Juvenile with leg ring PG fledged early Mon 13 June, exactly 42 days after hatching. He flew a bit, got mobbed by gulls, was found in an Exeter College car park, and rescued because newly fledged young find it difficult to get airborne from flat ground. PG was returned to the Church, and spent a night on tiles.

Tue 14 June, PG was rescued again, and was hand fed road-kill squirrel by a local vet. This is more intervention than we would like, but is what would be done for any animal found in distress.

PG was re-roofed, rescued and re-roofed again before he flew off, again attracting unwanted attention from the local gulls, and spent the night on Exeter Community Centre. Meanwhile PH had decided on another day of feeding and wing flapping in the nest box.

Juvenile PH fledged early Wed to the Church roof and spent the day exploring its roofs. No intervention was required today. Meanwhile we were pleased that PG was found back at the Church, flying more confidently. So by end of Wed 15 June we had 2 adults & 2 juveniles active on St Mike’s.

That’s all I know so far – seagulls still a nuisance, but things looking fairly good.

Update Fri 24 June – now the juveniles are on their own with the adults, learning to fly and hunt, and we have to take our chances as to how many we see together at the church.
The juveniles will start to fly further afield as they get more confident over the next few weeks.
As far as I know – I’ve certainly not heard otherwise – both juveniles are strong and well, and all 4 birds are using the church as their base and for roosting. But there’s been little sign of the young going back into the nest box, unlike in some previous years.

Update Thu 4 Aug – sadly, on Thursday 28 July, one of this year’s juveniles, PG who had received such care in the 2 days after fledging, was found dead in Paul Street, Exeter, apparently after a flying accident.

The events this year at Norwich Cathedral nest site remind us not to be over-sentimental about these magnificent wild birds of prey. “Mother Nature” is not always as gentle as we like to imagine. There, an incoming younger female, from the urban site in Bath apparently, displaced the male’s older mate from previous years after she had laid her eggs; the male was a dutiful single parent feeding all 4 chicks that hatched; but as they came due to fledge the new female became aggressive to these chicks that were nor her own; two died and two which made it to the ground have been taken into care, hoping that they can be saved and released back into the wild in due course. Ours is not to question their natural behaviour – rather to reflect on humanity’s varied behaviours.

From earlier this year, a week before fledging.

And 3 weeks before fledging.

Screen image from day after ringing, Tue 24 May, chicks 3 weeks old.

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Jun16 update – That did the trick! Juvenile female JK flew from the nest box at 8.10am Tues 16th, enjoying the morning sun and then exploring most parts of the roof during the day. So now our two young Peregrines need to practise their flying and hunting, and keep out of trouble, mainly from the local seagulls, until they can fend for themselves.

Good to meet several photographers and birders at St Michael’s over the past few days – there are some stunning new photos on the Exeter Peregrine Group Flickr page linked under “Gallery” (and scroll down).

Jun15 update – Juvenile male JN was seen back around the church Fri & Sat, a bit bedraggled but ok, and seems to be making good progress now. We need a good strong male offspring, after the males from the past 2 broods died in their first year.

The young female JK, despite spending much time in the trefoil opening, seems rather reluctant to fledge, and is still being fed in the nest box by the adults. She’s only a couple of days over her 6 weeks, so hopefully there’s nothing amiss.

Jun11 – To fledge or not to fledge, that’s been the question this week.

So, male juvenile JN is now a full 6 weeks old and has been spending much time near or on the trefoil opening, but hadn’t yet made that leap into the unknown, until 5.30pm on Thursday 11th June. As observed by Elizabeth, he flew strongly and came down on a Dinham Road roof. Later he flew back up to the spire but couldn’t find the open trefoil or land on the tower, and headed away again. Andrew located him in a fairly safe roost near the church, where he was calling to the adults and they answered but didn’t come to him. So we hoped as night fell and it started to rain he would be alright there or try again to get back to the church.

The female juvenile JK (Rowling?) is 40 days old with just a little fluff still evident that she is preening away, and also doing vigorous wing exercises mainly on the stone lower left in the camera view. Now that her brother has flown the nest box, she is looking a bit bewildered and doing a lot of calling, as they were still sleeping next to each other.

Apologies for the couple of days when feathers were on the camera lens; thankfully it has cleared itself, because it’s not legally or physically accessible now.

Mum was still bringing in large prey for tea-time and other feeds the past few days, so both juveniles should be strong and well fed. I don’t know whether they sense the weather or follow the forecast, but, with thunderstorms and heavy rain potentially in the offing for Friday, JK may be better delaying fledging till the weekend now. We shall see.

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“Blue HB was one of the 2014 juvenile females from St Michael’s church that we ringed in May. I collected it on Monday and took it to the RSPCA in Exeter, having spoken to West Hatch at Taunton to let them know I’d got another juvenile from the church. I’ve been in contact with them ever since the 2014 juvenile male went to RSPCA on 12 June. Sadly, blue HB was put to sleep after assessment, due to being seriously underweight, and having a damaged (non repairable) and infected left wing.

“So, of the three young fledged from St Michael’s this year, Blue HC (the male) is still at West Hatch and putting on weight but not flying, Blue HB (female) has now been put to sleep, and I’m asking everyone to keep an eye and ear out for Blue HD, the other female (she will still scream for food when back at the church). I’m really amazed at the fact that Blue HB was found 10.5 miles due west of the church in the garden of someone who knew me and my work with peregrines.”

Sad, but, as Nick says, remarkable to have found out about HB so fully. We don’t know whether she had left the StM area already to try and find her own territory for the winter, or just got hurt and lost.

Good to hear that HC is putting on weight, but I guess his future is still in the balance, depending on what the RSPCA think is best. We’re fairly confident that HD is still at the Church.

Concerning the effects of ringing juveniles in the nest at 3 weeks, Nick comments, “if it was considered to be detrimental to the birds, it would not be allowed, and I would not want it done in Exeter. The benefits of ringing and subsequent recoveries add to our collective knowledge of all species. Peregrines are considered to have high juvenile mortality in their first year, possibly up to 70%, so I am hoping that female HD is our remaining 30% flying free and will see out the dangerous first year of survival.”

All 3 young were rather small falcons this year, well under the average weights for their sex. It may be annual variation in prey or other factors that adults at St Mike’s have just produced a little brood this year, or it may possibly be that the female is coming to the end of her breeding.

We shall keep an eye on them around the Church over the Winter, and plan to resume live streaming from the nest box camera in March 2015.

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Many took the opportunity to observe the Peregrines before attending Nick Dixon’s talk. A cameraman from the BBC’s One Show has been on hand too, so we hope there will be a feature on St Michael’s Peregrines in due course.

However, on Thursday 12th, the young male was found down, with some damage to his primary feathers; he has been taken to an RSPCA unit for treatment and rehabilitation, and we are still hopeful for a good recovery.

Heritage & Music Festival 2014

David Briggs – International Organ Virtuoso

Meanwhile on Sunday 15th June, again at 7.30pm, we can learn more about the fascinating history of the part of Exeter we now call Mount Dinham, from Roman Camp and virtuous Victorians to melodious musicians and eloquent educators, from archaeologist and historian, Richard Parker.

Church and Episcopal School

Organ Rebuilt

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Peregrine parent – Sat 7 June 2014

HeCtor fledged – Sat 7 Jun 2014

and testing his wings – Sat 7 Jun 2014

Sunday 8th June, 7.30pm Heritage Lecture. Nick Dixon (Raptor expert) on 20 years with Exeter’s Peregrine Falcons.

The Mount Dinham Festival continues this coming week with 2 Concerts by local choirs and the interesting and surprising history of Mount Dinham itself from our resident historian. We also hope to see you on the 16th to be entertained by one of the world’s foremost organists playing our new pipe organ.

Wednesday 11th June, 7.30pm Charity Concert. Exeter Rotary presents Torbay Police Male Voice Choir in a programme of Gilbert & Sullivan and popular songs. (Admission £6.50 on the door.)

Friday 13th June, 7.30pm St Michael’s Recital. Exeter Chorale, conducted by Dr Nigel Browne and accompanied by Dr Paul Evans & Alex West (piano duet), return with a summer programme of Madrigals, Partsongs & Glees. (Admission £7.50/£4 on the door, children free.)

Sunday 15th June, 7.30pm Heritage Lecture. Richard W Parker (our own Architectural Historian) on the long History of Mount Dinham and St Michael’s.

David Briggs – International Organ Virtuoso

Organ Console

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