Diary 2007

This diary is kept up-to-date by Frank – he works at Wick Quarry and loves to watch Peregrines during his lunch break. He also enjoys coming back to the Quarry in the evening, when Peregrines are extra special to watch and enjoy.

	5th July 2007 Both chicks both flew sometime before 11.15am today. They were showing impatience to leave last evening but the wind was very strong so maybe that held them back. The strongest flier flew back to the nest ledge just before it started to rain again at lunch time. The other one stayed lower down in the quarry with Penny's mate perched nearby. So the next phase of the chicks development has begun. There will be some good viewing as their flying and hunting skills are learned over the coming weeks.
	2nd July 2007 The chicks have hardly any down left now and are wing stretching and walking all around the nest ledge and looking quite confident. Early this morning they were being fed by Penny. They were standing side by side so I could compare their sizes, trying to decide whether they are male or female. Female peregrines are about one third larger than males but as these two both looked about the same I still couldn't be sure. It won't be long before they fly now.
	26th June 2007 What happened to summer? The chicks were looking bedraggled and miserable today. They huddled into the back of the nest ledge facing the rock wall. This bad weather with it's torrential rain and northerly wind was blowing straight in at them, ruffling their new feathers. Penny and her mate visited with food. The rest of the time they were somewhere sheltered and out of sight. It's in weather like this that food caches - uneaten prey that is stored somewhere nearby - are a real help. It means that the adults don't always need to hunt to feed themselves and the chicks.
	19th June 2007 Life is very relaxed on the peregrine ledge for most of the time. The chicks are growing bigger by the day and their downy coats are being replaced by the feathers that will transform them into masters of the air. At present the tail and wing feathers are the most prominent. As always, at feeding time they become very lively, determined to eat their fair share and whichever adult is feeding, the passing of food to each chick is done gently and carefully. Penny and her mate are very good parents.
	11th June 2007 The chicks are growing well and are looking grey and grubby. They are starting to explore the nest ledge and are spending more time by themselves. Their down is now thick and the weather warm so Penny doesn't have to worry about them getting cold. It shouldn't be long before the first signs of their feathers begin to show through the down.
	3rd June 2007 Since the third chick hatched things have been getting busier for Penny and her mate. With the two older chicks growing stronger everyday, the much smaller third chick was having a hard time trying to compete for food and the warm shelter of Penny's feathers. As sometimes happens with the smallest nestlings, it hasn't survived. The remaining two chicks are looking good and growing well. Already Penny has difficulty covering them to keep them warm. Every so often a downy head will pop out for a look around the quarry.
	25th May 2007 We now have a third chick - the full clutch has hatched. This chick most likely hatched yesterday, the 24th May.
	23rd May 2007 Two of Penny's eggs have hatched. The first may have been late yesterday and the second early on this morning. Did any of you web watchers see a chick yesterday? Please tell us if you did. The big question now is when the third egg will hatch. Viewing will become very interesting now as the chicks start to grow. Penny's mate will have to work harder to provide their food.
	21st May 2007 Penny doesn't seem to have a chick under her yet, though it can't be very long now till one hatches. She is still sitting very tight and shuffles her eggs around gently while she raises herself just a little. There has been another adult peregrine flying around again but Penny's mate didn't bother to fly off after it this time. He was too busy feeding himself on the ledge above!
	15th May 2007 If Penny's eggs are fertile the chicks inside them will be growing and should, quite soon, be ready to hatch.
	12th May 2007 The weather has been very wet lately. Penny is still sitting tight. Even when it is raining hard she doesn't get very wet because the slope of the rock above her ledge protects her. Her mate has been feeding from a kill that he'd made yesterday and had stored away at the back of another ledge. This is called caching. It's like having food in the larder.
	8th May 2007 All 4 raven chicks are now flying strongly and call loudly to their parents whenever they appear with more food.
	7th May 2007 Penny didn't lay a 4th egg after all. She stands up, usually after sitting tight for a hour or so, shuffles her eggs around and then settles back down again sometimes facing into the rock face. If she doesn't settle back down straight away her mate will sometimes come in to incubate the eggs while she goes off to fly around and possibly find some food. Sometimes he will bring food straight onto the ledge for her.
	4th April 2007 The raven chicks have started to leave their nest but are still close by around the quarry so they can  be fed regularly by their parents. Things will be quieter around Penny's ledge now.
	2nd May 2007 Penny's mate had to drive off another adult peregrine which flew into the quarry. He followed it for a long way before he turned back. Penny was sitting very still on her eggs while this was going on.
	23rd April 2007 Penny has started to incubate her eggs. Perhaps the web cam will show us if there are now 4. She is sitting very tight because there is a cold wind blowing.  The raven chicks spend their time wing flapping on the rim of their nest. This makes their wings muscles stronger.
	19th April 2007 Penny has laid 3 eggs but has not started to incubate them yet. Perhaps there will be 4 soon.
	17th April 2007 Penny laid her 2nd egg today. The raven chicks are growing quickly now.
	16th April 2007 The ravens built their nest about 10 metres from the peregrine ledge this year. Their eggs were laid around 2nd March and there were 4 chicks to be seen on 5th April. This made Penny and her mate especially keen to guard their own nest ledge and they could be seen driving off the ravens if they flew too close. This may be why Penny was a little late starting to lay her own eggs.
	15th April 2007 The Peregrines laid their first egg today.