APRIL 2025

1 Apr – the female remains with the eggs from the previous evening. She walks to the platform at 2:15 and takes a very short flight then returns to the eggs at 2:50. The male replaces her at 5:45. She lands on the ledge ten minutes later. He flies out at 6:15 from the scrape and the female follows five minutes later. He returns at 7:35 and is replaced by the female at 11:45. She flies out at 12:20 but is back after 15 minutes. The male lands briefly at 14:20 and she walks to the ledge and looks out, then returns to the eggs. She flies out at 15:05 and the male takes over until she returns at 17:10. There is another change at 19:05 and the female is back at 20:25 for the rest of the evening.

2 Apr – the female remains on the eggs until being replaced by the male at 4:30. He flies off three hours later and the female resumes incubation at 7:50. There is another changeover at 9:20 but the male leaves quickly just ten minutes later, returning after five minutes. The female lands at 9:40 but the male stays tight. She sits adjacent to him in the box until he flies out at 11:10 and she follows. She is back on the eggs at 12:00, flies out at 16:35 but is back after five minutes. The male eventually takes over at 17:05 until the female returns at 19:25 and remains until midnight.

3 Apr – the first exchange of the day was at 6:05. The female is back to take over at 9:55 until 11:35. The male is replaced at 13:10. He is back two hours later to resume incubation but only until the female returns after 35 minutes. She looks out from the platform 16:40, then flies off at 16:55; the male takes over. The female is back at 19:00 but leaves after 45 minutes and the male resumes. The female is back on the ledge at 19:50 and resumes incubation at 20:15 remaining until midnight.

4 Apr – the female remains on the eggs until 2:25 when her position changes and she delivers her THIRD EGG. She flies out at 6:00 and is replaced by the male after a few minutes, but she resumes incubation 30 minutes later. She is off again at 7:10 and the male takes over at 7:35. She returns to the ledge five minutes later, but the male does not relinquish until 8:00. The male lands briefly at 10:00 but the next changeover is at 10:40. The male flies out at 12:55 and the female returns five minutes later. He is back incubating at 14:55 until 18:45. They change again at 19:35 until the female returns at 20:10 and remains for the rest of the evening.

5 Apr – the female remains on the eggs until the first changeover at 5:50. The male flies out at 8:05 but is back after ten minutes. The female takes over again at 8:30. The male is back at 14:10, over five hours later. The female takes over 16:35. The male lands for five minutes at 20:00 but she incubates the eggs until midnight.

6 Apr – the female remains on the eggs until the first changeover at 5:55. She is back at 8:05 and remains in the scrape. At 12:10, she changes her position and lays the FOURTH EGG of the season. She quickly resumes incubation until the male arrives at 13:40 to take over until 14:50 when he leaves, and she resumes. She looks out for the male at 17:55, then returns to the eggs. He eventually arrives at 19:00 and is replaced by the female with a full crop at 20:20.

7 Apr – the male lands on the ledge at 4:25 and falls asleep until the first changeover of the day at 5:35. The female returns to resume incubation at 7:15 until 10:25 when the male lands with fresh Feral Pigeon prey. The male flies out at 13:25 and she returns to the eggs. She leaves at 16:10 and the male takes over. She is back on the ledge at 18:40 and takes over from the male ten minutes later and remains until midnight.

8 Apr – the female remains on the eggs until the first changeover at 5:45. The female is back at 8:35. She flies out at 9:45 but is back after ten minutes. There is another swap at 12:35. The male flies out three hours later and the female resumes at 15:45 but leaves at 16:35 and the male takes over five minutes later. She is back at 17:55 until midnight. WATCH DAY: the pair were present during the morning with both seen on the spire on occasions. One observer saw the male dive-bomb a passing Buzzard just to the north of the city. There was little activity otherwise.

UPDATE on juvenile XRF: the long-staying juvenile that had caused so many issues with the start of the breeding season this year was last seen on camera at the Cathedral on 22 March. A photograph was shown to me at the Watch Day on Tuesday 8 April of a juvenile Peregrine seen in Bradgate Park on 5 April. From the coloured ring on its leg, I was able to identify it as our bird XRF.

9 Apr – the first changeover of the day is at 5:35. The female is back on the eggs at 6:40 until the male arrives at 11:00 with the remains of a Feral Pigeon meal. She takes it from him and drags it into the box as he flies off. She then leaves and the male takes over incubation. She is back to resume at 12:35 until the next change at 15:20. The male takes a short flight at 17:55 but quickly returns to the eggs. The female lands briefly a few minutes later. The male flies out at 19:05 and the female takes over until she rushes out at 20:10. She is back ten minutes later remaining until midnight.

10 Apr – the female flies out at 5:30 and is quickly replaced by the male. He leaves at 8:05 but is soon back on the eggs. He is eventually relieved at 9:35 and is back again at 11:50. He flies off three hours later and is soon replaced by the female. She checks the skies looking for the male at 17:20, then returns to the eggs. She flies out an hour later but is soon back but male replaces her five minutes later. The male sits on the ledge for five minutes at 20:15 the returns to the eggs. She returns at 20:45 and remains incubating until midnight.

11 Apr – the female walks to the ledge at 6:00 and looks for the male. He arrives a few moments later and takes over as she flies out. She returns at 7:30 and resumes incubation. She leaves at 8:15 and he covers the eggs ten minutes later. He flies out at 11:00 but is back on the eggs five minutes later. The female takes over again at 11:10. She flies out at 14:45 and the male takes over a few minutes later until the next changeover at 15:10. She looks out over the city at 16:20 then goes back to the eggs until the male returns at 17:15. He looks for the female at 19:05, then returns to the eggs. He looks out again an hour later, and at 20:15 and again at 20:30. She returns at 20:40 to incubate for the rest of the evening.

12 Apr – there was an unexpected visitor just after midnight; XRF landed on the ledge, the first sighting of the juvenile on camera since 22 March. Initially, the female ignored her offspring, but after 20 minutes he walked into the box, and she mantled her eggs protectively. She then ran at XRF with open wings and forced him from the platform. He flew off but immediately tried to land again and so she jumped at him. She remains tight on the eggs until the male arrives at 5:35 to take over. He leaves two hours later, and she flies in until the next changeover at 8:50. The male flies out at 11:40 and the female takes over. The male returns at 14:55 for another change but is replaced by the female after only 15 minutes; he is back at 17:35. He looks out for the female at 18:50 for five minutes then returns to the eggs. He moves to the ledge at 19:40 but is soon back on the eggs. He checks again at 20:20 and 20:30 but continues incubating. The female eventually arrives five minutes later to take over and remains until midnight.

13 Apr – the first changeover is at 5:00. The female is back at 6:30 and flies out at 7:45 when the male takes over but he flies off after ten minutes before quickly returning to the eggs. He is replaced at 9:35 and resumes at 12:40. He flies out at 14:50 for the female to take over. The male lands briefly at 15:20 and is back at 17:50 remaining until 20:45. The female incubates until midnight.

14 Apr – the first changeover is at 5:20. The female returns at 6:55. She flies out at 7:35 but is soon back on the eggs. The male takes over at 8:00 when he arrives with an unidentified meal for the female which she drops and tries to dive and retrieve it but apparently fails as she lands briefly a few minutes later. He flies off at 9:20 and the female does not take over until 10:15. She flies out at 13:05 and the male returns five minutes later. He is replaced at 16:05 and the female remains incubating until midnight.

15 Apr – the first changeover is at 5:30. The male flies out at 7:00 as the female returns. He is back at 7:50 carrying a Feral Pigeon meal for the female who takes it and flies off whilst he covers the eggs. The female flies in at 9:20 and he leaves until he takes over again at 12:30. The female returns over four hours later at 16:40 and remains until midnight.

16 Apr – the first changeover is at 5:10. The male takes a short flight at 6:15 and the female takes over at 6:25. She flies out at 7:55 as the male returns; these are very short incubation periods and may suggest an intruder in the area. The female takes over again at 9:10 showing a full crop. The male lands at 11:45, checks the sky and flies out immediately. He is back to take over at 13:00 until 14:40. He lands at 16:20 and goes into the box 20 minutes later but the female remains on the eggs, so he leaves. he returns at 18:25 and there is a changeover. The female is back at 20:30 for the last swap of the day.

17 Apr – the first changeover is at 5:15. The male flies out at 7:35 and the female replaces him. The male does not return until 15:10, over seven and a half hours later. He checks for the female after four hours, then returns to the eggs. She returns at 19:40 and he leaves. She remains incubating until midnight.

18 Apr – it is a slightly earlier first changeover of the day, at 4:30. The female returns at 6:45 until 10:05. She lands very briefly at 10:35. The male flies out at 12:05 and the female replaces him. There are changeovers at 14:20 and 17:35. The female flies out at 19:25 and the male takes over. She is back at 21:00 and the male leaves whilst she remains until midnight.

19 Apr – the male arrives at 5:25 for the first changeover. He flies out at 7:35 and the female arrives a few moments later. She leaves at 9:40 and the male takes over until 11:05. He is back at 14:15 and the female flies out. She lands briefly at 17:05 and again at 17:15 and resumes incubation ten minutes later and remains until midnight.

20 Apr – the female takes a short flight before returning to the eggs at 00:35. The male flies in for the first changeover is at 5:30. He leaves at 8:35 and the female returns 15 minutes later. The male is not back until 14:35, almost six hours later. He takes a short flight at 15:30 then returns to the eggs. The female takes over at 17:05 remaining until midnight.

Daily Commentary Archive Link