Monday 7 June 2010
I learnt a little more about the Symonds Yat Peregrine the other day. We had a volunteer from the site here who knew about her. Apparently she did not breed at the rock (Symonds Yat) she usurped a female three years ago, stole her babies and reared them and then did not produce her own young for two years. I have looked online to see what the history of all the peregrines at the rock was but can’t find more
information which is a shame. However I suspect it is because she is an old bird, but you feel a little less sorry for her as she had the same done to her as she did to the previous bird! She is doing well and flying free now, and it will be interesting to see if she can hunt again. UPDATE on her from Charlie
Quick update on the peregrine. First the bad news - she buggered off chasing first a woodpecker and then a curlew the day before yesterday. She was 1/2 oz up (on purpose) and once she had her taste of freedom there was no way she was interested in my lure! Now the good news - I got her back a mile away (Marshall telemetry was spot on!) eating a crow she had killed. She managed to kill within sight of the UK’s largest pheasant farm! So now we know that her eyesight is fully functioning! She was really spooked when I found her and flew off her kill and landed on the ground about 25 yards away. I tied a creance to the crow and threw it to her and then ended up winding her up on it.
It is important that Charlie keeps her until any wild local young peregrines have fledged, then she will be able to move around the area without being attacked, and can perhaps find a home of her own. I know how she feels…………………. And I will be ever grateful to the Chenevix-Trenches for helping me and the birds get a home back here.It’s been a very tough week this week, four days at the Bath and West Show, which I used to be at regularly for years and that stopped with a new Director. It was lovely to be back, but because of pressure of work (and hating camping!) and no stand for the birds, I drove down each day, which made for a very long day, well four long days. Five to six hours driving a day, and then the demonstrations as well, however the birds were superb and gave us eight faultless demonstrations of good quality and the stewards and the other demonstrators were great to work with. Then on Sunday I had another demonstration in Milland near Liphook it was your classic village show, but what a spectacular one. Well organised, superb stands, lovely people and a first class ring with good demonstrations, and again the birds did not let me down, they flew very well. I suspect however they were probably as pleased as I was to stay home today.
We are now through the first day of a five day falconry course and all the people on it are nice, which is great and makes for an easier course. I have been so very lucky in the last year or so, all the people who have come on the training courses have been really nice and some have become good friends as well, which makes it extra special. Still at least after all this work I might be able to afford to get the damn Range Rover fixed one of these days!
Hard Tackle seems OK, and he is flying and taking his meds fine. Cremorne, (Bald Eagle) is flying really well and improving by the day, which is more than could be said for Watamu, who is a tad lazy, but to be fair it is not the right place to fly him. Adam Robertson and his Dad came up last weekend and put up the new shade nets for the birds, they did an amazing job and it will make the birds much more comfortable in hot weather.Darcy Spice is perfectly wonderful and Adam’s Spectacled Owl is going to be very good, and is a charming person, but not as charming as Darcy Spice!! All babies are doing well back with their parents, The Steller's is growing apace and we just have a few more eggs to go and then Simon can breath a sigh of relief and start worrying about the next breeding season instead!!
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