JUNE 2022
1 June – the male flies in at 4:20 and the female leaves. He flies off 30 minutes later returning at 5:55 carrying fresh Starling prey for the young. The female arrives on the ledge and THC walks to the platform calling. The male goes into the box followed by THC. He plucks the meal, but the female takes over and feeds TJC first; he flies off. THC soon forces its way in and gets fed. They have finished feeding at 6:10 and the female leaves. THC goes for a walk on the platform whilst TJC stays in the box. They huddle together at 6:35. At 7:50, TJC does some wing flapping exercises and THC joins in at 8:00. They have a rest after ten minutes, then fall asleep in the sun. They go walkabout at 9:10 before settling down in the sun again after 25 minutes. The female is back at 9:35, makes a scrape in the box and lies in the stones. She flies out ten minutes later. The chicks remain lying in the sun. The male arrives with a fresh meal at 10:30 and the female follows quickly to relieve him of it. The chicks are awake quickly. They have finished feeding after 15 minutes and the female eats the remains and flies out. The chicks fall asleep as the male remains on the ledge. The female is back at 11:30 to tidy up the scraps in the box, then flies off. The male is still on the ledge until 12:45. The pair are back at 14:45; the female goes into the box and picks at the scraps. The male flies off after a few minutes and the female sits on the ledge. THC walks onto the platform and the female watches it closely. She leaves at 15:00 but the chick remains on the platform then joins its sibling at 15:05 and they huddle in the corner at 15:30. The female is back at 16:25 and checks the box, then flies out. She is back with another fresh meal at 16:30 and feeds the chicks for 20 minutes. The chicks go walkabout and THC manages to squeeze through the two central columns! The female arrives with another meal at 18:35 and THC goes to greet her. She walks into the box and THC follows. She feeds the chicks and leaves with the remains at 19:00. THC then goes walkabout and finds the short-cut through the columns again. They settle down 30 minutes later and huddle together at 19:40. The male arrives with another Staring meal at 20:05. He has finished feeding the chicks 15 minutes later and they fall asleep on the spot and remain there until midnight at least. The male sits on the ledge until 21:25 and is replaced by the female ten minutes later.
2 June – the female remains on the ledge with the chicks on the platform until she flies off at 4:25. They continue to huddle until 5:05 when they go walkabout, then settle back on the platform at 5:40 in the morning sun. The female returns at 7:05 and feeds the chicks scraps of the pigeon that was lying in the box, flying off five minutes later. The chicks, especially TJC, do wing flapping exercises then sit back on the platform. The male flies in with a small item of prey at 8:00 and is followed by the female. She tries to take the prey from him, but he flies off with it. She feeds the chicks scraps and the male lands on the ledge. She grabs the prey from him and feeds the chicks; he flies off. They have finished feeding at 8:15 and the female leaves. The chicks huddle in the sun on the platform until 11:35 when they have another wing flapping session – predominately TJC. They move into the box after ten minutes. The female is back at 12:10 and searches the box for food, then sits on the ledge. The chicks walk around the platform the return to the box at 12:35. This time it is THC that does the most wing flapping. They huddle together again at 12:50. TJC goes to the platform at 14:15 and calls to the female. She flies off, returning a few minutes later and picks some scraps from the box to feed the chicks, then returns to the ledge. She leaves a few minutes later but quickly returns with a small scrap of food. It is soon consumed, and she flies out as the male flies in with another pigeon. She lands and takes it from him, and he sits on the ledge whilst the chicks are being fed. The female flies out at 14:45 as he remains whilst the chicks huddle in the box. The male flies off as the female checks on the chicks at 16:10. She then sits on the ledge and 16:30. THC walks to the ledge and calls to her then returns to the box at 16:50. The female leaves at 17:10 and returns an hour later with freshly plucked prey. They have finished feeding after 15 minutes and she flies off with the remains. The chicks huddle in the corner. The male lands briefly at 20:35 and the chicks look expectantly. The female then lands a few minutes later, checks the box, before sitting on the ledge. The male arrives at 21:00 with more prey, the female stashes it by a column but does not feed the chicks. She remains on the ledge as they sleep in the box.
3 June – The female flies off at 4:45 leaving the chicks in the box. She is back at 5:35 and picks up some stashed food and feeds the chicks, then leaves at 6:00. The chicks walk around the platform then settle in the box. The male checks the box briefly at 7:50, then flies off. He is back a few minutes later with plucked prey which he feeds to the chicks. The female arrives five minutes later and watches the feeding whilst picking at scraps in the box. She sits on the ledge until 8:05 when she takes over from the male; he flies off. They have had their fill at 8:10 and walk onto the platform whilst the female finishes the meal, then flies off. They do a few wing exercises then sit in the box at 8:20. They are back on the platform at 9:30 for 20 minutes, returning to the box. The male lands with another meal, the female soon follows and grabs it from him; he flies off. They have finished feeding at 11:05 and the female consumes the remains. She flies off a few minutes later with the chicks watching from the platform, they move back to the box. The male is back at 12:05 and sits on the ledge until 13:30 when he feeds the chicks scraps. They have finished after ten minutes, and he flies out. They are in the corner of the box at 14:00. The female returns at 15:05 and feeds the chicks scraps, then returns to the ledge. The chicks go walkabout then wing flap until returning to the corner at 15:30. The female flies off at 15:45. She is back at 16:40 with a meal but the chicks are asleep. It is not until she takes it into the box do they wake and feed. TJC is the first to have its fill and goes walkabout. She finishes feeding THC at 16:55 and flies off with the remains. The chicks return to the box. At 17:50, the male arrives with Starling prey but before he can feed the chicks, the female arrives; he flies off with the meal. She checks the box then sits on the ledge. The male is back with a small item of prey at 18:35 which has gone after just five minutes. He is back with another meal at 18:50. He leaves the scraps in the box and sits on the ledge until 19:15. The chicks huddle in the box. THC goes walkabout at 20:05 before returning to its sibling. The female is back at 20:15 with another meal but they are full after just five minutes, and she flies out with the remains and the chicks return to the corner of the box. The female flies into the box at 22:15 and shelters the chicks until at least midnight.
4 June – the female shelters the chicks until 4:20 when she flies off. The male arrives 15 minutes later, checks the chicks then sits on the ledge, flying off at 4:55. The chicks wake at 5:25 and have a flap session in the box. The female arrives with the first meal of the day at 5:40 and feeds the chicks for ten minutes. She flies off with the remains and the young huddle in the box. The male arrives at 7:50 and feeds them scraps from the box but he is soon replaced by the female; she does likewise. She then sits on the ledge until flying off at 8:25. The chicks remain huddled in the corner of the box. The female is back and checks on the young at 10:20, then flies out. The chicks do a bit of wing flapping then huddle in the box. They go walkabout at 11:40 and pick at leftover scraps, then return to the box. The female is back again at 13:10 but without a meal. She tries to find edible scraps in the box but soon leaves. The young do wing exercises then return to the box. She is back at 13:50 carrying stashed prey as a meal and feeds the chicks. There is nothing left at 14:00 and she moves to the ledge then flies off. The chicks watch her leave, then go walkabout before settling in the box at 14:45. They run to the platform when the female lands at 17:25, but she quickly leaves. She is back a few minutes later and tries to feed them leftover scraps, then flies out. The chicks go into the box. She is back at 17:50 with fresh pigeon prey and feeds the young. She leaves with the remains at 18:10 and the chicks return to the corner and huddle together for the rest of the evening. The female flies into the box at 21:30 and shelters them from the wind.
6 June – the chicks remain in the corner overnight and waken at 5:05 but still huddle together until 6:50 when THC goes for a walk around the platform; they are becoming much more confident. It soon returns to the box as there is rain falling steadily. They both run to the platform at 7:20 as the male lands with breakfast. They have finished feeding 20 minutes later and he consumes the scraps. He flies off at 7:45 and the young watch him from the platform. TJC decides to do some wing exercises and THJ joins in. They return to the box at 8:05 and huddle in the corner. At 9:25, the young decide to go for a walkabout and do some wing exercises before settling in the opposite corner 15 minutes later. THC has a quick look out from the platform at 10:00. They spend the next 15 minutes preening, then TJC looks out from the platform for ten minutes. THC takes its turn to check at 11:15 for ten minutes; no doubt they are waiting to be fed. The female duly obliges five minutes later. Both chicks are being fed but TJC is feeding itself on the larger pieces of the meal – another step on its development. They have had their fill by 11:50 and the female finishes the meal herself, then flies off at 12:00. The chicks look out from the platform and do some wing flapping. The male is back with a small meal 20 minutes later that he feeds to TJC. He sits on the ledge and the two chicks lie on the platform in front of him until he flies off at 13:45. They return to the corner of the box at 14:35 and the male is back on the ledge at 15:00. The chicks walk to the ledge at 15:50 and the male flies off. He is back a few minutes later with stashed prey which he takes into the box to feed the chicks. He moves to the ledge and leaves scraps in the box that THC feeds on. The male leaves at 16:00 and is replaced by the female. She feeds scraps to the chicks then moves back to the ledge. The chicks then spend some time wing flapping. The female flies off at 16:20 and the chicks walk around the box in between wing flapping and preening; some juvenile feathers are now beginning to show. At 17:20, they lie prostrate on the platform. The male arrives with fresh Feral Pigeon prey and is quickly followed by the female. He proceeds to pluck the meal but when he starts to feed the chicks, the female steps in and takes over. They have finished feeding at 18:25 and she flies off with what remains. The chicks lie on the platform as the male sits on the ledge until he leaves at 19:35. The chicks go walkabout at 21:15 and the female lands five minutes later picking at scraps on the platform to feed the chicks, then moves to the ledge. The chicks settle in the box at 21:40 and remain there with the female on the ledge until at least midnight.
7 June – the chicks are awake at 4:35 and the female leaves the ledge and the chicks move into the opposite corner of the box. TJC walks to the platform at 5:40 and is quickly joined by THC. They preen whilst looking out over the city. The female lands briefly at 6:05 and the chicks watch her go. They huddle together at 6:45 on the platform. The female arrives with breakfast 30 minutes later – another Feral Pigeon. She has finished feeding them after ten minutes and flies off with the remains; the chicks doze on the platform in between preening. At 8:30, they start a short wing flapping session, then sit on the platform looking out. The female is back at 9:15 and checks the box for food. The chicks beg to be fed but she just sits on the ledge and the chicks eventually lie on the platform in the sun. She flies off at 10:25 and the young have a walkabout and preen. She is back on the ledge at 10:50 for 20 minutes and again at 13:05 until 13:50 when the male arrives with a fresh meal of Feral Pigeon. She grabs it from him and takes it into the box; the chicks follow to be fed. There is little left at 14:05 when they have finished, so she eats the remains and flies out. The chicks fall asleep on the platform. They are a little move active by 16:15 and start preening and intermittent wing flapping for 20 minutes, then walk around the box. They fall asleep on the platform again at 17:05 for 30 minutes when the male lands briefly. They then have another preening session; more juvenile feather start to come through. The female flies in with a meal at 18:25 and takes it into the box. She stashes the remains by a column at 18:40 and flies off as TJC feeds itself on scraps left in the box. They huddle together on the platform at 19:00. Then 15 minutes later, they have a wing-flapping fest; predominantly THC. They are prostrate on the platform again at 19:30, remaining until 20:05 when they move back into the box. Neither adult returns and the chicks remain in the corner of the box until midnight at least.
8 June – the female lands at 4:45 and the chicks run to her looking to be fed. She picks some scraps from the platform to feed them. She flies off at 5:00 and the male lands briefly a few moments later. The chicks remain in the box until 5:20 when the male arrives with breakfast. He feeds TJC but THC does not look interested and stays in the corner of the box. Eventually, over the next 15 minutes they both get fed. The male flies off at 5:35 and the chicks return to the box. The female is back at 7:40 and picks up some scraps to feed the young. TJC feeds but THC sits on the platform looking out. The male leaves 15 minutes later and the young lie on the platform. The female returns at 10:15, looks around the box for food, then sits on the ledge. She flies off at 10:40 and the young do wing flapping exercises, then settle on the platform again. The male flies in at 11:25 with food and the chicks go into the box and THC is the first to be fed. The female arrives a few minutes later and watches from the ledge. TJC does not miss out. The male leaves at 11:40 and the female picks up the meal and continues to feed until they have finished at 11:50. The female eats the remains, then sits on the ledge, the chicks settle on the platform. They go into the box 45 minutes later and the female flies off. They are back on the platform at 12:55 and remain huddled together until 16:35 when they go for a walk and a stretch; TJC is particularly interested in the egg and traps it between its feet and moves the egg with its beak. They then have a preen before settling back on the platform looking out over the city. They lie down again at 17:30 until the female returns 20 minutes later. She checks the box then sits on the ledge for five minutes, then flies off. The young pick at scraps then move back to the platform. They are in the box wing flapping at 18:20. The female arrives with Feral Pigeon prey at 18:50 and plucks it and feeds the chicks. She stashes the remains at 19:15 and the chicks move to the back of the box. They have a couple of short ventures to the platform but return to the box and settle down at 20:20. She sits on the ledge for the rest of the evening.
9 June – the male flies in with a small item of food at 1:30. The female runs towards him, so he flies off. She picks up the stashed pigeon and flies off with it only to return a few moments later and re-stash it. She returns to the ledge and falls asleep until 4:30 when she flies out. The chicks move to the platform at 5:10 and pick at scraps. The female is back at 5:35 and THC begs for food. She goes into the box, picks some scraps and feeds TJC first before THC joins in. They have finished and she flies off at 6:00. TJC joins THC on the ledge at 6:20. The female flies in with a small prey item and goes into the box. TJC takes it from her and feeds; she leaves. THC remains uninterested on the ledge. TJC has finished and starts wing flapping at 6:50 and THC joins in a few minutes later. The male arrives with more pigeon food at 7:30 and TJC is first there but the male just stashes it and leaves. The siblings move to the box at 8:00 to find some shade, then lie on the platform 30 minutes later. They are back looking for shade at 9:00. The female lands at 9:05, goes into the box, picks up the stashed pigeon and feeds TJC, then THC. She flies off with the remains at 9:15. The chicks stand on the platform looking out when the female returns ten minutes later. She finds some scraps in the box and feeds them to TJC. She returns to the ledge and the chicks lie down on the platform. At 10:00, TJC goes into the box for 15 minutes for shade, then moves back to the platform. The female flies off at 10:25 and the chicks lie on the platform until 10:45 when they find shade in the box again. The have a flapping session at 12:45, then settle on the platform at 13:10. TJC is looking for scraps in the box at 14:50. The female is back at 15:15 and checks the box then sits on the ledge. She flies off after five minutes and is replaced by the male but he quickly leaves after the chicks beg at him. He is back almost immediately with stashed pigeon which he feeds to TJC. He sits on the ledge when there is nothing left but is still harassed by THC. He ignores its begging and THC goes into the box to pick at scraps. THC returns to beg at the male at 15:55 for a full 15 minutes but the male refuses to move. THC returns to TJC and they lie down on the platform. The male flies off at 16:40 and the young watch him go. TJC then moves into the box whilst THC does wing stretches. They are together on the platform again at 17:00. They go walkabout at 18:30 and do wing flapping but are back on the ledge at 18:45. The female lands a few minutes later and goes into the box, looks for food but flies out immediately. The young remain settled on the platform until 19:25 when the male brings in a meal which he feeds to both young. It doesn’t last long and he flies off, the chicks go into the box for the rest of the evening. The female lands at 21:25, checks the box then sits on the ledge where she falls asleep.
10 June – the female flies off at 4:10, this wakes the chicks and they walk to the platform. They return to the ledge ten minutes later. They go walkabout and wing flap at 6:15 with THC very close to the edge! The male flies in with a pigeon meal at 6:55 and plucks it whilst the female watches on. He then feeds the chicks until 7:00 when he flies off suddenly leaving the meal and the chicks on the platform. TJC goes into the box ten minutes later, but THC remains on the platform. TJC moves back to the prey a few minutes later and tries to drag it across the platform but is unable to do so. Instead, it feeds on small scraps. The female flies in at 7:15 and plucks the pigeon. The male lands on the ledge a few minutes later. She feeds THC but TJC does not look to be fed so she flies off with the remains. The chicks huddle in the box at 8:00 whilst the male remains on the ledge until 9:05. The female lands at 9:30 and the chicks look to be fed but she does not have a meal. She sits on the ledge as the chicks wait expectantly on the platform. At 10:05, the male arrives with Starling prey. The female takes it and feeds the young. However, TJC snatches it from her and feeds itself as THC looks on. The female returns to the ledge and THC sits in front of the male and begs to be fed; he is non-plussed. TJC has finished feeding at 10:35 and left the remains of the meal in the box. The female picks it up and feeds it to THC. The chicks settle on the platform ten minutes later and the female flies off. The male leaves at 11:00 and the chicks lie on the platform. The go walkabout at 12:10 then settle back on the platform. The male lands at 12:40 and the young do wing flapping exercises. They settle down again at 13:20. He flies off at 14:05 as the female returns. She looks for scraps in the box then flies off. The chicks return to the platform. The female is back with another pigeon meal at 14:20. She plucks it, feeds the chicks for 15 minutes, then finishes the meal herself. She flies off at 14:55 and the chicks lie on the platform until 15:40 when they move back to the box. They return to the platform at 16:00. The male arrives with another Starling at 17:25 but stashes it by a column. The chicks have a wing flap session for ten minutes then TJC becomes interested in the Starling and tries to drag it into the box. It eventually manages to get it into the box and starts to pluck and feed on it watched by its sibling. It has finished feeding at 18:05. THC checks out the remains but does not feed itself. They move into the box at 18:25. The male arrives with another meal at 18:45 and feeds the chicks then leaves. At 19:15 the female lands with another Starling meal. They have finished feeding after 15 minutes and return to the box and the female sits on the ledge until midnight at least.
11 June – the female flies off at 3:30, returning at 4:10. TJC is the first to food beg ten minutes later. She ignores the chick, and it returns to the box and preens. She flies off at 5:05 and the young walk around the platform wing stretching. The male flies in with Starling food at 5:25 but flies out with it before he feeds the young. They watch him go then do more exercises but are back in the box at 6:30. They move to the platform at 7:10 in anticipation of the arrival of a meal as the male flies in with food which is quickly snatched from him by the female; he flies off. She plucks the pigeon and feeds the young. They are back in the box at 7:35 as the female finishes the meal. She moves to the ledge and dozes as the young fall asleep in the box. They are back on the platform at 9:00 and the female leaves five minutes later. She is back at 9:20 and goes into the box. Bizarrely, she makes a scrape in the stones but is harassed by THC and is quickly joined by TJC. The female moves to the ledge; the chicks preen in front of her. At 10:15, they are wing flapping but soon lie down on the platform in the sun. Something catches the female’s eye at 11:20 and she flies out whilst the young remain prostrate on the platform. The female is back on the ledge at 12:40 and the chicks look to be fed. Nothing is forthcoming so they do some wing exercises and run around before settling in the box at 13:00. They are back on the platform 30 minutes later; the female remains nonplussed on the ledge, and they return to the box. They have another sortie at 14:00 but the female is dozing. They settle in front of her where they remain until 15:30 when she flies off. They are back huddled in the box 15 minutes later. The male lands briefly at 16:45 and the chicks go to him looking to be fed; he flies off. He returns five minutes later with very fresh Starling prey. He takes it into the box and starts to feed the chicks. He drops it and THC feeds on it. TJC takes over when THC had had its fill. THC is back for more at 17:25 and TJC allows it to feed. The youngsters settle in the box after feeding at 17:50. The female is back at 19:50 and goes into the box. She finds a few scraps to feed the chicks but flies off at 20:00 and the young return to the box for the rest of the evening. The female is back on the ledge at 21:40, falls asleep and remains until midnight at least.
12 June – the female flies off at 4:25 whilst the youngsters remain in the box dozing. They are up and about stretching at 5:05 and sit on the platform looking out. At 5:35, the male brings in fresh Starling prey. He takes it into the box and TJC grabs it from him and tries to pluck it; the male leaves. THC joins in and they eventually manage to feed. They are back on the platform at 6:00. At 6:40, the female brings in fresh Feral Pigeon prey. She plucks it and feeds the young who are full at 7:00, so she feeds herself, then flies off with the remains. The chicks lie down on the platform at 7:20 and fall asleep until 8:05. They wake to have a preen and wing flap session, then fall asleep on the ledge at 9:15. They are interrupted by the arrival of the female. They beg and she picks up the partially eaten Starling and feeds TJC. She flies off at 9:35 and THC picks at scraps. The two then wing flap and run around. The female is back at 10:10 and feeds both chicks on scraps. They sit in the back of the box at 10:25. TJC is back on the platform when the female returns to the ledge at 10:35 and THC joins after ten minutes. There is no response to their begging, so they lie on the platform. The male arrives with a small prey item at 11:15 and the female snatches it from him. She feeds THC as TJC sleeps on the ledge. THC joins its sibling, and they sleep until 12:25 when they go into the box; the female remains on the ledge. They return to the platform 20 minutes later and beg at the female. The male is back with more pigeon food at 13:50 and the female relieves him of it; he flies out. She plucks it and feeds both chicks before leaving at 16:05. The male arrives 15 minutes later and the young eventually settle down on the platform 30 minutes later. They are awake and flapping around at 16:10 whilst the male remains on the ledge. they go into the box until the female returns at 17:30 and the male flies off. She leaves at 17:55 returning at 20:05 with another meal. The chicks are fed on the platform, then return to the box when full 20 minutes later. The female finishes the meal, sits on the ledge for a few minutes then flies off. The young remain alone in the box for the rest of the evening.
13 June – the young huddle together in the box until 4:45 when they go walkabout and do some wing flapping. For the first time, THC actually sits on the ledge of the platform. Another step in its development and is confident enough to stretch it wing whilst sitting there. It spends 30 minutes looking out from the ledge, then returns to the box with its sibling at 5:30. They are back on the platform an hour later and THC decides to spend time on the opposite ledge. They huddle in the middle of the platform at 6:40, TJC returning to the box at 7:00. THC decides to do more wing flap exercises on the platform and then joins TJC. They are looking for scraps at 7:15 and sit on the platform looking out expectantly at 7:25. THC is back on the ledge a few minutes later. The female flies in with very fresh Feral Pigeon prey at 7:35. She drags it into the box and plucks it whilst the young look on. THC is first to be fed, interrupting the plucking. TJC soon joins in and they have finished feeding at 8:10, the female continues to pluck then flies off with the meal a few minutes later. The young lie down on the platform and fall asleep. The male flies in with new Feral Pigeon prey at 8:45 but the young barely move, they are too well fed. TJC goes into the box at 9:05 and is followed a few minutes later by THC. The male sits on the ledge protecting its meal. TJC walks around the platform but ignores the male’s meal then moves into the box and wing flaps. The young are back on the platform at 11:45 and lie down. At 12:20, the male starts to feed on the pigeon and the young go into the box. He flies off after five minutes and leaves the remains of the meal by a column. The young ignore it and spend their time preening, then fall asleep on the platform. The female arrives at 13:35, picks up the stashed meal and she feeds on the pigeon. She gives a few pieces to the young then flies off with the remains. The young busy themselves preening, wing flapping and walking around the box. The male is back at 14:15 with the previous remains but the young do not look to be wanting to be fed. At 14:30 they settle at the back of the box whilst he sits on the ledge. They are back exploring an hour later and settle on the platform at 15:45, still ignoring the stashed prey; the male is on the ledge. They start wing flapping again at 17:30 and get a bit too close to the male and he flies off. TJC grabs the stashed meal and drags it into the box and feeds on it. THC tries to get in on the act but is fended off by TJC’s wings. TJC has finished at 18:00 and THC takes over. It is back with its sibling preening on the platform ten minutes later. The male flies in with another pigeon meal at 19:40 and feeds THC. He leaves the meal in the box and flies out to be replaced by the female a few minutes later. She plucks the pigeon and feeds both young then herself, flying off with the remains at 20:10. The young settle in the box for the rest of the evening.
14 June – the two remain in the box until 4:50 when they go to the platform and have a walk around and flap. They are back in the box dozing at 6:10. There is another bout of running around and wing flapping from 7:35 until they settle on the edge at 8:25, then lying on the platform. They move back into the box for some shade at 10:00. Something distracts them and they return to the platform after ten minutes. They preen whilst looking out over the city. They lie prostrate until 12:00 when the well-fed female arrives but without a meal. She searches the box, then sits on the ledge. The youngsters pester and beg at her and chase her along the ledge. THC eventually forces her to fly off. They have another running and flapping session then settle down at 12:30. They lie on the platform at 12:50 for 30 minutes, then move back to the box at 13:30. They are back on the platform at 14:00 for 20 minutes. The male arrives with the first meal of the day at the rather later time of 14:35 – a Starling. He feeds THC first and then TJC joins in and the meal does not last long. The male flies out and the chicks remain on the platform. At 17:20, THC picks up some scraps and feeds as TJC watches. At 17:45, the female arrives with remains of a previous meal and THC gets fed but there is nothing left for TJC. She flies out and the two watch her go. They lie on the platform at 18:50 until 20:00 when they do some wing flapping then move into the box, remaining until midnight at least.
15 June – the male flies in with fresh Moorhen prey at 2:00 but the young are sleeping in the box. He plucks it on the platform then stashes it by a column and sits on the ledge. The young are awake at 5:15 whilst the male dozes on the ledge. TJC runs towards the male and pecks him on the chest, and he flies off. THC joins TJC on the platform and they do a bit of wing flapping then look for scraps before returning to the box. They return to the box then move to the platform at 6:00. The male arrives with another meal at 6:20. He feeds both young and leaves after ten minutes. TJC drags the remains into the box and continues feeding on it. It joins THC on the platform at 6:50 and they do some exercises before lying down on the platform. They do more exercising at 8:00, then settle on the ledge 30 minutes later. They are back in the box at 9:05 and go walkabout an hour later. THC finds some scraps to eat in the box and TJC watches on, taking over when THC has finished. They sit on the platform at 11:05 until 12:35 when they do some flapping exercises and running around. They settle on the platform again at 13:00. The female lands at 13:50 but is forced off by the young. She is back a few moments later with the same result. They find the stashed Moorhen a few minutes later and THC tries to pluck it but soon gives up, so TJC has an attempt and is much more successful. It feeds on the Moorhen and returns to the ledge at 14:20, then moves into the box. THC preens and stretches on the platform and is joined by TJC at 14:40 where they remain until 17:10 when THC goes into the box and feeds on the Moorhen as TJC has a flapping session. THC joins TJC at 17:25 and they settle on the platform. At 19:10, they have another flapping session, then TJC has a feed on the Moorhen. It has finished at 19:40 and moves to the platform with THC. A few minutes later, the female lands briefly but is forced off by the young. She quickly tries again with the same result. A few moments later, she arrives and grabs the remains of the Moorhen. She feeds THC until flying out at 19:55. The young sit at the back of the box for the rest of the evening.
16 June – the female flies in with very fresh Feral Pigeon prey at 1:20 whilst the young sleep in the box. She plucks the meal and stashes it by a column, then falls asleep on the ledge. At 4:10, THC walks towards the female and forces her from the ledge, watches her fly off, then returns to the box. Ten minutes later, TJC goes onto the platform and does some wing flapping, then returns to the box. Both young are on the platform at 5:05. THC finds the stashed pigeon at 5:50 and feeds whilst TJC is on the ledge. They swap roles at 6:20 and both are on the ledge 20 minutes later. After a brief bout of wing flapping, they lie down on the platform at 7:00. They are on the ledge watching the skies 30 minutes later. At 8:20, the male arrives with fresh Feral Pigeon prey and feeds TJC. He flies out after TJC pecked him on the cheek. At 8:20, TJC goes into the box whilst THC looks out from the platform. The female flies in at 8:40 and feeds the remains of the pigeon to THC. It has had enough ten minutes later and TJC gets a second feed. The female flies off with the remains a few minutes later. The young return to the box at 9:40. At 10:30, THC goes on walkabout and then sits on the ledge and is joined by TJC at 11:10. They lie flat on the platform from 13:05 until 15:20 when they go walkabout and wing flap. They settle on the platform again at 17:05. There is another exercise session at 18:40 before they lie on the platform again. They are back up preening and flapping at 19:50, then move into the box. The female arrives with a meal at 20:35 and feeds both young in the box. She leaves with the remains at 20:50 and the young go into the box remaining for the rest of the evening.
17 June – despite the heat of the evening, the young huddle together in the box until 4:45 when they move to the platform and do wing flapping exercises for ten minutes. They then sit on opposite ledges before THC moves back into the box, then joins its sibling on the platform at 5:20. There is then a flapping frenzy as they chase each other around the central columns. At 5:30, THC starts to pick at some of the meal remains in the box. They move to opposite ledges ten minutes later until TJC joins THC on its ledge at 5:45. The female arrives with very fresh Feral Pigeon prey at 6:05. She plucks the meal whilst the young look on, then feeds them. She flies off at 6:20 and leaves the meal for the young to feed themselves. They have another flapping session and settle on the same ledge at 6:30. TJC then lies on the platform whilst TJC moves to the ledge an hour later. They are both preening at 8:00 and more wing exercises 20 minutes later. A few minutes later, THC picks at some scraps as TJC feeds on the recent pigeon arrival; synchronised feeding. THC then joins TJC on the pigeon. There must be a very strong bond with these siblings as previous young have been very protective of their food and invariably mantle their meal until they have finished; not so with these two. They have finished eating at 8:40 and return to the ledge. THC lies on the platform at 9:25, then joins TJC on the ledge at 9:50. TJC moves into the shade of the box at 10:15. The two have another wing flap fest at 11:05. Five minutes later, THC feeds on the pigeon remains for 20 minutes then drags the remnants onto the platform and joins TJC on the ledge. TJC feeds on the pigeon at 11:40 but is interrupted by the arrival of the female. TJC walks towards her, and she flies off. She is back a few minutes later and is chased into the box by the young. They beg to her, and she picks at the pigeon to feed TJC. She then feeds herself on the remains and flies out with the meal at 11:55. For the next hour, the young do wing flapping and preening on the platform before settling down and lying in the shade at 13:10, falling asleep. The male arrives at 13:55, picks up an old pigeon carcass and feeds it to the young but flies off a few minutes later. At 14:35, TJC feeds on another leftover carcass. They lie together by the ledge at 15:00 in the heat of the day. They hardly move the next two hours when they go walkabout and do wing exercises. They continue with their exercises on and off until the male returns at 20:25 with Blackcap prey. THC grabs it and takes it into the box. It feeds with TJC wait to get the occasional piece. THC then allows TJC to finish it off. They are back in the box at 21:00 and remain through the evening.
18 June – the two young remain huddled in the back of the box until 5:05 when TJC decides to visit the platform to do some flapping exercises. THC watches and then joins in five minutes later. They run around the platform flapping and then sit on the ledge. The young are very active chasing each other until 7:10 when the male arrives with Feral Pigeon breakfast but before he can feed the young the female lands and grabs the meal. She plucks the pigeon then leaves it for the young and they have a section each; she flies out. THC has finished first and sits on the bar at the back of the box at 7:25. It is joined by TJC ten minutes later but then moves to the ledge and falls asleep. It returns to the box at 7:55 then the two move to the platform at 8:05 but are back sleeping in the box at 8:25. The female returns with very fresh Feral Pigeon prey at 9:20 and the young run to the platform. She plucks it as they wait patiently until she feeds them. TJC is the first to finish at 9:45 and sits on the ledge whilst THC is fed for another five minutes then sits beside its sibling. The female flies off with the remains. They move into the box at 9:55 and huddle together. They are back on the platform at 11:20 running around and wing flapping; a 25-minute frenzy. THC moves into the box at 11:55 whilst TJC joins ten minutes later. THC sits on the ledge at 13:20 and starts wing flapping. Not to be outdone, THC joins 15 minutes later but is distracted by a few scraps on the platform. TJC feeds on scraps at 14:00, then they both sit on the ledge. They are back in the box at 14:30 and fall asleep until 15:00 when THC returns to the ledge. It is back in the box at 15:25 but TJC then moves to the ledge. They are running around wing flapping from 16:00, settle on the ledge 30 minutes later and return to the box at 17:00. The male flies in with another pigeon meal at 17:25 and the female lands a few moments later. TJC run towards her, and she flies off. The male feeds THC, then leaves the young with the meal and TJC takes over and takes the pigeon into the box. The female is back at 17:35 and tidies up by feeding on the scraps. THC sees an easy meal and begs to be fed; the female obliges. TJC moves to the ledge after finishing its meal. THC has had enough at 17:50 and goes into the back of the box; the female cleans up. Both young are back in the box a few minutes later and the female leaves at 18:00. The young have a 20-minute flap fest before settling back in the box for the rest of the evening.
19 June – the female arrives at 4:05 and the young run towards her hoping for a meal. They force her from the ledge as she has no food. And so starts a day of frenzied running around and wing flapping in between periods of rest on the ledge. THC goes into the box 20 minutes later to feed on bits of the Moorhen from a few days previous. The two then sit on the ledge watching the skies in between running along the platform, flapping. The male arrives with well-plucked food at 7:35. TJC tries to grab it from him, but he holds on. He lets them feed themselves a few minutes later and flies off. THC feeds first whilst TJC tracks a Stock Dove flying by, watching closely. THC has finished at 7:45 and the two go through their repertoire again. At 8:30, TJC feeds on the Moorhen in the box and returns to the ledge ten minutes later. THC is back in the box at 9:30 whilst THC continues exercising for another ten minutes before joining its sibling. It returns to the ledge at 10:55, then in the box 30 minutes later but is back on the ledge at 11:35. TJC joins it at 11:45 and picks at scraps on the platform. They fall asleep prostrate at 12:40. The female wakens them as she lands at 12:50 and THC food begs. She searches the box and then flies out. The juveniles sit expectantly on the ledge until 13:25 when they do more exercising and running around the platform. They are back in the box picking at scraps at 14:40, then return to the ledge and watch the skies. At 17:35, they resume picking at scraps. It appears the adults are not feeding them as frequently. This is part of the process to encourage them to fledge seek food and to be fed. They are back on the ledge at 18:00 and are soon flapping and running around again. THC is the first to settle in the box for the evening at 19:15 but TJC remains on the ledge. THC joins TJC at 19:30 and they are both in the box again at 19:55 remaining until midnight at least.
20 June – TJC goes to huddle up with THC at 1:45 and wakens it with a start. THC spreads its wings defensively then calms down. They fall asleep together until 4:55 when TJC moves to the ledge and does some wing flapping, then settles on the ledge until 5:15 when the female arrives with fresh Feral Pigeon breakfast. She actually drops it onto the platform. TJC runs away into the box as THC runs to feed. It takes some food into the box and TJC gets fed. At 5:35, THC goes back for more as TJC looks well fed and sitting on the ledge. They swap a little later and both look content. The female feeds on the rest of the pigeon. She flies off with the scraps at 6:00. They are exercising and wing flapping until 8:25 when TJC goes into the box and falls asleep; THC preens on the ledge. TJC is back on the ledge at 9:20 and huddles with its sibling in the sun 20 minutes later for an hour. They preen for the next 20 minutes and start flapping again at 11:10. At 11:45, THC stops for a few moments then takes off. The first of the duo to take flight; TJC watches it sibling fly off and continues with its own wing flapping. [A quick trip into the city and I eventually found it sitting on the roof of the Alameda café. It was running along the ridge tiles flapping its wings just as it was on the platform ledge.] There is no doubt that TJC could see its sibling. At 13:45 TJC goes into the box and feeds on a stashed pigeon, then returns to the ledge with a full crop. It dozes on the ledge until 16:30 when it starts preening, then wing flapping at 17:00. It lies flat on the platform at 17:30. It goes into the box at 18:15 and feeds on scraps before returning to the ledge. It is in the box for 30 minutes at 21:00 feeding on scraps. After another ten minutes on the ledge, it returns to the box for the evening; the first night alone.
21 June – TJC remains sleeping in the box until 4:00 when it moves to the ledge to commence its exercises. The male arrives with fresh Feral Pigeon for breakfast at 6:10. He is quickly replaced by the female, and he flies off. The female tries to feed the youngster, but TJC grabs the pigeon and feeds itself. It drags the meal around the box and platform whilst feeding; not quite in control. It Is back on the ledge at 6:35. It does a bit of flapping and running up and down the ledge but after ten minutes, TJC takes to the air for its first flight. The female is back at 9:15 and feeds on the remains of this morning’s pigeon. She moves to the ledge 30 minutes later, then flies off. There is no further activity until 21:30 when the male lands and feeds on scraps on the platform and in the box. He sits on the ledge at 21:55 remaining until midnight at least.
22 June –The male flies off just after midnight. He returns at 00:35 with a small item of prey (a Quail) which he stashes, then flies out. He is back at 7:45 with another prey item; a juvenile Great Spotted Woodpecker; he soon leaves with it. The female arrives at 8:00 and feeds on the small, stashed item the male had brought in the earlier. She plucks and flies off with it.
I knew today wasn’t going to be normal. I had already prepared my rescue bag and was in the boot of the car. 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, a Twitter message and an email from Josie and Sophie at St Martins House (thank you ladies), alerted me to an issue. THC had got itself stuck in a steep-sided gully on the 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. 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. It was taken back to the Cathedral box at 11:50.
THC flaps in the back of the box for a few minutes then orientates itself and walks to the platform and looks out. It lies on the platform until 13:10 when it starts to pick at scraps in the box; there is not much feeding and it returns to the platform after five minutes, then sits on the ledge watching the skies, calling occasionally. At 14:45, it does some wing flapping, most likely out of excitement as the female arrives with very fresh Feral Pigeon prey. THC must be extremely hungry at it hardly waits for the prey to be plucked when it tries to feed. The female soon has the situation under control and lets THC feed on its own after plucking the meal; she watches from the ledge. At 15:20, THC runs to the female begging. She goes into the box and plucks the meal some more, then feeds THC. She flies off with the remains at 15:45. THC has been feeding for almost an hour and it lies on the platform and falls asleep. It sits dozing on the ledge at 18:55 and has a wing flapping session at 20:00 whilst the Morris Dancers perform below. It remains on the platform for the rest of the evening.
23 June – THC sits on the ledge dozing until 4:50 when it looks out over the city. It feeds on scraps at 6:15, then returns to the ledge to doze. It has a short flap and run around at 7:10 then settles on the ledge. The male arrives at 8:25 with fresh Feral Pigeon prey which is immediately snatched from him by THC. It feeds voraciously and takes it into the box out of the heat of the morning. It has finished feeding at 8:45 and returns to the ledge. It goes into the shade of the box at 9:00. It feeds on pigeon remains 40 minutes later and moves to the ledge at 10:15. The female flies in with more food at 14:10 but THC is well fed and so she quickly leaves. At 16:50, the female flies in with pigeon remains and is quickly followed by TJC, its first return to the platform. THC tries to grab the meal but the female feeds TJC. THC watches from the ledge then after five minutes sneaks in to be fed by the female and it is TJC’s turn to sit and watch. The female flies off with the remains at 17:00 and the siblings greet each other with some bonding; their first reunion. They settle on opposite ledges after 20 minutes; both are well fed and so doze. At 18:55, TJC decides it needs to feed and picks at the remains of a pigeon. It has finished 45 minutes later and joins its sibling on the ledge. The male returns at 20:50 carrying fresh Black-headed Gull as prey. He dumps it on the platform and leaves. The juveniles are well fed and so ignore it. They sit together on the ledge until midnight at least.
24 June – the siblings sit close to each other overnight until 4:25 when they feed on scraps. At 5:00, TJC flies out as THC watches on. The male arrives 15 minutes later with breakfast for THC, a Kingfisher. He plucks it but before he is able to feed THC, the female arrives, and he flies out with it. She feeds the youngster with some pigeon scraps but leaves quickly. THC sits on the ledge and TJC returns at 7:00. THC grabs the gull and drags it into the box to feed. It joins THC ten minutes later, then flies off at 8:00. It returns after 20 minutes and feeds on scraps and the gull. It is back on the ledge at 8:45 and the female flies in with another meal which THC takes from her and feeds. She flies off and is followed by TJC. THC has finished feeding by 9:00 and returns to the ledge and falls asleep. TJC is back at 10:00 and they sit together until 11:30 when TJC feeds on scraps, then moves back to the ledge. At 12:00 there is a ten-minute period of wing flapping and TJC then flies off as THC feeds on scraps. TJC is soon back, and the siblings sit together on the ledge. They lie together at 13:35 and preen together at 14:40. At 15:05, they go into the box and TJC feeds on the gull. THC returns to the ledge and is joined by TJC at 15:25 but he then flies out. THC picks at scraps at 16:10, then moves back to the ledge for wing flapping exercises. It settles down at 17:30 and is joined by TJC at 18:15. The male flies in at 18:25 with Feral Pigeon prey which he leaves on the platform. THC is the first to feed and TJC takes over at 18:40 for 15 minutes. The female flies in a few moments later and feeds the pigeon to THC whilst TJC goes into the box. TJC sneaks in at 19:05 and the two are fed before THC goes to the ledge. TJC joins its sibling at 19:20 and the female finishes off the pigeon. She flies off at 19:30 and is followed by TJC. TJC returns at 20:15 and has a bumpy landing, crashing into THC. There was no animosity and they sit on the ledge together and then lie on the platform together at 21:30. They are back on the ledge an hour later. TJC goes into the box at 22:20 whilst THC sits on the ledge. They remain in these positions until midnight at least.
25 June – TJC is in the box whilst THC sits on the ledge but just after midnight whilst sleeping, THC slips off the ledge! This would probably have been its first nocturnal flight and an unexpected one. TJC moves to the ledge at 4:00, preens and falls asleep but flies off an hour later. The female lands at 5:50 and feeds on some scraps, then sits on the ledge at 6:20. Two hours later, she flies off as TJC almost knocks her from the ledge. TJC feeds on scraps, then sits on the ledge at 8:40 and lies on the platform in the sun at 9:30. It is up preening at 10:50 then falls asleep at 12:00 for an hour before fling off at 13:30. The male lands at 19:50 with a small item of prey but neither juvenile is in residence. The female lands at 20:15 and relieves him of it. She feeds then flies off at 20:25, returning at 21:40, remaining for the rest of the evening.
26 June – the female remains on the ledge until flying off at 5:15. She is back at 7:30 and is off again at 9:00. The male lands at 10:50 remaining until 11:45. The female returns at 13:20 but leaves at 17:05. The male returns with a meal at 18:30 and the female lands and tries to snatch it from him, so he flies off. He is back a few moments later and is immediately hit on the back by the incoming THC; not the best of landings. He flies off, the female grabs the meal and starts to feed THC. It has fed after 15 minutes and sits on the ledge; the female finishes the meal. She gives THC a few scraps for another five minutes then sits on the ledge, but THC forces her off. THC sits on the ledge with a full crop and is joined by TJC at 19:35. TJC picks at scraps then settles on the ledge with its sibling at 20:05. There is a period of bonding before they fall asleep. They remain together for the rest of the evening.
27 June – the two juveniles remain on the ledge together during the night until 3:55 when TJC flies off probably in search of breakfast and THC follows at 4:35. TJC returns briefly at 7:30. The male arrives at 10:10 carrying prey but flies off with it a few minutes later. TJC is back at 10:25 calling loudly but soon leaves. There is no more activity on camera today.
28 June – TJC remains asleep on the ledge until 4:00 when it flies off. The male lands at 7:35 but is quickly replaced by the female; she leaves soon after. TJC flies in at 7:55 and picks at scraps for five minutes, then sits on the ledge until it flies off at 8:40. The female is back with Feral Pigeon prey at 9:40, plucks and stashes it as she is already well fed. She sits on the ledge until 17:35 when she picks up the stashed pigeon and plucks and flies off with it. The male arrives with freshly plucked pigeon at 19:40 but neither youngster is around so he leaves it on the platform and sits on the ledge with a full crop. He remains on the ledge until midnight at least.
29 June – the male flies off at 5:15. There is no more activity on camera until he returns at 18:50 when he picks up some scraps and feeds on them, flying off with the remains at 19:05. The female arrives an hour later and also feeds on scraps. She sits on the ledge until 20:25 when she is almost knocked off by the incoming TJC. Ten minutes later, THC arrives and the siblings remain on the ledge for the rest of the evening.
30 June – the siblings remain huddled together on the ledge until 4:10 when THC goes for a walk across the platform but quickly returns. At 4:20, TJC sees something in the sky and flies off and is followed by THC. The male lands briefly pursued by THC who remains on the platform and is soon joined by TJC. Neither stay long. At 5:45, the female lands carrying fresh Feral Pigeon prey and is followed by the two juveniles. He plucks the meal, but it is dragged from him by THC. The male flies out and THC continues the plucking; TJC flies off. THC feeds until 6:35 when it sits on the ledge with a full crop. The female flies in at 6:55 and grabs the pigeon remains and plucks it. TJC lands next to its sibling and five minutes later is fed by the female. It has had its fill at 7:15 and sits on the ledge. The female flies off with the remains. Both youngsters look well fed. TJC flies off at 7:25 but THC remains and falls asleep lying on the platform at 8:05. TJC is back at 8:25 and bonds with its sibling but leaves 15 minutes later. THC remains on the platform until flying off at 13:30. A Woodpigeon lands at 16:45 and feeds through the stones on the platform, eventually flying off at 17:25. The female lands a few moments later and picks at a few scraps, then sits on the ledge for five minutes. TJC arrives on the ledge at 18:50 and flies of an hour later. TJC is back at 21:35 and settles on the ledge for the rest of the evening.