And how about the Bristol Peregrines?

Bristol Peregrines mating. Photo: Sam Hobson (samhobson.co.uk)

Sam has been keeping a close eye on the Peregrines which nest in Bristol's City Centre. The pair have been seen mating a lot, and we hope to see eggs soon. They copulated twice within the space of nine minutes on the weekend! When they do begin laying, they won't start incubating immediately - eggs will be laid every two days. They will start to incubate once the penultimate or final egg is laid. Anywhere between one and five eggs (three or four most common) may be laid. 

At least three pairs of Peregrines nesting in London have already laid eggs. However, this is still relatively early for Peregrines. Most lay in the third and last week of March (and perhaps even into April), although laying dates do appear to be getting earlier. 

Female Peregrine in Bristol in flight. Photo: Sam Hobson (samhobson.co.uk)

The photo below by Sam shows one of the Bristol Peregrines on the weekend with a pigeon - this was being used in a food pass. A food pass involves the male catching prey, and handing it to the female in flight.  It is a way in which the male Peregrine shows his mate that he is a capable hunter, and can support her and the chicks over the coming months. 

Bristol Peregrine with a pigeon as part of a food pass on the weekend. Photo: Sam Hobson (samhobson.co.uk)

Sam also discovered Golden Plover feathers on the 14th March (see below). Golden Plovers have been wintering around the west, and many will be moving north to begin setting up territories on the moors in northern England, Scotland and Scandinavia. As they move overhead, they make for an easy target for the Peregrines. Sam also found the head of a Chaffinch on the weekend - a common prey item. 

Golden Plover feathers. Photo: Sam Hobson (samhobson.co.uk)

Chaffinch head. Photo: Sam Hobson (samhobson.co.uk)

Peregrines eating Golden Plovers during cold weather

With the recent cold weather, many species of bird, particularly wading birds and ducks, have been moving around the UK and beyond to escape the cold grip of winter. The frozen water bodies and soil means there is no food for them.

Golden Plovers are scarce around Bristol – the nearest places to spot them are on the southern Somerset Levels, high regions around Bath, and sometimes the odd one on the Severn Estuary. So, it was a surprise to find some taken recently as prey by the Peregrines in Bristol. Sam found these on the 13th after a night of sub-zero temperatures. They are by no means a rare prey item for Peregrines – but over the past decade or so, Golden Plovers have been choosing to winter in the east of the UK, with fewer visiting the west. Studying the Peregrines is a great way of finding out what their prey species are up to.

Golden Plovers have beautiful yellow spotted feathers which keep them camouflaged on moorlands during the summer and in lowland fields during the winter. This photo shows some of the body feathers from the back of the bird.

What is even more remarkable is that last week, around the time this bird was eaten, another Golden Plover was caught by a bird ringer in mid-Wales and released with a satellite tag attached to its body. On the weekend just past, the ringer checked the location of the bird – it was in Madrid, Spain! It just shows, that when these cold weather movements occur, many ducks and wading birds literally exit the UK and move south within a few days. I remember being on the Somerset Levels last year during a very cold spell and it was absent of many ducks, Lapwings and Golden Plovers. Remarkably, as soon as the temperatures rose, the birds magically reappeared (see photo above) – presumably moving north again from southern climes. How they know when the ice has suddenly gone is a mystery!