SEPTEMBER 2019

30 September – the adult female arrives at 6:35 and is joined by the male 10 minutes later. They settle down on opposite ledges, preening and snoozing until 9:00 when the female flies off. He follows a few minutes later and she returns soon after. She goes into the box at 9:50 and calls before flying out a few moments later. She is back quickly and calls loudly and moves into the box again. She is back on the ledge at 10:05. At 11:10, the male arrives and there is calling and bonding. They go into the box briefly and he walks onto the platform before moving to the ledge. They swap places 5 minutes later then he settles on the opposite ledge. Something disturbs the female at 16:20 and she does a lot of wing flapping, then runs at the male and forces him off the ledge; she takes his position. She falls asleep at 16:40 until 17:30, flying off 20 minutes later. There is no further activity this evening.

29 September – the adult female flies in at 6:50 and remains on the ledge preening and snoozing until 12:25 when she moves into the box on the arrival of the male. There is calling between the pair and a few minutes later they are on opposite ledges. The pair remain there until 14:40 when the female flies off. The male leaves at 16:25, returning briefly late in the evening at 23:45, flying off at midnight. 

28 September – the adult male flies in at 5:35 and sits on the ledge until 7:00 when he moves into the box on anticipation of the arrival of the female. He moves back to the ledge when she does not land. Just 5 minutes later she flies in and he walks into the box. There is calling between the pair. After a few minutes they change places and a few moments later she is back on the ledge whilst he is on the platform hiding behind the central column. At 7:20 he moves to the opposite ledge. Their morning is disturbed by the arrival of the calling TFC and the female is the first to fly off. A few moments later the male leaves and is followed by the juvenile. The male is back at 8:55 but before he has time to settle is chased off by TFC. He is back at 9:45 and remains on the ledge until 11:20 when he enters the box on the arrival of the female. A few minutes later, she joins him in the box and there is calling and posturing. before the male moves back to the ledge. The female spends 5 minutes forming scrapes and moving stones around. At 11:35, the male suddenly leaves and the female runs to the ledge to see him go then settles down to preening. She makes a brief flight at 11:50. At 12:05, TFC returns and runs into the box. The female flies off and TFC follows, returning briefly at 15:35. The male is back 15 minutes later and remains on the ledge until 20:15 when he flies off.

27 September – the adult male arrives at 6:35 and remains on the ledge preening until flying off at 8:30. The female flies in at 14:35 with a full crop and remains on the ledge snoozing and preening until 19:15 when she settles down for the evening. Something catches her eye at 21:40 and she flies off.

26 September – the adult female arrives at 8:50 and sits on the ledge until 10:25 when she goes into the box on the arrival of the male. A few moments later, he flies off as TFC flies in and forces the female out of the box onto the ledge. TFC calls at the female from the box for a few minutes then runs at her forcing her to fly from the ledge. TFC follows her. The female returns at 11:00 and the male flies past 40 minutes later and is followed by TFC who forces the female from the ledge, then chases after her. The female lands a few moments later and is joined by the male at 12:10 who goes into the box. He moves to the ledge 30 minutes later when the female flies off. He leaves at 14:30. There is no further activity today.

25 September – the female remains on the ledge from the previous evening until 6:25 when she flies off. The male flies in at 9:40 but leaves 10 minutes later. There is no further activity today.

24 September – a rather wet adult male arrives at 11:15 and starts to preen. He makes a brief flight at 12:45 and leaves 10 minutes later. The pair arrive together at 16:25 with the male going into the box. He moves to the opposite ledge at 17:30. He moves onto the platform briefly at 19:35 and there is calling between the pair before he flies off. She remains on the ledge until midnight at least.

23 September – the adult male arrives at 6:40 but is immediately hounded off and chased by TFC. He is back at 6:45 but is off again when TFC flies in at 7:05 and follows him. The adult female arrives at 7:30 and she moves into the box when the male joins her at 9:00. She remains in the box generating a number of scrapes until 9:35 when the pair swap places. After a few minutes he moves to the opposite ledge and falls asleep. They fly off together when TFC flies in at 13:35 and chases after them. The female is back a few minutes later but is again hounded out by TFC. The female is back at 17:15 and is quickly joined by TFC who sits on the opposite ledge with a full crop. The adult flies off 10 minutes later and TFC  leaves at 18:10. Both adult return at 19:05 with the male going into the box. He is joined briefly by the female but she leaves soon after and he flies off 5 minutes later. 

22 September – the adult female flies at 6:30 with a full crop and is quickly followed by the male similarly full of food. She goes into the box and there is calling between the pair before they change positions. He falls asleep in the box and she does likewise on the ledge. The female has a bit of a flap-fest at 7:45 before flying off. The male runs to the ledge to watch her go. He then moves to the same position on the ledge and also has a flap-fest. I have not seen this behaviour before but suggest that there is an intruder in the territory. He settles down 5 minutes later but watches the skies carefully. He flies off at 7:55 to be replaced by the female who herself is displaced by TFC who flies off at 8:00. The male flies in at 9:10 calling from the box. He moves to the ledge at 9:20. The female arrives with a full crop at 11:30 and he goes into the box briefly before they swap places. They sit on opposite ledges at 11:35 until 12:40 when the arrival of TFC forces them off and TFC follows. The male is back at 13:00 and goes into the box when the female lands at 13:35. He is soon back on the ledge but is displaced by TFC who ties to face down the female but she is not for moving and TFC flies off. She leaves at 14:05 when a wet and bedraggled TFC returns, sitting on the ledge until 14:50. The female is back at 16:40 preening until the male joins her at 17:50 and goes into the box. At 18:10 the female has another flap-frenzy and the male moves to the ledge before they fly off in unison. They return together a few moments later. They soon fly off together again returning moments later. They sit on opposite ledges until the male flies off at 18:50 on the arrival of TFC. The female flies off a few minutes later and TFC follows her. The female is back at 22:10 with an item of prey which she plucks on the platform. Another bird is seen flying past the platform (presumably TFC) and she mantles the prey. She does this on a couple of occasions before flying off with her meal no doubt looking for a quieter place to eat.

21 September – the adult male arrives at 6:15. He moves into the box at 6:35 in anticipation of the arrival of the female. He is back on the ledge 10 minutes later. He moves back into the box at 7:20 as the female arrives with a full crop. She sits on the ledge and there is calling between the pair for a few minutes. She starts to fall asleep and the male moves to the opposite ledge but does not look directly at the female. After a few minutes she walks into the box and returns to the ledge soon after. The male flies off at 8:30 and she follows at 9:00. The male is back at 10:25 with a full crop and is quickly followed by the female. She goes into the box and there is calling between the pair. After a few minutes she replaces him on the ledge and he moves to the opposite side. He moves into the box briefly before flying off, returning 5 minutes later. She flies off at 10:45 and he falls asleep. He remains on the ledge until 16:45. There is no further activity today.

20 September – the male arrives at 6:15 remaining until 8:55 when he flies off. He is back at 9:20 but is displaced a few minutes later by the arrival of TFC who chases after the male. The adult female flies in at 9:35 with a full crop, preening and dozing until 18:20 when she flies off. There is no further activity today. 

19 September – the adult male arrives at 10:30 and goes into the box calling in anticipation of the arrival of the female. He then moves to the ledge until she arrives at 11:25 and he goes into the box. There is a short bout of calling between the pair and he flies out after a few minutes. She remains on the ledge preening until 14:45 when she flies off. She returns at 16:40 and departs at 19:30. There is no further activity today. 

18 September 2019 – Video: TFC arrives with prey. The adult female tries to steal its meal with unintended consequences.

18 September – the adult male flies in at 2:25, flies off at 2:40 but returns a few moments later. He remains on the platform until 6:05 when he takes a short flight – probably early morning hunting. He flies off again a few minutes later and returns at 6:45 and goes into the box with juvenile TFC in pursuit. The adult leaves quickly and TFC follows. The adult is back at 7:00 calling and goes into the box briefly then moves top the ledge. The adult female arrives 5 minutes later and goes into the box. There is a short period of calling between the pair. After a few minutes the male joins the female in the box and there is some posturing. He then returns to the ledge and she remains in the box. She makes her way to the ledge a few minutes later and he flies off. She follows soon after. He is back at 7:55 but is displaced by TFC an hour later; TFC leaves after a few moments. At 10:00, TFC arrives with a partial-eaten pigeon. The adult female lands a few minutes later and TFC drags its meal into the box calling loudly and protects it from the adult. The female sheepishly tries to take a piece of the meal from TFC. She has every good reason to be wary because as she approaches, TFC runs at her with the prey and knocks her off the platform. The male returns at 12:20 with a full crop and falls asleep on the ledge until 13:30 when he is displaced by the female. She preens and snoozes on the ledge until flying off at 14:40. There is no further activity today.

17 September – the adult male arrives at 5:50 and sits on the ledge preening and looking out over the city until 7:20 when he flies off. He is back at 8:10 well fed with a full crop and settles on the ledge in the sun, dozing. At 9:10, he goes into the box calling in anticipation of the arrival of the female; she does not land and he returns to the ledge. He remains until 17:05 when he flies off. There is no further activity today.

16 September – There was no activity on the platform today.

15 September – the female flies off at 00:15. The adult male arrives at 6:10 and goes into the box at 6:35 on the arrival of the female. There is calling and quiet chipping between the pair. She bounces into the box at 6:45 and he moves to the ledge. They swap places a few moments later and he ensures the central column is between them. He flies out a few minutes later. The female remains on the ledge until 10:20 when she flies off. There is no more activity today.

14 September – the adult female arrives at 6:00 and preens on the ledge. At 6:25, the adult male joins her and runs into the box. She quickly replaces him in the box and he stands on the platform There is quiet calling between the pair and he stares out over the city. She moves back to the ledge after 5 minutes and he remains on the platform. At 6:40, she flies off and he takes over on the ledge, well fed with a full crop. He swaps sides to get out of the sun at 10:25 and moves back at 13:40, now in the shade. He remains on the ledge until 20:00 when he flies off. The adult female is back at 23:00 with a small item of prey which she plucks and eats before settling on the ledge, remaining until 00:15 when she flies off. 

13 September – the female is on the ledge from the previous evening and flies off at 00:40. The male arrives at 6:15 and is displaced by the female an hour later. She flies off at 9:45. There is no further activity today.

12 September – the adult male arrives at 5:55 and sits on the ledge preening until 8:15 when he flies off. He is back at 8:35 and settles on the ledge. At 12:05 he moves into the box on the arrival of the female. There is calling and posturing and after 5 minutes both settle on opposite ledges. The female has eaten recently and has a very full crop. She dozes on the ledge. Something catches the male’s eye and he flies off at 14:20. The female remains preening and dozing, remaining on the ledge until midnight at least.

11 September – the adult male arrives at 9:15 but flies off 5 minutes later. As this is Peregrine Watch day, is is seen on one of the Cathedral crosses until 10:15 when he flies off. He is back on the ledge at 12:30 but leaves on the arrival of TFC at 14:15. TFC is begging for food despite the fact it has a full crop. It flies after the male. There is no further activity today.

10 September – the adult male arrives at 3:55 but flies out at 5:05 on the arrival of the adult female. She in turn flies off at 6:15 when pursued by TFC who chases after her. They both land briefly a few moments later. TLC is back at 6:20, flying off after 15 minutes. The adult male flies in again at 10:25 and remains on the ledge preening until flying off at 14:20. There is no further activity this evening.

9 September – the adult male flies in at 5:55. He goes into the box at 6:30 and is joined by the female. There is calling between the pair and she replaces him in the box. He sits on the platform behind the central column. She then moves to the ledge and he goes into the box before flying out. She flies off at 6:55. She is back an hour later with a full crop and sits on the ledge. The male arrives at 9:40 and goes into the box and there is a brief period of calling between the pair. He flies off a few minutes later. He is back at 11:30 and sits on the opposite ledge for just 5 minutes. She remains on the ledge and he returns at 17:00 and goes into the box. She flies off at 17:25 and he runs to the ledge and watches her, flying off soon after. There is no further activity this evening.

8 September – the adult female arrives at 6:30 and is soon joined by the male. She goes into the box and there is calling between them. A few minutes later they swap places and the female sits on the ledge. A few minutes later, he moves to the opposite ledge and there is more calling. He then flies off and she remains until 9:55 when she leaves. She returns at 12:55 with pigeon prey which she consumes on the platform, finishing at 13:25 when she moves to the ledge with a full crop and falls asleep, preening in between naps. She changes sides at 19:25, settles down for the night and falls asleep again. An insect or something appears to upset her and she flies off at 21:35. 

7 September – the adult male arrives at 5:15 and remains on the ledge sleeping and preening until 6:50 when he spies some scraps on the platform, returning to the ledge 10 minutes later. He flies off at 8:55. There is no further activity today.

6 September – TLC flies in with a full crop at 2:00 and remains on the ledge until 6:35 when she flies off. The adult male flies in 5 minutes later with a Starling that is snatched from him by the incoming TLC who takes it into the box. The male flies out in haste. As she is already well fed, TLC stashes her meal by the column and a few minutes later flies out. She returns briefly at 7:10 and again 5 minutes later. At 7:55, TFC arrives with a full crop and partially-eaten prey and stashes it by a column before flying off at 8:15. TLC flies in at 9:55 and spies the prey left by TFC and tucks into it. There is little left at 10:15. She checks on the Starling that she left by the column and then sits on the bar at the back of the box. At 12:30, she picks up the Starling and takes it to the back of the box and eventually starts plucking it. She re-stashes it by the column 10 minutes later without eating it and returns to the bar. At 13:15, she picks up the meal again and starts feeding. She moves to the platform at 15:30 and after a brief look over the city, flies off. At 17:15, a Stock Dove lands on the platform and pecks in the stones for 30 minutes. At 18:00, it sits on the ledge preening and is joined by a second bird which leaves soon after. The original Stock Dove remains until 18:50 when it flies off. There is no further action this evening. 

5 September – TLC flies in at 3:25, whilst it is still dark, and settles on the ledge. She flies off at 6:10. At 6:15, the adult male arrives calling and goes into the box. He sits at the back looking out until 6:30 when he moves to the ledge. He is displaced by the arrival of TLC at 7:05 and remains until 7:30. She is back again briefly at 9:05. At 10:35, she is back with a partially-eaten item of prey which she drags into the box. She has finished feeding an hour later and sits on the bar at the back of the box. She moves top the ledge at 12:15 with a full crop but returns to the box at 12:40, eventually flying off at 16:20. There is no further activity this evening.

4 September – TLC remains on the ledge and takes a brief flight at 6:05 and again at 6:10. The adult male arrives at 7:20 and goes into the box before moving quickly to the ledge. He flies off at 7:40 returning at 9:25. A Stock Dove attempts to land with a nesting twig but the male flicks out his wings and the dove abandons its landing. A few moments later he takes flight. He is back at 9:50 and is pursued by TLC. A few seconds later TFC lands and the male flies off. The juveniles sit on opposite ledges until 10:00 when they fly off together. TFC is back at 11:25 and sits on the ledge preening until 14:15 when it flies off. The adult male is back at 18:45. He jumps into the box briefly at 19:10 and then flying off. He returns at 19:20 and settles down for the evening but flies off at 9:05. 

3 September – the adult female flies off at 5:00. The adult male arrives at 10:15 and settles on the ledge. He remains there, occasionally swapping sides, until 14:00 when he flies off on the arrival of TFC who leaves after 15 minutes. At 17:15, TLC flies in with a full crop and sits on the ledge. She remains until midnight at least. 

2 September – TLC remains on the ledge until 5:40 when she flies off. The adult female arrives an hour later. She is joined by the male at 5:55 who goes into the box. There is calling between the pair. They swap places a few minutes later and again after another couple of minutes. He flies out at 7:00. The female leaves at 8:15. The male returns 10 minutes later. At 10:35 a Feral Pigeon lands on the ledge opposite the male. He just stares at it until it flies off a few moments later. He moves into the shade at 11:00 and remains on the ledge preening until 12:25 when he is displaced by the arrival of TFC who is chased off by TLC who flies after TFC. The Feral Pigeon is back for a few seconds then leaves hurriedly. TFC lands after a few moments and settles on the ledge until flying off at 12:45. TFC is back at 12:15 and goes into the box looking for scraps before returning to the ledge and flying off at 13:20. The adult female is back at 14:15 with a full crop but flies off at the arrival of TLC 15 minutes later, leaving at 15:15. The adult female is back at 18:10 and settles down for the evening, remaining until midnight at least. 

1 September – TLC remains on the ledge until 5:55. The adult male arrive 15 minutes later but is immediately hounded out by TLC flying in who follows a few minutes later. The male is back at 7:15 and settles on the ledge. At 9:05, the male moves into the box on the arrival of the adult female. There is calling between the pair and the male moves back to the ledge ensuring that the central column is in their line of sight. Ten minutes later and they swap positions as the female moves to the ledge. A few moments later and the male flies out. The female sits with a full crop. She remains on the ledge, swapping sides occasionally, until the male arrives at 13:05 and she goes into the box. There is another short bout of calling and he sits on the ledge with a full crop. They swap positions after a few minutes and he ensures the central column is blocking her view. He moves to the opposite ledge at 13:45 and the pair remain there until 14:15 when the female flies off and the male takes her position and after some preening, falls asleep. He remains on the ledge until 21:25 when he is displaced by TLC who settles down for the evening. 

Daily Commentary Archive Link