MAY 2022
1 May – the female is alert and watching the skies from 3:45. The male arrives at 4:40 and takes over incubation. There is a changeover at 5:35. He returns at 6:10 but she sits tight so he flies off; she falls asleep. She takes a short flight at 6:50 but is quickly back on the eggs. The male is back at 7:45 and the female flies out. She returns at 9:55 carrying the scraps of a recent meal; he leaves. She feeds on it for a few minutes, then flies off with it, and is back at 10:00. She leaves briefly at 12:20 and he lands briefly at 12:40. He returns at 15:35 to relieve the female. He flies off when she returns at 16:05 carrying the remains of a previous meal. She feeds on it then flies off. He returns to cover the eggs at 16:15. The female flies in a few moments later, sees NM on the eggs and leaves him to incubate. She takes over at 16:50. He lands briefly at 18:20 and she remains on the eggs until midnight at least. Incubation Time: Female 18h:30m; Male 05h:10m; Total 23h:40m.
2 May – the male flies in at 4:15 and takes over incubation. He flies out in a hurry an hour later. She covers the eggs at 5:20 but leaves quickly at 5:50 so the male takes over. She returns at 7:05 to resume incubation. An hour later, she flies out in a rush, returns a few minutes later but is quickly off again. The male arrives at 8:15 to cover the eggs until 9:00 when the female returns. She rushes off again at 10:15 and the male flies in ten minutes later to cover the eggs. She is back at 10:40 to resume and he leaves. She rushes off at 13:25, returning ten minutes later and away again at 14:10. The male covers the eggs five minutes later. He flies out at 15:10 but returns quickly to the eggs. He rushes to the edge at 16:15 and flies off. He lands a few moments later, then leaves soon after. The female returns at 16:20 carrying the remains of a meal. She tries to stash it by a column before flying off with it. The male is back on the eggs at 16:25 but is replaced by the female ten minutes later. She remains incubating for the rest of the evening. Incubation Time: Female 17h:45m; Male 05h:25m; Total 23h:10m.
3 May – the male takes over incubation at 3:50. The female returns to resume at 6:40 and at 10:50 she takes a quick flight but is soon on the eggs. The male is back at 11:20 to take up his duties. He flies out at 13:55 when she arrives with partially-eaten Feral Pigeon prey but does not feed until he has left. She stashes it, then covers the eggs. She flies out quickly 25 minutes later but is soon back. The male arrives at 16:00 to replace the female. She returns at 16:45 and picks up the stashed pigeon from earlier in the day. The male flies off and she feeds. She returns to the eggs after feeding for ten minutes. The male is back calling at 20:10 and the female collects her stashed meal and flies off; he covers the eggs. She returns at 20:45 to incubate for the rest of the evening. Incubation Time: Female 17h:00m; Male 06h:45m; Total 23h:45m.
4 May – the male arrives at 5:05 to take over incubation. The female is back at 7:15 to resume and he flies out. She leaves in a rush at 11:50 but is back ten minutes later. The male flies in at 12:10 and replaces the female on the eggs. He sees something in the skies at 13:25 and flies out. The female resumes incubation five minutes later. The male returns to replace her at 15:00 but takes a short flight five minutes later. The female lands at 16:25 and they leave together; the male is back on the eggs a few minutes later but is replaced by the female at 16:35. The male pays a quick visit at 18:40 but the female remains tight on the eggs. Something disturbs her at 19:05 and she flies out; the male takes over five minutes later. They swap at 19:35 and the female remains for the rest of the evening. Incubation Time: Female 18h:15m; Male 05h:25m; Total 23h:40m.
5 May – the male flies in with remnants of stashed prey at 4:55. He flies off with them and the female follows. He returns quickly to cover the eggs. The female is back at 6:50 and replaces the male. She is off at 7:40 and he takes over. The female lands briefly at 7:55 with very fresh Feral Pigeon prey. The male remains on the eggs; she flies off. She returns to take over at 10:15. There is another changeover at 12:50 and the female resumes again at 15:30 remaining on the eggs until midnight at least. Incubation Time: Female 16h:50m; Male 07h:05m; Total 23h:55m.
6 May – the male arrives at 4:20 to take over incubation and the female leaves. She is back at 6:40 and takes over. There is another changeover at 8:10. The female is back to resume at 11:00 and he returns at 13:05. She is back again at 14:50 to take over; the male leaves. He is back briefly at 17:15 but the female sits tight. She flies out quickly at 18:10 returning five minutes later. She remains on the eggs for the rest of the evening. Incubation Time: Female 17h:00m; Male 06h:55m; Total 23h:55m.
7 May – the male arrives at 4:45 and the female flies out. He leaves quickly at 6:45 but is soon back. The female returns at 7:50 to take over. She leaves in a rush at 9:05 and the male takes over for ten minutes. There is another changeover at 11:40. She lands briefly at 12:15 carrying stashed prey but the male remains on the eggs. He leaves when she returns at 13:10. Something takes her attention, and she is off at 15:55. The male arrives on the platform and watches her for five minutes then covers the eggs. She is back at 16:25 but the male is reluctant to give up incubation, so she sits in the box for a few minutes. As she approaches, he leaves at 16:30. She sits tight on the eggs for the rest of the evening. Incubation Time: Female 18h:40m; Male 05h:10m; Total 23h:50m.
8 May – the female flies out when the male arrives at 4:20. The female resumes at 5:45. The male is back at 7:35 and sits on the platform for a few minutes but the female remains on the eggs. She leaves at 10:30 and the male takes over for 25 minutes. there is another swap at 10:55 and again at 11:35. He remains on the eggs until 15:30 when the female eventually returns. The male arrives at 19:20 with a piece of scrap food that he presents to the female. She leaves with her meal a few minutes later and the male covers the eggs. She is back at 19:35 to resume and continues for the rest of the evening. Incubation Time: Female 18h:00m; Male 06h:00m; Total 24h:00m.
9 May – the female remains on the eggs through the night but gets a bit fidgety at 4:45 and five minutes later she can be seen eating part of an eggshell. The male lands at 5:00, presumably to take over, but she ignores him and settles down; he flies off. A few minutes later, there is the sight of a newly-hatched chick. Despite all the issues with lack of incubation due to fending off intruders and then the loss of the resident male, this female still managed to produce a viable egg and a chick – miracles do happen. She flies out at 6:35 and leaves the chick exposed. A definite crack can be seen in a second egg, could this possibly be another chick hatching? She is quickly back and covers her precious offspring. The male lands again at 6:45 but the female remains fast in the scrape; he flies off. He is back for a third time at 7:50 but she will not yield. He is back again at 9:05 and this time the female leaves and he sees the chick for the first time. He checks that it is moving and then incubates it and the three eggs. The female brings in its first meal a few minutes later. The male leaves, but rather than feed the chick, the female feeds herself then flies off. The male returns to cover the chick. She is back at 9:25 but the male will not move until she forces him off; she covers the chick and eggs. The male returns briefly ten minutes later and again at 12:10. She flies out at 16:00 leaving the chick and remaining eggs for a few minutes. The male arrives at 17:10 with Feral Pigeon prey which the female takes from him. She stashes it in the box and returns to the chick and eggs. She does not feed the chick until 18:00 and it is soon full and she resumes incubation. At 18:55, the female feeds herself on the stashed pigeon, then flies off. She is soon back to continue incubation until midnight at least.
10 May – the female sits tight on the scrape until 6:50 when she feeds the chick with the stashed pigeon. She re-stashes the remains ten minutes later and resumes incubation. The crack in the second egg appears to be widening and the female gives it a helping hand, then resumes incubation. At 7:45 the female rises to reveal the emergence of a second chick. She quickly tucks it in and continues incubation. She partially eats the discarded eggshell an hour later. At 8:50, the male lands with a small item of prey but the female ignores him and he leaves with it. The female flies out urgently at 9:25 with little regard to the safety of the chicks and eggs, but is back on the scrape a few minutes. The male lands at 9:30, sees the stashed pigeon and flies off with it. He lands on the platform with more food at 11:40 but the movement of the female scares him off with the meal. She flies out again at 12:20 and the male flies in to incubate. He leaves quickly when the female returns at 12:55. She looks out from the ledge for a few minutes at 12:25. The male arrives with a small meal at 14:45 and the female takes it from him and feeds both chicks. The male flies in at 16:25 and takes over incubation as the female leaves. She is back at 17:05 and he flies out. She leaves at pace at 20:10 and the male returns to cover the chicks, but he too soon leaves in a rush. The female is back a few minutes later. The male flies in with food at 20:55 – a Blackbird. She plucks and feeds the chicks. She is back incubating after ten minutes and remains tight until midnight at least.
11 May – the male arrives with a meal at 4:45. She takes it from him, and he goes to the scrape. She is back ten minutes later and he flies out. She feeds the chicks and stashes the remains at 5:05, then resumes incubation. The male is back with another meal at 7:15 – a Starling, and she feeds the chicks for ten minutes, then stashes the remains. He is back at 9:10 with another small item which the female feeds to the chicks. She leaves in a rush at 9:50 and the male flies in but she is back before he can incubate; he leaves. The female remains tight on the chicks through the heavy rain. She leaves in a rush at 12:35 but soon returns. She finds some stashed prey and feeds the chicks. The male brings in another meal at 13:30 and she takes it from him and stashes it. She is off again at 13:50 but is back five minutes later. At 15:20, she feeds the stashed meal to the chicks for ten minutes, then flies out. The male comes in at 15:35 and incubates until 17:10 when he looks out from the ledge before returning to the chicks. He flies out at 17:40 and the female soon back and feeds the chicks from a stashed meal. The male brings in another Starling at 18:10. The female sits tight, so the male stashes it by a column. She eventually feeds the chicks at 20:20 for five minutes then resumes incubation. The male is back at 20:30 and plucks the stashed Starling and takes it to the female. She ignores him so he feeds on it, then stashes the remains and flies out. She incubates for the rest of the evening.
12 May – the male flies in with prey at 3:00 but quickly leaves. He is back 25 minutes later and presents it to the female. He flies out and she feeds the chicks. He is back and finds a small piece of stashed food which he tries to give to the female but she ignores him, so he eats it and flies off. He is back at 6:50 with another meal and the female takes it from him. He leaves and she feeds the young. She flies off with the remains ten minutes later and the male arrives for incubation duties. He check where the female is at 7:50 and he returns to the scrape but she immediately returns so he flies out. She leaves quickly at 9:35 but is back after five minutes. She is off again at 10:55 and the male arrives to do some incubation but the female quickly back with a small item to feed the chicks; he leaves. The male is back with a scrap at 11:25 but the female is not interested so he eats it and leaves. At 12:50, she finds a stashed item and feeds the chicks. She flies out as the male arrives at 13:55. He finds a stashed item and feeds the chicks, then incubates them. He leaves at 14:35 when the female returns with colour-dyed pigeon. She stashes it as they have already fed. She flies out at 16:15 and is replaced by the male. He is distracted by the pick colour-dyed pigeon and drags it around the box and re-stashes it. He then goes back into the box and covers the chicks. The female is back at 16:30, picks up the coloured pigeon and feeds the chicks – the male leaves. She stashes the remains and incubates. At 18:35, she feeds on the pigeon then feeds it to the young before resuming incubation. The male brings in another meal at 19:20. The female takes it from him but the chicks are well fed so she flies out with it. She returns a few minutes later with the meal and stashes it; the male flies out. He bring more food in at 20:00 and the female takes it but the chicks are still too full. She stashes it and incubates for the rest of the evening.
13 May – the male arrives at 4:45 and the female flies out. She is back quickly carrying stashed prey that she feeds to the chicks. She flies off after ten minutes and the male arrives to incubate. He flies out at 6:00 but is back to resume a few minutes later. The female returns at 6:35 and appears to be limping and incubates the chicks. The male is back with a small meal at 7:25. The female sits tight so he eats it. She picks up a stashed item and feeds the young and flies out with the remains at 7:35 but is soon back incubating. She is off at 9:15 returning to the chicks 20 minutes later. She feeds them from stashed prey at 11:45. She flies off an hour later and the male comes in to incubate. She replaces him at 13:00. He returns with food 45 minutes later and she feeds the young. She flies out at 14:45 and the male incubates but she is soon back to take over and he leaves. She is off again at 15:25 and the male incubates. She is back ten minutes later and displaces him. She flies out at 16:45 for 15 minutes. She is gone again at 17:40 for 25 minutes returning with a pigeon meal which she feeds to the chick, then stashes the remains and resumes incubation. There is another feed of the pigeon at 19:00, then she flies out with the remains. The male returns to incubate but is replaced by the female at 19:15 who covers the chicks for the rest of the evening.
14 May – the male arrives at 4:25 and there is a swap over. He leaves ten minutes later when she arrives with pigeon prey. He sits on the ledge whilst she feeds the chicks, then incubates when she flies out with the remains. She forces him off at 4:55 and when he returns with a meal at 6:55 she takes it from him. She feeds the chick, then flies off with the remains. The male tries to incubate but she soon displaces him. She flies out at 8:50 and returns with stashed prey. The male lands and watches the feed. He incubates when she leaves with the remains at 9:00 but there is a swap ten minutes later. She remains tight on the chicks for over four hours then feeds them on stashed prey at 13:10, flying off with the remains after ten minutes but quickly resumes incubation. The male arrives with stashed prey at 14:05 and the female feeds the chicks for five minutes before stashing the remains. She feeds them once again at 16:50. She flies off at 18:25 and the male arrives to feed the chicks on stashed prey. He then covers them at 18:45 but leaves five minutes later when the female arrives with more food. They are well fed so she stashes the prey and incubates. At 19:30 she feeds herself, then flies off with the remains, returning a few moments later. She picks up a stashed item at 20:05 but the young are not interested and so she replaces it. She continues to incubate for the rest of the evening.
15 May – the female looks up and flies out at 1:05. She returns 20 minutes later with Woodpigeon prey that she stashes. The chicks are sleeping so she makes no attempt to feed them but covers them and falls asleep. At 5:15, she plucks the pigeon on the platform and flies out with it. The male incubates at 5:30 until the female returns with the pigeon at 5:50, but quickly leaves with it. She is soon back to incubate the chicks. The male arrives at 7:40 and picks some scraps to give to the female that she feeds to the chicks; he flies out. She leaves at 8:55 and is quickly back with stashed pigeon prey. They have finished feeding after ten minutes and she stashes the remains. The male arrives at 9:55, sees the stashed pigeon and drags it out. The female snatches it from him and feeds the young; he flies out. She soon resumes incubation. He is back with fresh Feral Pigeon prey at 12:05. The female takes it from him and tries to stash it but then leaves with it. The male flies in and incubates until the female arrives with the pigeon, now plucked, at 12:25. He leaves and she feeds the young, then stashes the meal and incubates. She flies out at 13:35 and the male takes over incubation until she returns at 15:05. She feeds them stashed pigeon, then incubates. At 17:55, she finds more stashed pigeon to feed the young. She stashes the remains and flies out at 18:05 but is soon back with the chicks. The male brings in more stashed food at 19:05 and the female feeds the chicks. She flies out and he incubates until she returns at 19:20. She is off an hour later returning with more stashed pigeon. They have finished feeding at 20:35 and she leaves with the remains but is back quickly. She falls asleep incubating.
16 May – the female remains covering the chicks until 4:45 when the male arrives. She flies out and he stands over them. She is back ten minutes later to resume incubation and he flies off. He is back at 5:20 with a scrap of food that the female takes from him and feeds the chicks; he leaves. The female flies off with the remainder after 15 minutes and the male arrives ten minutes later to cover the young but he is quickly replaced by the female and he flies off. She flies out at 6:55 and returns at 7:05. She is off again at 8:40 returning five minutes later with more scraps. She feeds the young watched by the male who is now sitting on the ledge. She leaves with the remains after ten minutes. The male feeds on scraps left on the platform, then shelters the chicks at 9:05 but the female is back after a few minutes to take over. She walks to the ledge briefly at 10:55. The male flies in at 11:20 with another scrap which the female retrieves and feeds to the young. She leaves with the remains after ten minutes. The male arrives and sits down next to the young, then covers them. He remains until the female returns at 12:25. He flies out and she resumes incubation. He is back a few moments later with a small scrap that he presents to the female, and she feeds to the young; he flies off. She covers them after five minutes when they have finished eating. He is back with more food at 14:45 and the female accepts it and feeds the chicks; he sits on the ledge. She flies off at 14:55 and he sits beside the young, then incubates them at 15:10. The female replaces him at 15:25 and he leaves. She flies out at 16:50 and returns with more food ten minutes later. They have finished eating at 17:15 but she leaves the scraps close by and covers the young. The male arrives at 17:30 with yet more food and feeds the chicks again, the seventh feed of the day. She flies off with the remains after five minutes and the male flies in, but before he is able to cover the chicks, the female returns to continue incubation; he leaves. The female flies out at 18:05 and the male arrives at 18:15 with what looks like the remains of the previous meal and starts to feed the young. The female returns at 18:20, snatches the meal from him; he flies out and she takes over. She covers the chicks at 18:25 but leaves 30 minutes later. The young remain exposed and she eventually returns at 20:00 to resume incubation and continues through the night.
17 May – the male arrives at 4:45 and the female flies out. He stands over the chicks but does not fully cover them. The female returns at 5:10 and walks to the ledge an hour later, probably looking for the first feed of the day. Nothing is forthcoming so she checks on the chicks then flies out. She is back a few moments later with some scraps and feeds the young. She takes it away after ten minutes and returns to cover the young at 6:40. The male brings more food in at 7:00 then leaves. She feeds the young for ten minutes then takes the remains away. She is back a few moments later but then flies out again. She returns at 7:15 carrying very fresh Feral Pigeon prey, then flies off with it. She is back briefly at 7:35 with her meal now fully plucked. She returns at 7:50 and covers the chicks. The male is back at 9:35 with more food and she feeds them for ten minutes then flies out. The male flies in and stands over the chicks, sheltering them. He gives way to the female at 10:15. At 11:10, she sees something in the skies and flies out. The male arrives five minutes later and covers the eggs until the female returns at 11:25. He brings in a small meal at 11:45 and the female feeds it to the chicks. She then stands over them until 14:15 when she flies off. She is back with food five minutes later and feeds the chicks. She moves to the ledge ten minutes later and looks around, before returning to the chicks. The male is back at 15:15 with another meal which he gives to the female; he watches from the ledge. She flies off with the remains at 15:25 and he moves to stand over the chicks. He walks to the ledge and checks to see where the female is at 16:40 before returning to the chicks. He flies out briefly at 17:15, then returns to the scrape, but is off quickly a few moments later. The female lands at 17:30 but quickly leaves but is back five minutes later and covers the young. The female flies off again at 18:45 and she returns with another item of food a few moments later. She covers the young at 19:00. The male flies in with a meal 20 minutes later. The female takes it from him and feeds the chicks. She leaves with the remains at 19:25 and returns to settle down for the rest of the evening.
18 May – the female stands over her chicks until 3:05 when she fully incubates them. The male arrives at 4:35 but soon leaves. They are getting restless under the female and at 5:25 she goes to the ledge and calls loudly; the chicks are also very vocal. She returns and covers them, flies off at 6:05 and quickly returns with their first meal of the day. She leaves with the remains ten minutes later. The male flies in at 6:20, walks around the box then looks out from the platform. At 6:35 he briefly shades the young from the morning sun, then flies off. The female is back at 7:00. The chicks are beginning to be mobile and are on the edge of the scrape. She eventually gets the two together and incubates. She flies off at 8:15 and the shadow of the columns shade the young. She is back at 8:45 and covers the chicks. At 9:10, the female has broken one of the two unhatched eggs and eats the contents and some of the shell. This is quite normal and recycles some of the protein and calcium. The male arrives with a meal for the young at 9:15. She takes it from him and feeds them, flying off with the remains after ten minutes. She is soon back to cover the young again. She leaves at 10:30 and is replaced by the male until he flies off at 10:50. He returns briefly a few moments later calling and is back for a few moments at 11:00. He flies in at 11:20 and covers the young but keeps looking at the discarded, damaged egg. He flies out at 11:35 and returns ten minutes later carrying a large Feral Pigeon to feed the young, leaving with the remains at 12:00. However, the female must have intercepted him as she flies in carrying exact same meal. The young are well fed and do not respond, so she stashes the meal at the back of the box. She covers the chicks as the male arrives at 12:10. He stands on the ledge until 12:35 when he flies off. The female leaves at 12:50 and the chicks lie in the scrape. The male lands briefly a few minutes later. The female is back at 13:00 and retrieves the stash to feed the chicks; this time they are receptive. The male watches from the ledge, then covers the chicks when the female flies out with the remains at 13:10. She takes over ten minutes later and is still trying to incubate the remaining egg. At 16:00, she walks to the ledge three times and calls; no doubt asking for more food to be brought in. The male responds by bringing in a small prey item 15 minutes later. She flies off at 16:30 and he returns. Again, he checks the broken egg before sheltering the chicks. He is replaced by the female at 17:35 carrying the remains of a pigeon from earlier. She is off after ten minutes, returning quickly to cover they young. The male is back at 18:30 with a Collared Dove for the female to feed chicks. They are already looking well fed and only take a small amount. The female stashes the dove by a column and covers the young for the rest of the evening.
19 May – the chicks are quite fidgety throughout the night and whilst the female keeps them sheltered, she does not fully cover them. She flies off at 4:50 and the male flies in, picks up the stashed dove and feeds the chicks. The female returns quickly, grabs the meal from the male and continues feeding the young; he flies off. She leaves with the remains at 5:05. She is back ten minutes later to cover the chicks. At 5:40 and again at 6:10, she has a quick look from the platform, then returns to the scrape. She flies off at 6:40 and is back at 7:10 and has another quick look out from the ledge at 7:25. She searches the box looking for food, then flies out at 7:40. She is back after five minutes with stashed prey which she feeds to the young. She leaves with the remains at 8:00 and is soon back covering them. The male brings in another small item at 8:50 and she feeds the young again. She is off with the remnants at 8:55. The unhatched egg is still in the scrape with the chicks. The female returns at 9:20 to cover the young until 10:35 when she flies off. The male arrives at 10:50 and checks the box, then shelters the chicks. The female is back five minutes later to take over; he leaves. She takes a quick look out at 11:40, no doubt asking for more food having been last fed more than three hours ago. She walks to the ledge again at 12:40, then flies off at 12:55. She returns with a small item of prey and feeds the young, then shelters them. She flies off at 13:20 and the male flies in and covers the chicks. He is off at 13:55 and the female returns at 14:15. She leaves after 40 minutes. She is back with another meal at 15:05 and feeds for ten minutes, then flies off, returning to cover the chicks. The male arrives at 16:10 with another meal which the female takes from him and feeds the chicks whilst he watches from the ledge. She leaves after ten minutes feeding, and he shelters the chicks. The female takes over at 17:55 during which time he looked out from the platform five times. The female leaves at 19:00 returning quickly with the male who is carrying the next meal. She takes if rom him and feeds the young. She flies off at 19:15 and returns 20 minutes later to resume incubation. The male is back with another meal at 20:15. The female takes it from him and feeds the chicks. They are well fed by 20:25 and she flies off, returning to resume incubation. At 21:05, she is off again and returns with yet another meal a few minutes later. This time the feed is short, and she soon flies out with the remains. She is back quickly and covers the young for the remainder of the evening.
20 May – breakfast is early today; the male brings in prey at 4:40. The female takes it from him and feeds the young, then leaves with the remains ten minutes later. The male flies in and after trying to feed the chicks on scraps (they are too full), he shelters them in the box. The female is back at 5:15 to take over and he leaves. She flies out at 6:20 and the chicks are starting to stretch both legs and wings, and the first signs of pin feathers are now showing. She is back at 6:55 and picks up some stashed food that she feeds the chicks; she is off at 7:00, returning soon after to cover them. She takes a ten-minute flight at 8:10 and is off again at 9:35, returning quickly with scraps from a previous meal. The male flies in at 10:05 and presents more food. Rather than feed the young, she flies off and he covers the chicks before moving to the ledge. He flies off at 10:30 and quickly returns, checks the box then sits on the ledge until 10:55 when he checks on the chicks, then flies off. He is back at 11:20 followed by the female carrying prey; she feeds the young and leaves at 11:35, returning to cover the chicks. They are growing so large that even she is having problems covering them fully; she falls asleep. At 12:25, she walks to the ledge and looks out calling, then returns to the chicks. She checks again at 13:30. The male flies in at 13:45 with a small prey item which the female accepts and feeds the young for ten minutes, then leaves. The male flies in to cover the chicks at 14:00 but quickly moves to the ledge then flies off 15 minutes later. The female is back at 14:45 and covers the chicks and the remaining egg. She leaves after 30 minutes but returns quickly. She is off again at 15:55, returning with another meal at 16:20. She leaves after five minutes; they have finished eating. She is back with a more substantial meal at 16:40. She feeds them for ten minutes, then removes the remains. The pair are back at 17:45 and the female covers the young; the male sits on the ledge with a very full crop watching the activity below the platform. The female flies out at 19:35 leaving the male on the ledge. She returns with another meal at 19:45; the male leaves. She flies off with the remains after ten minutes. She is soon back to cover the young but is off quickly at 20:00 for five minutes. She returns and remains, covering the chicks through the night.
21 May – at 1:50, the male flies in with Swift prey and initially stashes it by a column, but then flies off with it. He returns a few minutes later and stashes it, then leaves. The female flies out at 5:25 and the male flies in. He picks up the stashed Swift and starts to pluck it. The female returns, snatches the meal from him and feeds the chicks. She leaves at 5:45 and returns at 6:35 to cover them. She flies out at 7:05 and is back an hour later. She is off again at 9:30 and returns with stashed food. She leaves with the remains at 9:40 returning to cover the young. The male flies in five minutes later carrying another food item. He is a little late and the female does not take it from him; he stashes it and flies off. The female flies off at 10:05 and the male lands, checks the chicks, then flies off. The female returns, picks up the stashed meal and feeds the chicks, flying off at 10:20. She is back covering them a few minutes later. She is off again at 11:35 and is back 20 minutes later. She walks to the ledge for ten minutes at 12:05 and is off again at 13:15 returning after ten minutes. She then leaves at 13:30 and the male lands briefly. He is back at 13:50 with a meal and goes to feed the chicks. The female swoops in to snatch it from him and take over; he flies out. She leaves at 14:00 once they have fed. The male flies in and shelters the chicks who are now out of the scrape. It seems that the ‘scrape’ has migrated even further to the left and now tucked up in the corner. He leaves when the female returns at 15:15. She is off after a few minutes and returns at 16:55 with scraps for a meal, then covers the young. The male arrives with more substantial prey at 18:00. She grabs it from him and feeds the young; he watches from the ledge. She flies off with the remains after ten minutes and the chicks settle down in the scrape. The male sits on the ledge until 20:20 when he checks on the chicks then flies off. The female immediately flies in with a small item and feeds them and covers them when they have fed. She leaves at 21:05 and returns after 45 minutes. The male brings in food at 23:05 but the female does not take it from him, so he flies off with it. He is back with it ten minutes later; the same result – he flies off with it. She shelters the chicks for the rest of the evening.
22 May – the female walks to the ledge at 5:30 and calls to the male. He flies in with Starling prey 15 minutes later. She snatches it from him and takes it to feed the chicks; he leaves. She is off with the remains at 6:00. The male arrives at 7:05, checks on the chicks, then leaves, is back a few moments later, checks in the box for food then flies out. The female returns at 7:35 and covers the young. At 8:30, the male brings in a meal which she takes from him and feeds the chicks. She flies out with the remains after ten minutes. The male lands briefly at 9:15 but is quickly replaced by the female. She goes into the box and shelters the chicks. She leaves after ten minutes, returning at 10:05. Strangely, she incubates the lone egg for five minutes, then flies off. The male arrives at 11:05 but remains on the ledge looking out until flying off at 11:30. He is back at 12:05 and leaves after ten minutes. The chicks are becoming more active and moving out of the scrape. The female returns at 12:40 and shelters them. She flies out at 13:00 and returns 20 minutes later with a meal for the chicks. They have finished feeding at 13:35 and she covers them; she is off again at 14:05. The male lands at 14:30 for ten minutes and is back on the ledge at 15:25 for five minutes. The female is back at 15:55 with another meal which she plucks on the platform, then feeds to the chicks. Once fed, she flies off with the remains. The male lands with a smaller meal at 16:35 and goes to feed the chicks. The female follows immediately and tries to take it from him, but he walks to the ledge with it and flies off. She shelters the young. He is back with the meal at 16:45 but sits on the ledge as the female remains with the chicks; there is a bit of a stand-off. Eventually, at 17:50, she walks to the ledge, and he relents and gives over the meal; she feeds the young. She leaves at 18:00 and returns at 19:10 with another meal, the leaves with the remains at 19:30. She is back at 20:35 to cover the chicks. The male arrives with a stashed meal at 20:50 and the female feeds the young for five minutes, then leaves with the remains. She returns to cover the chicks for the rest of the evening at 21:30.
23 May – the female walks to the ledge at 5:15 and flies off at 5:40 to be replaced briefly by the male. She returns at 6:05 carrying fresh Feral/Racing Pigeon prey – one that has been colour-dyed orange. She plucks it in the box and feeds the chicks, then stashes the remains. She then covers the chicks, flying off at 6:25. The male arrives an hour later and sits on the ledge until 8:05 when he collects the stashed pigeon and feeds the young. The female arrives and watches him, then takes the meal from him, and he flies out. One of the chicks has walked out of the scrape to the middle of the box and gets fed first. She has finished feeding and stashes the remains at 8:20; she flies off. He is back on the ledge at 8:40. By 9:00, both chicks have moved out the scrape and are closer to the right-hand corner. The male leaves at 10:20 and returns to the ledge ten minutes later, closely followed by the female bringing in another meal. She leaves with the remains 15 minutes later. The male is still on the ledge and at 11:00 picks up the stashed pigeon from earlier to feed the chicks. They are already well fed and so he stashes the prey again, then goes into the box to shelter the young. He moves back to the ledge at 11:25, flying off at 12:15. He returns at 13:00. Picks up the stashed pigeon and feeds the chicks. He has finished feeding at 13:30, leaves scraps lying around the box and sits on the ledge. The female arrives five minutes later, picks up the discarded remains and feeds on them. At 13:45, she tries to feed the reluctant chicks. She flies off with scraps at 13:55. She returns a few minutes later and feeds on scraps left in the box; a bit of a tidy up. The female is back at 16:20 and looks around the box for food. Not finding any, she sits on the ledge opposite the male. They both fly off at 16:30 but the male is soon back. He goes into the box 20 minutes later but quickly returns to the ledge, then leaves. The female is back in the box at 17:10 but soon moves to the ledge, flying off after 30 minutes. She returns at 17:50, flies off at 18:00 and returns with scraps from a previous meal. The larger of the two chicks walks towards her to be fed, the second follows soon after. They have finished at 18:35 and walk back into the corner. Strangely, the female then decides to incubate the exposed egg. The two chicks huddle together in the corner. At 19:35, the larger chick walks towards the female who acknowledges it but continues to incubate the egg. The chick walks to the left corner and is protected by the female. However, at 19:50, the chick decides to leave the shelter of the female and walks back to its sibling; they huddle together. At 20:00, the female leaves the egg and goes to the chicks but five minutes later is back on the egg – the urge to incubate is obviously very deep seated. She remains on the egg leaving the chicks exposed until midnight at least.
24 May – the chicks remain huddled together whilst the female incubates the sole egg until 1:20 when she moves to the ledge, then flies off. She returns at 2:05, stands over the egg and falls asleep, with the chicks in the opposite corner. She moves to the ledge at 5:10, ignoring the chicks, and flies off ten minutes later. The pair arrive together at 5:40, the male carrying fresh prey which the female snatches from him; he leaves. She plucks the meal on the platform and takes it to feed the young until 5:55 when she flies off with the remains. The chicks snuggle into the corner. She is back at 6:40 and after a quick check on the chicks, settles down on the egg again. At 7:10, she goes to the chicks and shelters them; the first contact for a considerable time. She walks away ten minutes later, then flies off. She is back at 8:20 with another meal for the young. It was a long feed and they finish eating at 8:55 and the female covers them for a few minutes, then incubates the egg. She returns to cover the chicks at 9:05. At 9:15, the male arrives with a small meal which the female takes from him. She feeds it to the chicks, then covers them whilst he sits on the ledge. She flies out at 10:20 and he goes into the box but intriguingly, he too incubates the egg rather than protect the chicks. He moves to the ledge after ten minutes, shelters the chicks for five minutes at 10:40, then sits on the ledge. The female is back at 10:55 and immediately incubates the egg, he flies off. She is back on the ledge at 11:05 until 11:45 when the male is back with more food. She takes it from him and feed the young, leaving with the remains at 12:00 whilst he sits on the ledge. He checks on the young at 12:10 and shelters them for a few minutes before returning to the ledge. The female is back at 12:40 and he flies off. She goes to the chicks and shelters them until 13:00 when she checks the egg then sits on the ledge. The chicks remain in the corner hardly moving. She flies off at 13:15 until 14:30 when she returns to cover the chicks for ten minutes, then moves to the ledge where she remains until 16:15 when the male arrives with another meal. She takes it from him and plucks it on the platform; he flies off. She then feeds the young for ten minutes and flies out with the remains. She returns quickly and shelters the chicks until 16:40 when she goes to the ledge. She takes a couple of short flights at 17:40, checks on the chicks, then returns to the ledge. She flies off at 18:00 and returns a few minutes later with another small meal which she feeds to the chicks and flies off at 18:10. The male arrives five minutes later and sits on the ledge for 30 minutes. At last, the chicks start to move around in the box briefly, the largest flapping its wings. The female arrives with more food at 19:10 and feeds the young for 15 minutes, then flies out with the remains. The male arrives with food at 19:45 and he feeds them for five minutes, then he leaves. The female is back at 20:30 and shelters the chicks for five minutes before incubating the egg. At 20:40, the male arrives with scraps that the female takes to feed the young. They are already well fed and refuse the meal, so she flies off, quickly returning to sit on the ledge where she remains until 23:35. Once again, the chicks are unprotected in the corner of the box until midnight at least.
25 May – the female returns at 00:20 and after lying in the stones for a few moments, shelters the chicks and falls asleep. At 4:55, she walks to the ledge until 5:30, when she returns to the chicks to shelter them, but she soon leaves them and flies out. They huddle together in the corner. She is back on the ledge at 5:45, checks on the chicks ten minutes later, then flies off. She is soon back carrying stashed prey to feed the young. There is nothing left after 15 minutes, and she flies out. She returns at 6:45 and shelters the young until 8:05 when the male arrives with fresh prey. She takes it and feeds the chicks; he flies off. They have finished the meal in ten minutes, and she flies out. The male lands on the ledge at 8:45. He walks around the box looking for scraps then flies off after ten minutes. He is back at 9:05 and after ten minutes checks and the egg, then flies out. The female shelters the chicks at 9:55 and the male brings in a meal at 10:00; he flies off. She feeds the chicks until there is nothing left and she moves to the ledge. She is back in the box with the young at 10:55. She moves on the ledge at 12:25 for ten minutes, then flies off. The male lands at 13:05. He makes a couple of short flights at 14:00 and then brings in fresh prey ten minutes later. The female arrives to relieve him of the meal; he flies off. As the chicks grow, the meals are getting longer, and it takes 25 minutes to finish this one. She moves to the ledge and sits there until 15:25 when she goes into the box and shelters the young. The male is back an hour later with stashed prey which the female takes from him and feeds the young. They are already well fed so after ten minutes she flies out with the remains. The male lands a few minutes later with a full crop. At 18:30, the chicks decide to do a bit of wing stretching; well, the larger of the two. The male remains on the ledge until 19:45 when the female replaces him. She checks on the chicks, then flies out. She is back on the ledge at 20:05 and leaves at 20:40. She returns after five minutes, checks on the chicks and flies off at 21:00. She is back on the ledge at 21:20 for five minutes, and the male is on the ledge at 21:35. He flies off at 23:45 whilst the chicks huddle in the corner unprotected until midnight at least.
26 May – the chicks remain huddled in the corner until 2:05 when the male arrives with a meal. There is nothing left ten minutes later and they resume their huddle whilst he moves to the ledge. He flies off at 4:45 and the female flies in at 5:20. She goes to the chicks and feeds them scraps from the box. She moves back to the ledge after a few minutes then flies off at 5:40. She returns an hour later with a meal. The chicks are well fed 15 minutes later, and she flies off with the remains. They resume their huddle in the corner. The male arrives at 7:55 with a fresh Starling meal. He plucks it on the platform then flies off. He returns with the meal and female at 8:25. She snatches the food from him. He flies off, and she feeds the young. It has gone in ten minutes, and she moves to the ledge. She then shelters the chicks from 9:20 until 10:30 when she moves back to the ledge and flies off at 11:05. The male arrives at 11:20 carrying fresh Feral Pigeon prey which he drags into the box to the young. The female quickly arrives and watches him feed them from the platform. They are well fed 15 minutes later, and he leaves. She picks up the remains of the meal and tries to feed the chicks but they are full and so she flies off with it. The young have a walkabout and wing flap. The female is back in the box checking on the chicks at 11:40, then incubates the egg briefly before sitting on the egg for 15 minutes. One chick is now in each corner of the box and she goes to cover the smaller one. The larger chick makes its way to the opposite corner and huddles with its sibling; the female falls asleep protecting them. The male arrives at 13:35 and the female flies out. He sits on the ledge until 14:35 when he flies off. He is back a few moments later carrying the remains of the previous meal. The female is hot on his heels and snatches the meal from him and feeds the chicks. They are well fed again by 15:05 and she flies off with what little remains, returning a few moments later to sit on the ledge. The chicks sleep huddled in the corner. She flies off at 16:30. The chicks awake at 16:50 and do some wing stretching before returning to their slumbers. She returns at 17:15, checks on the young, then moves to the ledge; she checks again at 17:45. The male arrives with another meal at 18:15 and the female takes it from him; she feeds the chicks. She flies off with the remains 15 minutes later. She returns at 19:20 and tries to feed a discarded feather to the young, then sits on the ledge. She checks on the chicks at 20:05, then sits over the egg before returning to the ledge flying off at 20:40. She soon returns with stashed prey and feeds the chicks, leaving at 21:00. She is back on the ledge 20 minutes later and remains until midnight at least whilst the chicks huddle in the box.
27 May – the male arrives on the ledge at 3:45 and falls asleep. The female flies off at 4:25 and he goes into the box and picks up scraps of food to feed the chicks, then returns to the ledge. He flies off when the female returns at 5:00. She checks on the chicks and the egg and lies down beside the chicks, moving to the ledge after ten minutes leaving at 5:20. She is back at 6:30 carrying stashed prey that she feeds to the chicks. They have finished at 6:55 and she moves to the ledge. The male arrives ten minutes later with fresh prey. Having just fed the chicks, she initially stashes it by a column, then flies off with it. She is back at 7:20 for ten minutes. the male returns with the stashed meal at 7:40 and the female flies in and steals it from him; she feeds the chicks whilst he sits on the ledge; she leaves at 8:00. He flies off at 8:25 when the female returns. She checks on the chicks and shelters them until 9:15 when she flies out. The pair land briefly at 10:55, and the male at 11:20 for ten minutes. The chicks have a walkabout at 11:20 and end up huddled in the opposite corner. The male lands on the ledge at 12:05 and the female flies into the box ten minutes later. She checks on the chicks, then moves to the ledge; the male flies off. She leaves at 13:10 for ten minutes. At 13:55 she checks on the chicks and returns to the ledge, flying off at 14:05. She is back with fresh food at 14:20, returns to the ledge after ten minutes and flies off at 14:45. The male flies in with a large meal at 15:30 and the female immediately arrives to relieve him of it, but she does not feed the chicks until 16:00. They have finished 15 minutes later and she leaves with the remains and is soon back on the ledge. She is joined by the male at 18:00 for 40 minutes. She then checks on the chicks and he flies out when she returns to the ledge. She flies off at 19:55 and returns a few minutes later carrying stashed food. The chicks have finished eating 30 minutes later and she moves to the ledge after stashing the remains. The female remains on the ledge until midnight at least as the chicks huddle in the corner of the box.
28 May – the female flies off just after midnight, returning at 1:35 to sit on the platform and fall asleep. She wakes at 4:25 and goes to cover the chicks. The larger of the chicks decides to go for a short walk at 4:50 but soon returns to the comfort of its sibling and mother. The female walks to the ledge at 5:05 and flies off 15 minutes later. She returns at 5:45 and tries to feed a small scrap to the chicks, then moves back to the ledge. She flies off at 6:20 but is back five minutes later for a look around the box before flying out again. The larger chick goes for another walk. The female is back at 6:35 and a few minutes later the male arrives carrying a fresh meal. She grabs it from him and takes it to the smallest chick to feed. Its sibling watches from the opposite corner for a few minutes then joins breakfast. It is over at 6:50 and the female moves to the ledge for five minutes then returns to cover the smallest chick; the largest is exploring the box, then lies in the sunshine. The female checks out the egg at 7:00 but returns to protect the chick. She is back on the ledge at 7:40 and flies off at 8:20, returning with stashed pigeon at 8:35 to feed the smallest chick; the largest is still lying in the sun. It joins the meal ten minutes later. The female stashes the remains at 8:55 and sits on the ledge; the chicks huddle together in the corner. She flies off at 9:05 and the male returns at 10:45. He picks up the stashed meal and feeds the chicks. He leaves the scraps in the box at 11:05 and flies off. The largest chick walks around the box and flaps its wing, returning to huddle with its sibling ten minutes later; they fall asleep. The female returns at 12:05, picks up the discarded scraps and feeds them to the young, then moves to the ledge. The largest chick goes walkabout again, and the female goes into the box at 12:35 and finds more discarded scraps to feed on. She then incubates the egg at 12:40; this innate behaviour is exceptionally strong. The chicks are back in the corner at 13:00 huddled together. She flies out at 14:25 and the male returns. He too picks up some small scraps and feeds the chicks, flying off soon after. The female is back feeding more scraps at 15:35, then sits on the ledge until 15:55 when she returns to the box and incubates the egg. The smallest chick pecks at her beak at 16:05, no doubt looking to be fed, and she flies off. The chicks are now very mobile and the larger one has managed to find some scraps in the box and is feeding itself. The female is back at 16:10 with a small scrap which does not last long and she is quickly back on the ledge looking out. She leaves at 16:35 and returns carrying a proper meal at 17:10. She leaves with the remains after ten minutes. the chicks huddle together in the corner until 19:55 when the female returns with the remains of the previous meal. They have finished after 15 minutes and the female sits on the ledge. The male arrives at 20:20 with more food and the female takes it from him. He flies off and she leaves with the meal, returning at 21:15 and remains on the ledge until midnight at least.
29 May – the female remains on the ledge and goes into the box on the arrival of the male at 2:45. He soon flies off and she shelters the chicks and falls asleep. She flies out at 5:05 and returns at 6:20 carrying fresh food for the chicks. The largest chick gets fed first and then wanders around the box. She has finished feeding at 6:40 and leaves with the remains. The chicks huddle together at 6:50. The female is back at 8:15 and feeds them scraps from the box, then flies out. The male arrives at 10:00 and checks the box for food, then flies off. The female is back at 10:15 and shelters the chicks for ten minutes, then leaves. She is back at 10:25 with a fresh meal. They have finished after ten minutes, and she flies out. The male lands on the ledge at 12:45 and flies off at 13:00. He is back quickly with another meal and feeds the chicks. The female flies in 15 minutes later and watches, then takes over at 13:25 as he moves to the ledge. The female leaves at 13:35 but the male remains until 15:00. She returns at 15:45 and checks out the box, picking up scraps, then shelters the chicks for a few moments before returning to the ledge. She flies off at 15:55 and the chicks explore the box and do some wing flapping. They are huddling at 16:20. The female is back an hour later with another meal. She leaves with the remains after 15 minutes. She is back at 20:55 and checks on the chicks feeding them small scraps from the box; she quickly moves to the ledge. She shelters them for a few moments at 21:05 but is soon back to the ledge and falls asleep, remaining until at least midnight; the chicks huddle in the corner.
30 May – the chicks remain huddled in the corner with the female on the ledge. The male lands briefly at 4:55, then returns at 5:00 with a small item of prey and feeds it to the chicks. She leaves five minutes later, returning briefly at 6:25. She is back at 7:00 with food for the chicks. She leaves with the remains 20 minutes later. The chicks have a walkabout, then huddle in the corner. She returns briefly at 8:35 and again ten minutes later. The male arrives at 8:55 with another meal. The female grabs it from him; he flies off and she leaves with the meal a few minutes later. The chicks remain huddled in the corner. At 9:50, under license of the British Trust for Ornithology, the two chicks were colour-ringed. In addition, DNA samples were taken which will help us determine the sex of each accurately (most probably one of each) and will be added to a national database. They were returned 20 minutes later none the worse for their adventure and with the adults being unaware of the process. After the chicks were returned, they called loudly, and the female arrives. She checks on them, then moves to the ledge where she remains until 12:10 when she flies off. The male lands at 12:25 but is soon displaced by the female arriving with fresh meal for the chicks. She leaves with the remains 20 minutes later; the chicks fall asleep. At 16:55, the female arrives with another meal. The male drops by to check on the feeding then sits on the ledge. They have finished at 17:20 and the female leaves with the remains. The chicks huddle together and fall asleep; the male remains on the ledge. He checks on the chicks at 18:50, then flies off. He returns a few minutes later with a meal which is quickly taken by the arriving female to feed the young. She flies out at 19:10. The largest, most adventurist chick, decides to go for a walk and reaches the platform. The female immediately arrives to halt its progress and force it back into the box; the female leaves. She is back at 19:35 and checks on the chicks feeding them scraps from the box, then goes to the egg and briefly incubates it. She then stands by the chicks until 20:15 when she moves to the ledge. She goes into the box at 21:50 to shelter the chicks, remaining until midnight at least.
31 May – the female remains in the box with the chicks until 4:30 when she moves to the ledge before flying off 20 minutes later. She is back at 5:05 and goes into the box where she incubates the egg! She returns to the ledge after five minutes and flies off at 5:40. She returns at 6:10 with fresh Feral Pigeon prey that she drags into the box to feed the chicks. She leaves with the remains at 6:25. The chicks go on walkabout for ten minutes then huddle together. She is back feeding them scraps from the box at 7:40, then is back on the ledge. She is off at 7:55 and returns at 9:45 and checks the chicks before quickly leaving. THC (ring) decides to go to the platform and calls at the female. The chick returns to the box and the female flies off at 9:50. She is back a few minutes later with stashed prey. She leaves at 10:05. The chicks go walkabout and THC makes it to the platform. They look out over the city and watch the skies, returning to the box at 10:35. The male returns to the ledge at 11:30. He flies off at 12:25 and returns a few minutes later with a stashed meal to feed the chicks. TJC is the first to finish feeding and goes on a walk around the platform. THC has finished at 12:45 and the male moves to the ledge. The chicks are back huddling at 12:55. The female lands at 13:05 to check the chicks; the male leaves. She is on the ledge a few minutes later then flies off at 13:20. She is back at 15:25 and on the ledge a few minutes later. THC visits her on the platform at 15:30 then returns to the box. She then flies off returning at 16:00 with a meal for the chicks. She leaves with the remains after 15 minutes. The chicks go walkabout then return to the corner of the box but the female is back to keep an eye on them. The male arrives with food at 16:35 but the female forces him out. He is back at 16:50 and the female takes the meal from him; she feeds the chicks for a few minutes, then leaves. They fall asleep and the female is on the ledge at 17:00. The chicks remain hunkered in the corner, and she falls asleep at 21:20 remaining on the ledge until midnight at least.