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Background
A nesting box with platform was installed in Leicester Cathedral spire in 2016. In 2017, the pair attempted to breed on the platform but both clutches failed. In 2018, the same pair managed to rear two young to fledging, and in 2019, three young also successfully fledged. The next two years both ended in breeding failure: the battle of two females led to the loss of four eggs in 2020, and one egg laid in 2021 by what appeared to be an inexperienced female, proved to be infertile.
The 2022 Season
During January, the same resident pair from 2021 continued their bonding and were in the box most days either posturing, feeding or scraping in the stones. The female frequently remained in the box overnight, occasionally accompanied by the male. The box was also used as a larder. The female brought in at least 20 Feral Pigeons during the month and fed well to improve her breeding condition. When not seen in the box, the pair were never far from the Cathedral and often sat on the spire crosses defending their territory.
The feeding and bonding activity continued through February with frequent visits to the box and tidying of the scrape. The pair were often seen spending lots of time bonding in the box, arriving and leaving together and remained on the ledge for long periods. There were occasions when their actions suggested intrusion activity.
During the early part of March, the pair’s daily routine continued; feeding, bonding and scraping. There were a few days when intruder activity appeared to take place, especially on the 7th when the male left the platform 26 times in a six-hour period, and the 17th when there were seven flights in just five minutes. Daily bonding continued and from the middle of the month more time was spent in the box, and one or both birds remained overnight. From the 22nd, the female spent more time tidying and sitting in the scrape. At 12:30 on the 24th, the female flew into the box and laid down in the scrape and fell asleep. At 13:20, her posture changed and a few minutes later she laid the first egg of the season. However, the actions of the male during the day indicated that there was still intruder activity. Despite this, he managed to incubate the egg for a short time. Over the next two days, the egg was left unattended for long periods as the pair defended their territory. A Stock Dove paid a visit to the box but thankfully did not damage the egg. The second egg arrived at 07:45 on the 27th. The male was only seen to incubate for short periods, probably due the amount of intruder activity. At 19:50 on the 29th, the female started to get restless whilst incubating and a few minutes later delivered the third egg. She fell asleep incubating until 21:25 when she suddenly wakened and spread her wings defensively over the eggs. She looked around the box, gathered her senses and continued incubation. Do Peregrines dream? There were more defensive flights by both the male and female from the box on the 30th. The male made seven short visits in 25 minutes trying to fend off an intruder and could be seen ducking into the box on occasions. He spent just 30 minutes incubating during the day. There was frequent intruder activity the following day.
The fourth egg was laid at 09:00 on April 1st. There was plenty more intruder activity at the start of the month. Most days there were multiple dashes from the ledge by the male and on the 3rd, he was seen on camera with his talons in the air defending the box. At 13:00 the intruding bird knocked him from the platform. He returned quickly albeit a little ruffled. The remainder of the afternoon was spent defending attacks. Between 16:00 and 17:00, the male made at least 12 sorties to defend against intruding bird/s. This continued from 18:00 until dusk. One particular attack at 19:55 forced him against the central columns. He then stumbled from the platform a few minutes later. He returned quickly but the attacks continued until he flew off at 20:05. The following morning, I got a phone call to say that a Peregrine had been picked up injured in the city centre in the early hours. I collected it and took it to a vet with experience of birds of prey. It was the resident male from the breeding pair and his injuries were too severe, and he had to be put to sleep.
The female remained tight on her eggs through the night until 06:15. Later that morning, at 09:45, a new male made his first visit to the box and there was a brief interaction with the female. He returned to the box usually when the female was not incubating. When she arrived, he flew out. At 14:05, he landed whilst she was eating and she mantled her meal. He returned 30 minutes later, after she had finished her meal, and there was calling between the two. She then resumed incubation and he sat on the platform feeding on scraps. He flew out and returned at 15:15 carrying fresh prey which he presented to the female in an act of bonding and he was submissive in his posture. The new male continued to bond with the female through the rest of the day and into early evening. He flew in at 23:50 and called from the platform in a submissive posture then moved into the box close to the eggs. The female watched from the ledge and despite all the disruption that day, she managed to incubate for 19 hours and 35 minutes. He remained with the female throughout the night and went into the box at 04:55 the following morning and they flew out together. The female was incubating at 06:50 and at 07:55, the male returned with a different female, most probably his original partner. The resident female ran to the platform and stood aggressively calling at the intruding bird which flew off quickly followed by the male and the resident female. He was back at 10:20 with yet another different female, a blue-ringed bird [TM]; most probably the young female seen in Market Harborough that fledged from the south-west of England.
The two birds stood with the eggs between them calling. He moved to the ledge whilst she walked around the box, and pecked at the eggs. She made a couple of scrapes in the stones and he watched from the ledge. They flew off together at 10:25. Between then and 12:00, the male made 14 brief stops on the platform and another 12 sorties between 12:00 and 14:00. This suggested that more aerial battles were ongoing. The resident female returned at 13:30 to incubate the eggs. There was a lot of to-ing and fro-ing until 16:50 when the male arrived with the blue-ringed female. The resident female forced her from the ledge and chased after her; the male followed.
The following day was a little more subdued, although there were numerous comings and goings; no doubt intruder related! The male brought in more food for the female to help solidify their bond. He remained on the ledge overnight until 06:00. The rest of the day followed the same pattern until 16:35 when he was in the box alone. For the first time he appeared to deliberately stand on and kick the eggs. He then pecked at them trying to break them. He obviously wanted to father his own offspring. He was unsuccessful in damaging the eggs but returned at 18:20 and tried and failed again. On his next visit he attempted to make a new scrape in the stones. He visited a few times as the female incubated and remained from late evening until 01:50. He brought in a fresh meal at 02:55 but she ignored him but readily accepted other prey during the day. Food continued to be brought in on a regular basis on the 9th. Thankfully, skirmishes seemed relatively short, but the female managed just 17 hours and 35 minutes incubation. He spent more time in the box with the female. The situation was much more settled from the 10th and there was a surprise on the 11th. The female flew out at 11:40 and the male went into the box and the scrape. He looked at the eggs and for the first time he tentatively covered them – his first incubation of eggs that he did not sire. He seemed restless and left after five minutes. He was back at 12:00 and this time arranged the eggs and incubated them for another five minutes. He returned at 13:35, immediately walked to the eggs and without hesitation, covered them, this time for ten minutes. He returned at 14:00 and once again went to the eggs, rearranged them and incubated for 20 minutes. His longest spell was 40 minutes. In total he incubated for 1 hour and 25 minutes. The following day he increased his incubation spell with a stint of 90 minutes and a total of 2 hours and 15 minutes. The female was happy to allow the new male to share incubation. His reward for helping to raise another bird’s young would be to have some of his own the following year. Intrusions abated and by the 15th, their combined total incubation time was 23 hours and 25 minutes. Although his incubation skills were questionable, at times only covering two or three of the clutch, he was on the eggs for exactly seven hours. He fell asleep on the eggs in the early hours of the 16th and was rudely awakened by the arriving female. This caught him by surprise and he mantled the eggs protectively. This showed he was now fully committed to the clutch, incubating for 9 hours and 15 minutes. Subsequent days were mostly uneventful and the incubation was shared, indeed on occasions the male was reluctant to give up. The only apparent intruder activity was on the 24th. ours
However, urgent, rushed exits from the box in the first week of May suggested that there were still issues with intruding birds. During the early morning of the 9th, the female got a bit fidgety on the eggs and at 04:45 the first chick hatched. Despite all the issues with lack of incubation due to fending off intruders and then the loss of the resident male, this female still managed to produce a viable egg and a chick. The minimum length of time between laying and hatching was 41 days. This is in stark contrast to the normal expected period of 30 to 32 days. There was a crack in another egg and a second chick hatched the following day. Both adults made defensive flight from the box and the possibility that the female intruder was still in the area was high. Indeed, on the 13th, the female was seen to be limping, possibly as a result of an interaction with another bird. The threat never seemed to dissipate.
The new male was very attentive and brought in a good supply of food including a number of colour-dyed pigeons. Whenever possible he would feed the chicks when the female would let him, and do his share of incubation including the occasional overnight session. By the 18th, the chicks got very mobile and were being well fed. Their development was quick and by the 20th, pin feathers were showing and they were at a size that the female had difficulty in fully incubating them. They became increasingly active around the box.
Earlier in the month, the female broke into and ate the contents of one of the eggs, recycling at its most primitive. She continued to try and incubate the fourth egg, sometimes for long periods, such is the strong innate desire to do so and this continued until the 31st. Even the male would occasionally cover the egg.
The two chicks would often huddle together and showed a strong sibling bond. Wing flapping commenced on the 25th, albeit initially rather half-heartedly. Exploration of the box by both gradually increased and by the 28th, the larger of the two was feeding itself on scraps found in the box. They were ringed under licence on the morning of the 30th (Orange TJC and THC). By the end of the month the roaming young had managed to find their way onto the platform.
The chicks were being well looked after during June and increased their wing flapping and exploring. By the 6th, TJC was feeding itself on the larger pieces of the meal – another step on its development. Preening and more vigorous wing flapping followed. They often huddled together overnight rather than being sheltered by the adults. On the 8th, TJC was particularly interested in the now abandoned egg and trapped it between its feet and moved the egg with its beak. Their walkabouts continued and often ventured very close to the ledge and would frequently lie on the platform. By the 16th, they were large, strong and confident enough to sit on the ledge. The weather was dry and warm and evening temperatures were high. Despite this, the two young would huddle together in the box reinforcing their bond. They often synchronised their exercises and wing flapping could last 25 to 30 minutes, sometimes quite frenzied.
By the 19th, it became apparent that the adults were not feeding quite as frequently – part of the process to encourage them to fledge. The following day, after some wing flapping exercises, THC takes flight at 11:45. TJC watched its sibling fly and continued with its own wing flapping. THC was found sitting on the roof of a nearby café running along the ridge tiles and flapping its wings. There is no doubt that TJC could see its sibling and at 06:45 the next morning, took its first flight. Grounding of juveniles, unable to get enough lift to fly, is not uncommon in Peregrines and a helping second chance is normally successful. As both our birds had made strong first flights, I didn’t think there would be a problem. However, an email on the 22nd from St Martins House alerted me to an issue. THC had got itself stuck in a steep-sided gully on their roof. After checking with the buildings manager, it was deemed safe to venture out. The only issue was trying to get through a bathroom window, the only route to available to the roof; I’m not quite as flexible as I was when I was 18! I managed to squeeze through and a few minutes later THC was secure and taken back to the Cathedral box at 11:50. It flapped in the back of the box for a few minutes, then orientated itself and walked to the platform and looked out. The female arrived with food at 14:45 and THC ate with gusto feeding for almost an hour.
On the 23rd, the female landed with pigeon remains at 16:50, quickly followed by TJC; its first return to the platform. The siblings greeted each other with some bonding; their first reunion. They settled on opposite ledges after 20 minutes and fell asleep. They sat close to each other overnight until 05:00 when TJC flew out, but returned frequently through the day. Just after midnight on the 25th THC sat on the ledge but slipped off whilst sleeping! TJC was in the box. At 18:30 on the 26th, THC made a welcome, if unimpressive landing on the platform having survived its earlier slip. It was later joined by TJC. Both juveniles flew out the following day and returned to the platform frequently through the rest of the month, usually to be fed.
During the early part of July, the siblings frequented the box daily until the 5th, after which THC was not seen on camera. TJC was seen almost every day during the month usually being fed by the adults. The 11th and 12th were some of the hottest days and the female in particular was stretching her wings to catch a breeze and sat in the shade trying to keep cool. In between feeding TJC, the adults spent time bonding and scraping stones in the box. On the 16th, TJC brought fresh Feral Pigeon into the box. As the female was there, it had either caught the meal itself or was presented by the male. The rest of the month was pattern repeat until the last four days of the month when very little activity was noted.
Both adults were seen on the first two days of August but TJC did not make an entrance until the afternoon of the 3rd. A photograph of an orange-ringed juvenile seen at Cropston Reservoir at 09:30 on the 4th, appeared to be TJC. According to the observer, “Despite numerous attempts, the corvids could not get the better of the juvenile.” It was back in the box the following day.
From the 8th, the female appeared to be suffering from the heat, spending long periods in the box sleeping and became lethargic, allowing both the male and TJC to steal her meals – most unusual. On the 12th, the male brought in Feral Pigeon prey and she snatched it from him but did not feed. He recovered it and flew out. At 23:35 he brought a Teal into the box where the female was sitting. The Teal was still alive and the female could not catch it. It ran into the back of the box whilst the female sat on the platform and it flew out safely at 01:50 whilst she slept. She spent most of the day sleeping in the box and looked unwell. She remained all through the 14th and on the 15th at 01:45 fell from the platform trying to scratch herself. Her body was found below the platform later in the morning.
We had previously been notified that there was a possible outbreak of Avian Influenza (AI) in the city during this period, with numbers of duck, geese and swans being found dead. The female’s body was eventually collected by DEFRA but the result was ‘indeterminate’ although AI was suspected. Both the male and TJC visited the box on the 16th. However, TJC appeared to show some of the symptoms that the female had a few days earlier. Its eyes were closed most of the time, it was frequently scratching its neck, and its head looked too heavy for it to control. It flew out after spending over seven hours on the ledge. Unfortunately, we were notified that TJC had been found dead near the LRI and De Montfort University. The body was collected by the RSPCA and sent to DEFRA. This time there was confirmation that AI was the cause. We were also informed of another female that was found dead at Leicester University with confirmed AI.
Later that day, the male arrived and looked to have fed well – a good sign and he did not display any symptoms. A few days later he coughed up a pellet indicating that he had indeed been feeding. On the 19th, his demeanour late in the afternoon suggested that there was another Peregrine, probably a female, in the area. He went into the box and called submissively. He was seen in the box daily and on the 28th was seen to be making a scrape in the stones. At 16:15 he made four sorties from the box in a 30-minute period. This seemed to indicate that he was trying to attract another female to the box. The same pattern occurred on the 30th when he was making numerous short flights from the box during the morning. He landed at 11:15 and was quickly followed by a new female – her first visit to the platform. They went into the box and there was a brief bonding session. For the rest of the day the pair came and went until 20:25. Most of the next day was spent bonding and the male making scrapes in the stones.
The new pair spent September reinforcing their bond and on the 5th the female was seen scraping in the stones; the first of many occasions. Their bond was so strong that by the 21st they were chasing off intruders and were often seen on the crosses of the spire of the Cathedral. They were seen every day in the box for the rest of the month either feeding or bonding.
October was similar, the pair feeding in the box on a daily basis, bonding and chasing off intruders. They often remained overnight. The relationship was looking strong until the 21st when the male started to look rather poorly. When the female arrived and stashed prey next to him, he did not move. He watched her feed and became moribund and lay on the stones. When the female landed late in the afternoon, she called frequently to the male. At 17:05, he summoned all his strength and tried to crawl across the platform. When he reached the end, he tumbled off the edge. Despite not showing symptoms over the previous ten weeks, subsequent notification from DEFRA confirmed that he had indeed succumbed to AI.
The female continued to visit the box daily for the rest of the month and her actions on the 22nd, 25th and 31st suggested other birds were present in the area.
During November, there was still plenty of intruder activity and the female visited the box on most days but not for long periods. This routine continued through December, including obvious intruder activity on the 15th where she was seen calling incessantly into the sky. On the 26th she sat on the ledge watching the sky from 00:30 until 06:55 without sleeping. She left the platform at 09:00 calling loudly. She ended the year without a known partner.
Summary
The traumas continued at Leicester Cathedral and took another dramatic twist. During the year we lost our original male at an age of almost 14 years due to injuries caused in a dog-fight. The juvenile THC seemed to leave the territory very early in its development. The female, TJC and the second male were lost to Avian Influenza, plus another unknown female found at Leicester University with the same disease.
The activities captured on camera really do give us an amazing insight into the lives of these special birds and an understanding of the difficulties and challenges that they endure that is normally out of view. It is only through the monitoring of sites like ours that show how precarious the life of a Peregrine is.
The identification of individuals and the data collected help us to improve our knowledge and conservation of this enigmatic species. As an educational tool, projects like this are easily accessible and bring wildlife and nature closer to the wider public, which hopefully encourages further engagement with the natural environment.
Prey Details
Of the 367 items of prey brought into the box, we were able to identify 346 of 29 species. There were 215 Feral Pigeon which accounted for 62% of all identified prey.
Other species identified were: Blackbird (6), Black-headed Gull (9), Black-tailed Godwit (1), Chiffchaff (1), Collared Dove (2), Golden Plover (3), Great Spotted Woodpecker (1), Greenfinch (1), House Sparrow (2), Jack Snipe (1), Jackdaw (1), Kingfisher (1), Little Grebe (2), Meadow Pipit (1), Mistle Thrush (1), Moorhen (1), Quail (1), Redwing (7), Reed Warbler (2), Sanderling (1), Skylark (2), Starling (61), Stock Dove (1), Swift (2), Teal (5), Wheatear (2), Woodcock (11) and Woodpigeon (3).
Jim Graham
Acknowledgements
My thanks go to everyone at Leicester Cathedral, King Richard III Visitor Centre and Leicester City Council. Special thanks go to Ed Drewitt for his expertise in helping identifying some of the more problematic prey species.