JANUARY 2021
1 January – the pair arrive together at 8:15. After a short period of bonding, the male leaves and the female tenders the scrape area before flying off. The male is back 5 minutes later. The female returns at 8:40 and there is more bonding before he flies out. She leaves 10 minutes later. The male returns at 9:30, staying for 15 minutes. He is back at 13:15 sitting on the ledge until 16:00.
2 January – the male arrives at 7:35 and is joined in the box by the female 10 minutes later. After a few minutes bonding, he flies off. She leaves at 8:00 and he returns at 8:35 and remains until 9:10. He is back three hours later with a full crop and a half-eaten prey item which he stashes by a column before flying off ten minutes later. He is back at 14:55 and tucks into the stashed prey then flies off at 15:35.
3 January – the male lands on the ledge for ten minutes at 7:00. The pair fly in at 7:55, the male leaving a few minutes later in such a rush as almost knocking the female from the ledge. She remains until 8:25. The male flies in at 9:25 and sits on the ledge for 30 minutes. The female flies in at 11:20 and tends the scrape before moving to the ledge. She flies off at 11:55 and is replaced by the male. He goes into the box calling and she joins him for a few minutes before he flies out; she leaves 15 minutes later. The male is back at 16:15 but flies out ten minutes later.
4 January – the pair fly in together at 8:15. The male goes into the box and is quickly joined by the female. He leaves soon after and she tends the scrape for a few minutes before moving to the ledge and flying off at 8:30. The male is back at 9:10, leaving 20 minutes later. The female flies in briefly at 9:35. The is no further activity today.
5 January – the only activity today was the male flying in at 8:05 but remaining for just five minutes.
6 January – the pair flies in at 8:20 and go into the box for a short bout of bonding. The male leaves after a few minutes and is followed by the female a few minutes later. They are both back at 8:45 and the male goes into the box. A few minutes later, they fly off together. The female is back at 11:15 remaining until 11:30. At 15:30, a Feral Pigeon lands and walks around the box before flying off after a few minutes. It returns with a second bird in tow at 16:00. The pair walk around the box and there is lots of cooing, remaining for ten minutes.
7 January – the male flies in at 7:40 and sits on the ledge until 8:15 when he goes into the box on the arrival of the female. She joins him in the box and after a few moments bonding he flies out. She tends the scrape, moving to the ledge after five minutes, flying off at 8:25. The male is back at 8:40 remaining on the ledge until 10:10. He returns at 11:40 and sits on the ledge until 13:40 when he flies off and returns with the female a few moments later. There is lots of calling from the pair and he makes a couple of brief flights whilst she sits on the ledge – their agitation would suggest the presence of an intruding bird. He leaves after a few minutes and she flies off at 13:55. He is back at 14:05 and remains on the ledge until 16:35.
8 January – the male arrives at 6:55 and sits on the ledge until 8:35 when he flies out. A large female lands a few moments later but this is an intruding bird, not our current resident colour-ringed bird and not either of the two previous known females – the fourth female at the site in less than a year! She makes a brief visit to the box before returning to the ledge where she seems to duck, probably due to a passing attack. She flies off after five minutes. The resident colour-ringed female lands briefly at 9:50 calling loudly before leaving. There is no further activity on camera today.
9 January – the male flies in at 7:05 and sits on the ledge until 7:50 when he flies off. He returns a few moments later with the colour-ringed female in tow. She joins in in the box but he flies out after a few minutes, and she tends the scrape for a few minutes, moves to the ledge but soon follows. The pair is back at 9:10 but she flies off after a few minutes calling. He runs from the box to the ledge to watch her go and quickly follows. The female is back at 10:35 and sits on the ledge until 11:30 when she calls loudly at the passing of another bird. She watches carefully from just inside the box, grunting and croaking. After a few moments she returns to the ledge and settles down. She flies off when the male arrives. He goes into the box calling and she then joins him. He flies out after a few moments and she tends the scrape before moving to the ledge at 11:45. The male flies in at 12:55 and goes into the box. She soon joins him, but he then moves to the ledge before flying off. She tends the scrape and moves back to the ledge at 13:05. She takes a brief flight ten minutes later, returning to the ledge until 13:50 when she leaves. The male is back at 15:55 but is soon off again, returning a few moments later, finally leaving at 16:05.
10 January – the male arrives at 7:30 and sits on the ledge preening. He flies out at 7:45. The female flies in at 8:10 with a full crop and sits on the ledge until leaving at 8:45. The male flies in calling at 10:10 with a full crop and settles on the ledge. At 12:40 he flies off, returning at 14:25. He remains on the ledge, preening and dozing, until 16:40 when he flies off.
11 January – the male is early, arriving at 6:10. He sits on the ledge for an hour before taking a brief flight. At 7:35, he flies out and returns a few moments later with the female but She does not stay long. The male sits on the ledge watching her go. At 8:00, he goes into the box calling and a few moments later flies off. The female lands at 8:10 but flies off after five minutes. The male is back briefly at 8:55 and at 11:20 flies in with a small unidentifiable item of prey. He calls loudly for a few minutes then stashes the prey by a column before flying off. He is back at 12:00 and sits on the ledge preening for 30 minutes, then takes a short flight. He is off again at 13:45 and is back to recover his stashed prey at 14:25 which he consumes on the platform before moving back to the ledge. He leaves two hours later.
12 January – the is no activity on camera until the female arrives at 9:10 and walks into the box five minutes later. She tends the scrape for a few moments then returns to the ledge and flies off at 9:30. There was no further activity on camera today.
13 January – the male is very early, arriving at 4:15. He falls asleep on the ledge until 7:40 when he is awakened by the arrival of the female. There are a few moments of bonding and he then flies out and she moves to the ledge before flying off at 8:10. She returns at 9:55and sits on the ledge until 10:35 when she flies off. The male arrives with a full crop at 11:35 and dozes on the ledge. He goes into the box at 14:55 on the arrival of the female. As soon as she enters the box, he leaves. She tends the scrape for a few minutes then sits on the ledge, flying off at 15:40.
14 January – it has been a wet and miserable day. The male flies in with Redwing prey at 14:10 and proceeds to pluck it on the platform. He does not eat it but flies off with it five minutes later. This is the only activity on camera today.
15 January – the male arrives at 8:00 and flies off 15 minutes later. He is back briefly at 8:40. The female flies in at 9:10 and sits on the ledge for ten minutes. The is no further activity on camera.
16 January – the male arrives at 2:10 – the earliest we have seen for quite some time – and flies off 35 minutes later. He is back at 8:35 and sits on the ledge until 11:10 when he flies off. The male returns at 13:25 with a full crop and goes into the box for a few moments before moving to the ledge and flying off at 14:00.
17 January – the male arrives at 7:30 and goes into the box when the female follows a few moments later. She joins him in the box and he then flies out. After briefly tending the scrape she moves to the ledge where she remains until 7:45. The male is back at 9:55 and goes into the box calling loudly before moving to the ledge sporting a full crop. He takes a short flight at 10:10 and another at 10:45. The pair arrive together at 11:20 and go into the box. He flies out a few moments later; she flies off at 11:25. The male is back at 14:55 and remains until 16:40.
18 January – the female is the first to arrive, flying in at 5:05. She remains on the ledge until 6:05 when she flies off. The male arrives at 8:10 with a full crop and clutching Feral Pigeon prey. He waits on the ledge for ten minutes before stashing it by a column and flying off five minutes later. The female is back at 9:25, sees the stashed meal, snatches it and takes off. The male returns at 10:30 and goes into the box for a few moments then moves to the ledge. He runs into the box when the female arrives at 10:35. She joins him and after a brief bonding session, he flies out. She tends the scrape for five minutes then moves to the ledge before flying off at 11:35. The male is back at 12:25 and checks where he stashed the pigeon earlier, but it has been taken by the female. He sits on the ledge and takes a short flight at 12:40. He remains until 15:25 when he flies off.
19 January – the male flies in at 5:55 and sits on the ledge. At 7:25, he goes into the box on the arrival of the female, but she flies off just a few minutes later and he returns to the ledge. at 8:40, he takes a short flight and returns to the ledge. He flies off at 9:15 and returns a few minutes later with the female. She follows him into the box and he then flies out. She tends the scrape for five minutes before returning to the ledge and flying off at 9:30. The male is back briefly at 10:00, then settles on the ledge at 10:45. He has another short flight at 11:30 and again at 11:50 and 12:05. He flies off at 12:30 returning at 13:05 – he is constantly watching the skies. He takes another short flight at 13:25 and 13:55. At 14:00, he flies out returning 15 minutes later. There are yet more short flights at 15:20 and 15:45 after which he remains until 16:55.
20 January – the male flies in at 8:00 and sits on the ledge until 8:35. He returns at 10:35 carrying Pigeon prey; he is already well fed with a full crop. He plucks the fresh catch on the platform and flies off with it at 11:05. He is back at 12:35 with the plucked Pigeon and stashes it by a column, then settles down on the ledge. He flies off at 14:10 and returns 15 minutes later with the female in tow. She sees the meal, snatches it and flies off; the male returns to the ledge. He walks into the box at 15:20 when the female arrives. There is calling between the pair and she joins him in the box. After few moments bonding, he makes a quick exit. She walks to the ledge and watches him go, following him after a couple of minutes.
21 January – the pair arrive together at 8:00 and the male goes into the box. There is lots of calling and the female joins him; he flies out after a few minutes and she walks to the ledge, then flies off at 8:25. The male is back ten minutes later but leaves at 8:40. The pair return at 9:00 and go into the box for a brief bout of bonding before the male flies out. The female spends a bit of time tending the scrape then moves to the ledge before flying off at 9:15. The male returns a few moments later and sits on the ledge. He takes a quick flight at 10:10 and again at 10:30. He flies off at 11:00 but is back 15 minutes later. there is another short flight at 11:25 and again at 11:40. He is off at 12:00, returning at 13:45. He leaves at 14:05 and there is no further activity on camera.
22 January – the male flies in at 7:35 calling and moves to the ledge. He flies out at 7:55 and returns immediately with the female. He goes into the box and she sits on the ledge but after a few minutes she flies off. The male walks to the platform and watches her go and follows. He is back a few minutes later and settles back on the ledge until 8:25 when he starts to get agitated and starts calling and is aware of a bird flying above him. He flies out and returns after a few minutes. He goes into the box at 8:55 on the arrival of the female. She joins him and there is calling and bonding. Rather than flying off after a few minutes, he moves to the ledge and watches the female from there for a while before flying off. The female tends the scrape then moves to the ledge at 9:00 and sits preening until 9:25 when she flies off. She is back at 10:15 remaining on the ledge until 11:40. The male is back at 12:35 with a full crop and settles on the ledge but is disturbed by the incoming female. He goes into the box and she soon joins him. He leaves after a few minutes bonding and she moves to the ledge, flying off at 13:45. The pair is back at 14:05 but she leaves five minutes later and the male settles on the ledge, flying off at 15:20.
23 January – the male arrives at 7:30 and takes a short flight at 8:25. He flies off at 9:05 and returns a few moments later and goes into the box in anticipation of the female arriving but he soon moves to the ledge when she fails to land. He takes another short flight at 9:40 and on his return scrapes the stones on the platform before moving to the ledge. He is in the box briefly at 10:10, then flies off at 10:40 returning at 12:00. He flies out again at 12:25 and is back at 13:00 but leaves five minutes later. He returns at 14:20 remaining for 30 minutes. He is back at 15:20, checks the box, then sits on the ledge until 16:10 when he takes a short flight. He leaves at 16:25 but returns in the dark at 17:15 having recently fed and sporting a full crop. He sits on the ledge for ten minutes before flying off.
24 January – the male is early, flying in at 4:40 and falls asleep on the ledge. He goes into the box at 7:35 but soon returns to the ledge. He is back in the box at 8:00 as the female flies in. She joins him in the box but he moves to the platform after a few bonding moments. He then sits on the ledge before flying off at 8:05. The female walks onto the platform and watches him go. She flies off five minutes later. The male is back with a full crop at 11:10 in the midst of a snow storm, leaving at 12:15. There is no further activity no doubt due to the extent of the snow coverage.
25 January – the male arrives on the snowy platform at 7:20 and is quickly followed by the female. He flies out on her landing. She walks around for a few minutes then sits on the ledge, flying off at 7:30. The male takes her place on the ledge. She returns five minutes later and he leaves. She walks into the back of the box and tends the scrape, returns to the platform and flies off. The male is back at 9:05 and sits on the ledge preening. He flies off on the arrival of the female at 9:40 and she goes into the box. She sits in the scrape for a few moments then moves to the ledge, flying off at 10:00. She is back at 11:25 with a full crop and sits on the ledge until 13:20. The male flies in at 15:35 with a full crop, calling loudly for five minutes until the female lands on the ledge. He goes into the box, still calling but flies out after a few minutes. The female goes into the box and tends to the scrape then moves to the ledge before flying off.
26 January – the male flies in at 5:55 and sits on the ledge. He goes into the box at 7:35 on the arrival of the female. He flies out five minutes later but she remains until 8:00. The pair is back after five minutes and the male goes into the box. She joins him and there is posturing and calling. He flies out after a few minutes and she tends the scrape before moving back to the ledge and flying off at 8:15. The male returns at 9:005 with pigeon prey but leaves a few minutes later. The pair is back together at 9:55 and after a few minutes bonding in the back of the box, the male leaves. the female takes a few moments to tend the scrape then also flies out. The male is back with a full crop at 10:20 and sits on the ledge. He remains there until the arrival of the female at 13:05 and he goes into the box. She follows and he flies out almost immediately but returns to the ledge. There are a few minutes calling between the pair before he flies off again. She then moves to the ledge and flies off at 13:35. The male returns 20 minutes later and remains until 17:55.
27 January – the snow has melted overnight and the male arrives at 7:20. He goes into the box at 7:50 on the arrival of the female. She joins him in the box and there are a few minutes of posturing before he flies out and she moves to the ledge. She flies off at 8:20 and he returns to the ledge. He flies off at 9:05 returning ten minutes later and makes a brief visit to the box, then settles on the ledge until leaving at 9:45. The pair fly in together at 10:25 and after a few moments, the male flies out. She does some work on the scrape, then sits on the ledge, flying off at 10:45. She is replaced by the male a few moments later and he remains on the ledge until 11:20 when he takes a short flight, returning to the ledge. He is off again at 12:00 and is back 35 minutes later, remaining for ten minutes. He flies in again at 16:15, leaving an hour later.
28 January – the male flies in at 7:25, makes a brief visit to the box then settles on the ledge. He has a short flight at 8:00 and again 20 minutes later. At 8:30 he flies out and returns with the female. He goes into the box but she flies out calling a few moments later and he follows; most probably an intruder in the area. He is back at 8:35 calling then sits on the ledge. He takes a short flight at 8:50 and again at 9:55, then flies off at 10:35. He returns two hours later, takes a short flight at 12:45, then settles on the ledge until 14:10 when he flies off. He is back again at 16:50 remaining until 17:15.
29 January – the male arrives at 7:00 and takes a short flight 20 minutes later and again at 7:45. He flies off five minutes later returning soon after with the female. He goes into the box and she joins him. There is a brief bout of posturing before he flies off. She then moves to the ledge and flies off at 7:55. He is back for a few moments at 8:35 and at 9:00 and settles on the ledge until 9:15 when he goes into the box when the female arrives. Again, she joins him before he flies out. She tends the scrape then moves to the ledge before flying off at 9:25. The male is back at 13:10 carrying fresh Starling prey. He partly plucks the meal then stashes it by a column briefly then flies off with it. He is back on the ledge at 14:30 leaving 15 minutes later.
30 January – there is no activity on camera today.
31 January – the male flies in at 7:25 and is quickly followed by the female. He goes into the box and she joins him. After a few minutes posturing, he flies out and she tends the scrape. She then moves to the ledge before flying off at 7:40. The pair return together at 8:25, the male goes into the box. She remains on the ledge and he flies off five minutes later. She leaves at 8:55. The pair return together at 11:15, the male goes into the box and calls to the female who is sitting on the ledge. He flies out five minutes later and she leaves at 11:25. The male is back at 15:25 with a full crop. He calls as he sits on the ledge but leaves five minutes later.