturbance means the nest could fail
and nobody will have pictures to view for the remainder of the season.
All nesting raptors are protected throughout the year and particularly
during the breeding season, injury or disturbance to raptors can result
in fines being charged. Additionally security measures, such as alarms
and CCTV may be triggered, causing great disruption to the quarry staff
on duty. The webcams are also triggered by any movement, as we are collecting
behaviour information on the peregrines, so other movements may be detected
and ruin the data being collected.
In conjunction with the Return of the Raptors we will be arranging a
number of Quarry Open Days, for people who want to see inside a working
quarry, find out more about an industry that affects every aspect of
our lives and also a chance to see its wildlife.
If you would like a supervised tour of a quarry or talk by a local Quarry
Manager please contact the Quarry Products Association
NI (email: info@qpani.org) if you would like help or advice on setting
up a visit.
I have seen a Peregrine before and it was screaming very loudly and very high-pitched, what does that mean?
Peregrines make a high pitched screaming noise, whenever they are disturbed at the nest. If you think they are screaming at you, you are too close and they feel threatened. This is their defence mechanism.
How long does it take for a peregrine egg to hatch.
How do you tell the difference between the male and the female peregrine falcon?
The males and the females look very similar. Sometimes
the male has a paler white chest, but the easiest way to tell them apart
is the size. The female is always bigger than the male. If you have
a look at some of the video clips you should be able to tell them apart
when they are on the nest together.
