February 2019

28 February – the male joins the female at 00:25 and then goes into the box where he falls asleep. At 1:05, the female moves into the box and there is posturing and calling between the pair. After a few moments, the male moves to the ledge and the female sits in the scrape and falls asleep. She returns to the ledge at 4:40 and the male takes a short flight a few minutes later and goes into the box. He takes another short flight at 5:05 probably hunting but returns without prey. He is off again at 5:20 returning at 6:00. He leaves again half an hour later as the female picks at scraps on the platform before flying off at 6:50 being replaced by the male who appears to have eaten. He flies off at 7:05, returning at 7:30. He flies off for 5 minutes at 10:20. At 10:35, he goes into the box calling anticipating the female arriving but she does not land and he returns to the ledge. He sits there, preening and looking out over the city. He takes a brief flight at 11:35, walks back into the box calling before moving back to the ledge. He goes into the box on the arrival of the female at 11:45. There is a short period of calling between the pair. The female picks up some scraps from the platform and whilst she is eating the male flies out. The female flies out at 12:00 with the male returning a few minutes later taking a short flight at 12:35 and again at 13:15 and 5 minutes later. He is back a few moments later and goes into the box and then onto the ledge before flying off again at 14:50. He returns 10 minutes later. Unfortunately, the picture goes off at 16:10. When the cameras is back at 7:30, the female is on the ledge eventually falling asleep at 21:15 despite the heavy rain. The male flies in at 23:55 and goes into the box, the female is on the platform and there is calling between the pair. The female flies off at 00:00 with the male initially in the box, moving to the ledge and tries falling asleep. He starts preening in the wind and rain and the leaves after 15 minutes at 00:15.

28 February – Bonding – Video: Even in the middle of the night the bonding continues. Female is on the left.

27 February – the female is sleeping on the ledge and at 2:20, the male arrives and goes into the box where he falls asleep until flying off at 5:00. He is back 10 minutes later. It was noted during the morning that both birds were sitting on crosses of the spire for a number of hours. The camera was reset during the morning and when it comes back online at 14:00 the male is sitting on the ledge. He picks at some remnants on the platform, then returns to the ledge. At 17:40 he moves into the box anticipating the arrival of the female but she does not land and he goes back to the ledge and makes a short flight. He is off again at 17:55. Both birds fly in at 18:05 and the male goes into the box. There is calling between the pair. The female picks up a wing from previous prey and picks at it, then moves to the ledge. The male flies out from the back of the box at 18:20. The female sits on the ledge preening until falling asleep at 19:00, remaining until midnight. 

26 February – some time between 18:00 and 3:00, the female is replaced on the ledge by the male  and he is asleep at 6:00. At 6:35 he walks onto the platform and stares out over the city. He moves to the box 10 minutes later when the female arrives. The pair leave within a few moments of each other at 6:50. The female returns at 7:35 but leaves a few minutes later. A Woodpigeon investigates the platform at 7:50 but wisely does not stay long. The female is in the box at 8:05 and then moves to the ledge. The male arrives at 9:40 and there is posturing and calling. He goes into the box and sits in the scrape. He makes lots of noise before flying off a few minutes later. The female sits on the ledge preening. She leaves at 12:45 but is back at 13:30. She is off again at 14:40. The male arrives at 15:15 and goes into the box, moving to the ledge a few minutes later and flying off at 15:25. He is back at 16:40 but leaves soon after and is replaced by the female who leaves after a few minutes. Both birds come in together at 17:55, the male going into the box initially but is soon ousted by the female. She moves to the ledge after a few minutes and falls asleep at 18:30 remaining until midnight at least.

25 February – the male arrives at 1:20 and falls asleep on the ledge. He remains until 6:30 when he flies off, returning with the female 5 minutes later. He initially goes into the box whilst she eats a scrap of prey she found on the platform. She goes into the box when the male returns at 8:55. He makes a scrape on the platform whilst the female sits in the scrape in the box. He flies off at 9:00 returning at 10:30 and goes into the scrape. After a few minutes, the female walks into the box and the male moves to the ledge before flying off at 10:45. The female is still in the scrape doing some excavation. She is back on the ledge 5 minutes later and dozes before flying off at 13:00. The male takes over at 13:05. Unfortunately, our Broadband issues are still not resolved and the cameras have become very intermittent. The female returns at 17:50 and falls asleep. She is still sleeping on the ledge at midnight.

24 February – the male remains on the ledge from the previous night and walks into the box at 6:10 anticipating the arrival of the female. She does not land immediately and he returns to the ledge. She flies in at 6:20 and he goes into the box. There is calling between the pair and after 5 minutes, he flies out. At 7:00, the female flies off and the male lands for a few moments. She is back at 7:30 and picks at a few scraps on the platform. Despite the fog, she stares out over the city and then falls asleep. She snoozes through the fog until 11:30 when it starts to clear. She remains on the ledge until 14:10 when something above her catches her eye and she flies off, returning 15 minutes later. She goes into the box at 15:30 on the arrival of the male. Surprisingly, he walks into the box and she goes onto the ledge. He is calling quietly then starts making a scrape in the corner before flying off at 15:40. She leaves at 16:10, returning at 16:35 with a Feral Pigeon as prey. She starts to pluck and eat it. She flies off with the remains at 17:35 just as the male comes in. He doesn’t stay long and follows the female. There is no further activity on the ledge this evening.

23 February – the male arrives at 00:40 and settles on the ledge and quickly falls asleep. He is awake at 6:30 and enters the box at 7:00 on the arrival of the female. He soon flies off leaving her on the ledge. They swap at 8:35. He goes into the box at 9:50 as the female flies in and she soon replaces him and he flies out. She sits in the scrape making a few adjustments before moving to the ledge after 10 minutes. She leaves at 10:55. The male is back at 11:35 and is soon joined by the female who replaces him in the scrape. She moves to the ledge soon after. The male flies in at 13:45 and there is calling and posturing in the box. They leave together after just 5 minutes. At 14:40 the female is back on the ledge. The male is on the scrape for a few minutes at 17:05 flying off when the female replaces him. She also leaves a few minutes later. He is back at 17:30 and falls asleep an hour later. He flies off at 21:55 returning at 23:45 and remaining until midnight at least.

22 February – the female flew off at 1:10 and was immediately replaced by the male that must have been nearby. He falls asleep on the ledge. He goes into the box at 6:50 on the arrival of the female. He leaves after a few minutes whilst she picks up a small scrap from the platform and eats it. The female leaves after 20 minutes. At 8:20, the male returns and walks into the box scraping as he does so. After 5 minutes he settles on the ledge preening. The male goes into the box at 10:35 as the female flies. She replaces him and he flies off. She then moves to the ledge remaining until 13:15. She is back 15 minutes later but leaves again at 13:45 and is replaced by the male. He goes into the box at 14:10 when the female returns but she leaves a few minutes later and he goes to the ledge and follows her. She is back at 14:55, flying off at 15:30. The male returns at 16:30 and goes into the box calling, before moving to the ledge. He leaves at 16:45 and is replaced by the female. There is an exchange at 17:35 but he leaves 10 minutes later. There was no further activity this evening.

21 February – the pair are both sleeping, the female on the ledge and the male in the box. He moves to the ledge at 3:00 and flies off a few moments later returning at 4:15. They are both asleep again at 4:25. The female wakes at 6:00 and the male 30 minutes later. He flies off at 6:50 and is back with a small prey item at 7:15 just after she has left. As soon as he has finished he leaves again at 7:25. He returns briefly 30 minutes later and is back at 8:30 for an hour. The female flies in with a large prey item at 10:05, already half-eaten, but leaves immediately as the male arrives. He flies off at 10:20 and the female immediately comes in with her meal. She stashes what remains by the right-hand column and settles on the ledge. She goes into the scrap[e when the male flies in at 12:50 walks along the ledge and takes the stash and flies off. She returns to the ledge. He returns with the prey a few minutes later and it is taken off him by the female. Rather than stash it, she feeds on it. She thinks about hiding it at the back of the box but then continues eating. There is little left at 13:30 when she moves back to the ledge. She flies off briefly at 14:00 remaining until 16:50 when the camera goes down unexpectedly. They are then intermittent but at 20:50, both birds are on the ledge and are mainly sleeping. At 23:05, the male flies off, the female preens then falls asleep until midnight at least. 

20 February – the male is still still on the ledge from the previous night and awakens at 6:00. After a good preen, he moves to the platform at 6:45 and looks out over the city, no doubt searching for the female. She arrives at 7:10 and he goes into the scrape, flying off 5 minutes later. She sits on the ledge preening until 8:40 when she flies off returning 5 minutes later with an item of prey (Feral Pigeon) which she plucks and eats. Half an hour later, she has finished, her crops is full and she sits on the ledge. The male arrives after a few minutes and goes into the box and sits in the scrape. The female watches him and there is soft calling between the pair. He then moves to his ‘safe place’ behind the central columns where he remains until the female forces him out at 11:50. He moves to the ledge whilst she sits in the scrape doing a bit of excavation. She returns to the ledge at 12:10 and he moves to the box for 10 minutes, returning to the ledge. They remain there until 13:35 when the male flies off. She flies off for a few moments at 14:25 and enters the box on her return followed quickly by the male. She flies off again at 14:30 and he runs to the ledge looking out. She is back after 10 minutes and he goes into the box but they soon swap places and she sits in the scrape until 15:00 and he leaves. He is back an hour later and they sit on opposite ledges until 17:00 when he goes into the box, flying out after 10 minutes. She starts sleeping at 18:15. 

20 February – The Safe Place – Photo: the male’s usual position behind the central column when he doesn’t want the female to see him.

19 February – the female remains on the ledge over night and sleeps right through until 1:20 when the male arrives and goes into the box. There is calling between the pair, and the female flies off soon after. The male takes her place on the ledge and falls asleep until 6:50. At 7:20, he goes into the box as the female arrives. However, she looks out over the city and takes flight. The male runs to the ledge and he too flies off. He is back a few minutes later and settles back on the ledge. The female returns at 8:45 continually looking skyward. The male flies off for a few moments, returns and flies off again. The female sits on the ledge preening. She takes a short flight at 9:05. At 9:30 the male arrives and goes into the box and the female follows him. There is a brief bout of calling and posturing until the male flies off. The female remains for a few moments, excavating the scrape and moving stones, then returns to the ledge. She flies off at 10:20 to be replaced by the male. He picks at a few scraps on the platform before settling on the ledge and leaving at 11:00. He arrives back with the female a few moments later and she goes into the box attending the scrape. When the male leaves after 10 minutes she moves to the ledge, then flies off. The male is back at 12:00, sits in the scrape then moves top the ledge. He flies out at 12:5, returning 10 minutes later. The male is back in the scrape when the female returns at 14:55 and flies out when she moves into the scrape. She takes a short flight at 15:05. The male is back at 16:10 and there is posturing and calling as the female follows him into the box. When she settles in the scrape, he moves to the ledge and does a bit of excavation and tidying the surrounding area. They remain in these positions for an hour then the female moves to the ledge forcing the male off. She falls asleep at 17:30 and remains there until the male arrives at 22:05 and she flies off. He takes her place on the ledge and falls asleep until midnight at least. 

18 February – the male arrives at 6:30 and settles on the ledge. He takes a short flight at 7:40 and goes into the box and excavates the scrape. After a few minutes he is back on the ledge but flies off at 7:50 and looks to be in hunting mode. He returns at 8:10 but leaves again after 35 minutes. He is back half an hour later with a half-eaten item of prey and a heavy crop. He continues to feed and is finally finished 15 minutes later and settles on the ledge. He goes into the box on the arrival of the female at 9:55 who is also sporting a heavy crop after a good meal. She soon replaces him and he returns to the ledge whilst she excavates the scrape and moves some stones before sitting on the opposite ledge at 10:15. The male flies off and hour later. He returns at 12:20 and after a quick greeting, goes into the box and eventually settles in his favourite ‘safe place’ behind the central column. Whilst the female sits on the ledge, he dozes until 13:45 when she flies off and he goes to the ledge. She returns almost immediately and he runs back into the box and she settles on the ledge. He falls asleep at 14:00 but is awakened 40 minutes later when the female moves to the box and he runs to the ledge. She excavates the scrape and he flies off after a few minutes. She continues attending to the scrape and its surrounds until 14:55 when she moves to the ledge. The male is back at 15:50 and the female moves to the box returning to the ledge at 16:10 opposite the male. He goes into the box at 17:15, flying out 5 minutes later. The female falls asleep at 17:35 remaining on the ledge until midnight at least.

18 February – Photo: both the female on the left and the male are sporting large crops showing they are well fed.

17 February – the male arrives at4:25 and settles on the ledge. He makes a brief flight at 6:55 and then another almost immediately. He returns at 7:15 and is followed by the female. They go into the box and there is calling and posturing. After a few minutes, he flies off and she moves to the ledge, leaving at 7:30. The male is back at 8:45 but only for a few minutes. The female coming in at 8:50, taking a brief flight a few minutes later and again after a couple of minutes more. The male is back at 9:10 and sits on the ledge until 12:10 when he flies off returning a few minutes later with the female. They go into the box and there is posturing and calling. He retreats to the ledge after a few minutes whilst she sits in the scrape and makes a few changes and moves some stones. He leaves soon after and the female moves to the ledge after 10 minutes. He is back at 13:00 and goes into the box but leaves after just a few minutes with the female close behind. The male is back at 13:35 and goes into the box on the arrival of the female at 13:45. After 15 minutes, he moves to his ‘safe place’ behind the central column where he has a snooze. He remains there, preening and dozing whilst the female sits on the ledge, until he flies off at 15:25. She walks slowly into the scrape at 15:50 and starts excavating, moving stones and ‘tidying up’. She moves to the ledge at 16:00 where she falls asleep after 15 minutes but is awake on the arrival of the male at 16:20. They remain on opposite ledges until 17:25 when he goes into the box before flying out: she returns to sleeping, eventually flying off at 21:15. 

16 February – the male arrives at 00:20 and promptly falls asleep. He is still there when the female arrives at 7:40. He goes into the box and is soon joined by the female. There is posturing and calling for a few minutes before he flies out. She excavates the scrape and moves some stones then settles on the ledge. She flies off at 8:45 and the male replaces her. He goes into the box at 10:40 in anticipation of the arrival of the female but she doesn’t land so he returns to the ledge. She finally comes in at 11:00 and the pair go into the box and there is calling and posturing. After a few minutes, the male retreats to the ledge then flies off. The female remains in the scrape doing a bit of excavation and stone moving whilst calling softly. She eventually move to the ledge after 20 minutes. The male arrives at 12:40 and goes into the box and excavates the scrape. After a few minutes, he is joined by the female and there is calling and posturing. He then moves to the ledge whilst she re-organises the scrape. He makes a short flight at 12:50 and they both leave at 12:55. The male is back soon after and sits on the ledge until 13:50 when he goes into the box on the arrival of the female and once again excavates the scrape. Whilst the female remains on the ledge, he flies off and can be seen trying to land on the female who seems receptive but his angles are out! She remains on the ledge and he returns to the box at 14:25 and sits in the scrape before flying off after a few minutes. The female sits on the ledge preening and looking out over the city. He is back on the ledge at 14:45 and there is calling and posturing. They remain there until he enters the box at 17:20. The female flies off 10 minutes later and the male after a further 10 minutes. 

15 February – The pair arrive together at 6:55, the female going into the box, the male joins her for a few moments and there is posturing and calling. They swap places and the female sits on the ledge but the male soon flies out and is immediately followed by the female. The male is back at 8:00 and picks at a few scraps on the platform. He moves to the ledge at 8:20 and flies off at 10:25. The female lands at 10:50 and looks to have eaten well. The male is back at 13:05 with a full crop and sits on the opposite ledge. The female moves into the box but there is no reaction from the male and she returns to the ledge. He leaves at 14:25 and the female follows 15 minutes later. The male returns a few minutes later. He runs into the box on the female’s arrival at 16:25 but she soon forces him onto the platform and then the ledge. As soon as she makes eye contact he leaves! She sits in the scrape for a few minutes and makes a small excavation and moves some stones before moving to the ledge. She remains on the ledge and falls asleep at 19:05, wakens at 22:25 and looks around for a few minutes before flying off. She returns at 22:45 with an item of prey but leaves almost immediately. 

14 February – the female remained sleeping on the ledge from the previous evening until she flies off at 12:50. The male arrives at 1:50 and calls quietly. He remains on the ledge until 6:45, returning 30 minutes later, staying for 10 minutes. The pair arrive at 8:00 and the male goes into the box calling but after just a few moments, the female flies off. He runs to the edge of the platform and looks out and then flies off. He is back at 10:20 and leaves at 11:50. The male is back at 12:05 and takes a brief flight at 12:20 but is soon off again. The come back an hour later, the female going into the scrape. There is calling between the two and the male then enters the box and there is posturing and further calling. After about 5 minutes they sit on opposite ledge. The male flies off at 13:35 followed by the female 5 minutes later. The male returns at 14:15 and the female joins him an hour later. The pair go into the box and there is posturing and calling. After a few minutes, they move to the ledge with the male leaving soon after. The female preens and dozes until she leaves at 15:50. The male is back at 16:55 and goes into the box 30 minutes later on the arrival of the female. He is replaced by the female after a few minutes and flies off. She returns to the ledge, falling asleep until 18:50 when she flies off. The female is back at 21:45 with a large item of prey which she proceeds to pluck and eat. The plucked feathers looking like flying fireworks back-lit by the spotlights. She leaves with the prey at 22:05.

13 February – the male arrives at 7:10 and leaves 15 minutes later. He is back at 8:25 and goes into the box and sits in the scrape calling quietly. He soon moves to the ledge and flies off at 8:35, is back 5 minutes later but is soon off again – looks to be in hunting mode. He returns at 9:25 and is quickly joined by the female. They go into the box and there is posturing and calling. After a few minutes, he moves to the platform and picks at some left-over prey (a male Bullfinch – new to my list!) whilst the female remains in the scrape. As the female starts to leave the scrape he flies off with his meal. She sits on the ledge. When he returns at 9:40, she goes into the box but he only stays for a few minutes and she returns to the ledge, then follows him. He arrive again at 11:05 with some partly-eaten prey but leaves as soon as the female lands with a very full crop. He lands on the opposite ledge at 11:40 and has obviously also eaten. He is off again at 12:30 [from the Watch Day viewing we know that he was sitting on one of the spire crosses] returning 2 hours later when the female goes into the box. When she returns to the ledge 10 minutes later, he replaces her in the scrape. He then moves to his favourite position in the box, hiding behind the central column when she cannot see him. He falls asleep at 15:35 for 15 minutes and eventually flies off at 18:00 leaving the female still on the ledge. She remains there sleeping for the rest of the night. 

12 February – the male arrives at 7:00 goes into the box and sits in the scrape. he moves to the ledge at 7:10. The male is back in the box as the female flies in 5 minutes later. However, she leaves almost immediately and the male goes back to the ledge but he too leaves at 7:20. He is back at 7:50 and sits on the ledge until 8:35 when he moves into the box (no doubt trying to entice the female in – but she doesn’t arrive) and back onto the ledge a few minutes later. He flies off at 9:40 and back in at 10:15 with the female arriving soon after. He goes into the box and she stays on the ledge. He flies out at 10:25 and she has a snooze at 11:35, then a preening session. The male wakens her on his arrival at 13:20. He goes into the box and settles in the scrape. After a few moments the female takes over and there is calling and posturing. He then moves to the ledge before flying off. She remains in the scrape doing a bit of excavation and stone moving. He is soon back on the ledge but leaves again at 13:30 and is replaced by the female. He is back after a few minutes and goes into the box ensuring the central column is between him and his mate. She spends the next 20 minutes preening before falling asleep. At 14:20 the male goes into the box and the female moves sides so she can see him but he runs out of the box and flies off! At 14:25, he can be seen flying past the platform coming into a stall then pulling out. A few moments later she is watching him overhead. She spends the next half hour preening and dozing. He is back at 15:00 and goes into the box next to the central column but is soon off. He is back 15 minutes later

and sits in the scrape. She remains on the ledge and falls asleep at 15:40 with the male remaining in the scrape until 16:20 when he flies off. He is back an hour later and both birds go into the box where there is posturing and calling. The male moves to the platform whilst the female excavate a little in the scrape. They swap places at 17:40 and the male flies off at 17:55. The female falls asleep and eventually wakes and flies off at 22:05.

11 February – the female arrives at 2:30 and sits on the ledge until 6:30 when she flies off. The male arrives at 7:10 for 10 minutes. The female is back at 7:55 and is quickly followed by the male. They go into the box and there is calling and posturing. After a few minutes the female moves to the ledge whilst the male remains in the scrape. He flies off at 8:05. The female leaves at 8:45. The pair arrive together at 12:00, initially the male goes into the box with the female on the platform but when she makes a move to enter the box he flies off and she sits on the platform looking out to where he went. She moves to the ledge but flies off soon after returning at 14:05. She picks at a few left-over scraps, then settles on the ledge. She goes into the box with the arrival of the male at 16:15. The male sees something in the sky and flies off whilst as female sits in the scrape, then moves to the ledge looking out. She follows a few moments later. There is no further activity today. 

10 February – the female remained sleeping on the ledge from the previous evening until she wakes at 6:15. She goes into the box at 8:00 then walks onto the platform before flying off. The male arrives at 11:25 and sits on the ledge until 12:40 when he flies off for 10 minutes. He is off again at 13:15. The female flies on at 14:40 and remains until 17:15. There is no further activity today. 

9 February – the female arrives at 3:50 with an item of prey (Fieldfare) which she proceeds to pluck and eat. At 5:15 she try to stash the remains by the column but it is too big and she sits on the platform with it at her feet until 6:35 when she stashes it by the opposite column. She then sits on the ledge. At 9:10, the male arrives and the female goes into the box. He immediately notices the stash and grabs hold of it and flies off, ignoring the females calls. She returns to the ledge. The wind is strong and she is having a tough time holding on. She flies off at 7:25 and is replaced by the male with a full crop. He leaves after 15 minutes. He is back at 9:05 then flies off an hour later returning soon after with the female. There is calling and posturing in the box. When he moves to the ledge, she settles in the scrape and spends some time excavating and moving stones. She remains active in the scrape for 40 minutes and only moves to the ledge when the male flies off at 10:45. This is the single longest time she has spent in the scrape so far and looks positive for a nesting attempt this year. She flies off at 11:40. The pair arrive together at 13:00 and go into the box. There is posturing and calling. After a few minutes the male goes to the ledge whilst the female remains in the scrape. She does a bit more excavation and moving of stones before settling on the ledge at 13:30. The male flies off at 14:00 and the female a few moments later. The pair are back again at 15:15, the male initially going into the box, the female on the ledge. He flies out after 20 minutes and the female falls asleep on the ledge, occasionally waking to look around. The male flies in calling at 16:40 and goes into the box being replaced by the female after 10 minutes. She remains in the scrape whilst he is on the ledge until flying off at 18:15. The female falls asleep in the scrape. This is the first time I have noted her sleeping in the box other than with eggs or chicks! She remains sleeping in the scrape until 22:15 when she woke, had a preen and walked to the ledge where she promptly fell asleep until midnight at least. 

8 February – the pair arrive together at 7:20 and there is calling between them. The male goes into the box but is replaced by the female after a few minutes. She sits in the scrape then moves to the ledge with the male on the platform flying off at 7:40. The female flies off at 8:50 returning 20 minutes later. She flies off at 10:05 and returns a few moments later with the male and they both go into the box for a few moments calling and posturing. The male then moves to the ledge whilst the female sits in the scrape and continues to excavate it and tidy the surrounding stones. She moves to the opposite ledge after 20 minutes. The male then leaves. The female remains on the ledge until 11:45 when she takes a short flight. She moves into the box at 12:10 on the arrival of the male; she sits in the scrape. After 5 minutes he flies off and she returns to the ledge remaining until 14:50 when she flies off and is replaced by the male 5 minutes later with a full crop. The female returns at 15:25 now also with a full crop and the male initially goes into the box returning to the ledge after 5 minutes. They sit on opposite ledges until 16:55 when the male leaves followed by the female 30 minutes later. 

7 February – the female is still on the ledge at midnight from 11:35 the previous day. Despite the very heavy rain she tries to shelter close to the column. Why doesn’t she go into the box which is dry? She moves to the opposite ledge at 4:40 before flying off at 5:20. The male arrives at 7:10 but leaves 5 minutes later. Both birds fly in at 7:25. The male takes a quick walk around the box then leaves the female on the platform. She moves to the ledge then flies off at 7:45. The male is back at 8:10 and moves into the box, sitting in the scrape, when the female flies in at 8:20. There is quiet calling between the pair. After 5 minutes, the female takes the male’s place in the scrape and he flies off. She walks to the ledge and looks out before flying off at 8:45. The male arrives at noon and is soon followed by the female. There is calling and posturing for a few minutes until the male flies off. The female remains on the ledge calling quietly. She flies off at 12:25 returning 10 minutes later. She walks into the box calling at 13:20 when the male arrives. He picks at the feathers on the platform looking for food, then settles on the ledge. The female forces him off and replaces him at 13:40. She flies off 10 minutes later but returns at 14:00. The male is back at 14:40 and goes into the box sitting with the central column between him and the female until 15:10 when he flies off. She remains on the ledge until 17:25 when she leaves. 

6 February – the female arrives in the dark at 4:00 and is joined by the male at 5:20. He leaves at 6:05 returning an hour later looking around the box and leaving immediately. He is probably looking for food as the female looks to have a full crop. He is back at 8:00 and goes onto the scrape leaving 5 minutes later. The female follows after another half an hour. She is back at 11:35 and the male an hour later. He goes into the box and sits in the scrape. There is calling between the pair and then female takes the male’s place in the scrape whilst he moves to the ledge. She excavates the scrape and moves some stones around before moving to the opposite ledge. The male flies off at 14:10. When he arrives back at 16:40, the female goes into the box and there is calling between the pair. The female plays with the scrape as the male sits on the ledge or platform. He flies off at 16:55 and the female quickly runs to the ledge and looks out. The male is back at 17:10 and he goes into the box and they are calling softly. He leaves after a few minutes but is soon back. There is calling and posturing on the platform. At 17:30 the female starts to walk along the ledge flicking her wings whilst the male watches from the box. She turns her back and jumps in the air a little then tips her tail before slowly returning to her usual position on the ledge – activity I have not noticed before: is this an invitation to copulate? At 17:40, the male flies off and the female settles on the ledge falling asleep a few moments later. Despite the wet weather, she remained on the ledge sleeping until midnight at least.

6 February – Video: the female on the right, walks along the ledge flicking her wings then jumps up and down.

5 February – the female arrives with a Feral Pigeon at 00:40 which she proceeds to pluck and eat. She stashes the remains by a column at 1:20 then settles on the ledge with a very full crop, falling asleep at 1:45. The arrival of the male at 6:50 awakens her. He walks onto the platform and sits where the female cannot see her beside a column. At 7:15 he goes and sits in the scrape, flying off 5 minutes later. The female’s crop is still full and she tries to return to sleep but looks out over the city. The male is back at 8:20 and again she tries to snooze at 8:50 but is awake after 10 minutes. He finds some scraps amongst the feathers at 9:00 and starts eating but flies off after a few minutes. The female resumes her snooze, wakening at 9:55. The male is back at 11:20 and the female goes into the box and onto the scrape and moves a few stones around. The male flies off after 5 minutes and the female returns to the ledge. She goes into the box at 13:25 and calls for a few moments before returning to the ledge. She takes flight at 14:45 and is replaced by the male who flies off 30 minutes later. He is back at 15:50 and goes into the box calling softly. He sits in the scrape for a few moments then returns to the ledge. He is back in the box at 16:30 looking out over the city. At 16:50 he moves to the ledge and then flies off returning a few moments later with the female. They both go into the box and there is calling and posturing. He flies off a few minutes later and she makes a scrape. He is soon back and sits on the ledge flying off again at 15:55. The female moves to the ledge leaving 5 minutes later. The male is back at 16:05 with a prey item looks around and leaves. The female lands calling and remains on the ledge until 17:40. 

4 February – both birds arrive on the platform at 7:30 and there is quiet calling and posturing. The female flies off at 7:50 and the male looks out over the city. He moves to the left-hand ledge and settles down. The female returns at 9:10 and the male walks into the box calling. After a few minutes they switch places. The female tidies up the scrape then moves to the ledge. The male flies off at 9:20 whilst the female preens herself. The male is back at 10:35 and the female moves to the back of the box and works on the scrape. She moves to the ledge at 10:45 and the male flies off. She spends some time preening and starts snoozing at 11:40, eventually flying off at 12:55. There is no further activity until just after midnight when the female arrives with a Feral Pigeon.

3 February – the male arrives on the platform at 8:15 calling softly. After a few minutes, he walks to the ledge and sits preening until 9:05 when he flies off. The male is back at 9:50 and is immediately followed by the female carrying a large Feral Pigeon as prey. The male flies off and the female plucks and eats her meal. At 10:35, the male comes in looking for a piece of the prey but the female is in no mood and pushes him off the ledge and continues eating. He is back again for another try 20 minutes later and again at 10:55 but is forced out. He returns after a few moments and finds a few scraps and then picks at the feathers that are lying around. The female calls quietly and mantles her prey. The male turns his back on her and plays with the feathers whilst she stares at him. He sidles up to the female and looks to take a bit of prey. The female jumps at him and knocks him off the platform. She drags the pigeon into the corner and continues eating. At 11:10 she has finished and tries to stash the remains by the column but it will not fit so she takes it to the back of the box but she is still not happy. At 11:20 she flies off with the remains probably to hide it from the male who happens to arrive 75 seconds after she left! His crop suggests that he has just eaten too. He sits on the ledge leaving after 5 minutes. The female returns at 14:10 still with a heavy crop. She sits on the ledge and falls asleep. The male arrives an hour later and the female goes into the back of the box. There is calling between the pair. She makes a scrape in the stones before returning to the ledge opposite the male and falls asleep. The male flies off at 16:00 the female leaving just over an hour later at 17:05.

3 February – Video: the female knocks the male off the platform for trying to steal a bit of her meal.

2 February – the male arrives late in the afternoon at 17:00 and sits on the ledge calling. He has a full crop, obviously just fed. He leaves after a few minutes. 

1 February – the male could be heard coming onto the platform at 13:25 but did not venture into the box. Both birds were noted on the crosses of the spire during the day. What appeared to be an adult female was seen on the Charles Wilson Building at the University of Leicester around mid-day. It chased off two Carrion Crows from the area.

Daily Commentary Archive Link