Lincoln Peregrines

Eerdere clips/campics staan bij diverse nesten Engeland.

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Update - Tuesday 12th May 2020

Sadly, I think we must now accept that this year's eggs are not going to hatch. This may be a function of our falcon's age - just as with humans, fertility declines as peregrines get older. Our falcon is at least 15 years old now - we have breeding records going back to 2007 and peregrines only reach sexual maturity in their second year. Most peregrine falcons (60%) do not survive their first year. Those that do have an average lifespan of 13 years. Maximum longevity records for wild birds is from 16 to 20 years old. The longest known lifespan for a captive peregrine falcon is 25 years.

From this, we can see that our female is getting on a bit now. However, since 2007, she has successfully reared 35 chicks! She is also on her second (or possibly third) mate! So she has led a full life and done her bit to ensure the survival of a healthy breeding population of peregrines in the UK. The falcon and tiercel continue to incubate the eggs - it's instinctive for them to do this and they don't stop just because the date for hatching is long passed. Clearly, the eggs are now well past the average 33 days from the lay date of the penultimate egg to hatching. However, we will continue to monitor the adult birds to see what more we can learn about peregrine behaviour.

What the future holds is unclear. Nature has little in the way of compassion for the elderly and it may be that our falcon will be replaced - in due course - by a younger female. Back in February, there was a large, immature, ringed female peregrine seen (and photographed) being chased off by our tiercel. Young birds visit possible nesting sites as they reach sexual maturity. We will see what happens. All we can predict is that it will continue to be fascinating!

This year (2020) the first egg was laid on 26 March and the clutch was complete on 29 March. I have seen at least 3 eggs, but the scrape is deep and some observers say there are 4 eggs there. Our falcon laid 4 eggs last year (2019), 3 hatched and all 3 chicks fledged successfully. Incubation starts after the penultimate egg is laid and takes about 33 days.

This live stream is of the Peregrine Falcons nesting on the Lincoln Cathedral Bell Tower. There are currently two cameras - one monitors the peregrine nest (or scrape) on the south side of the tower. The other camera - new for 2020 - monitors the 'larder shelf' on the east side of the tower. The birds sometimes cache their prey there - to eat later. This camera also gives a fascinating view out to the east of the city - on a clear morning it often shows a spectacular sunrise. You can scroll back through the video for up to 12 hours using the scroll bar at the bottom of the screen. Enjoy the views!

The project is a collaboration between Lincoln Cathedral, Quickline Internet Solutions, and the University of Lincoln School of Computer Science with the support of the Lincoln RSPB.