Derby Cathedral Peregrine Project: 4th hatch

SLIDESHOW OF THE FEEDING AT 18:00



THE EGG THAT CRACKED:

What a big spurprise: the fourth eyas has hatched this evening. In the feedingslideshow of 18:00 there is a pip visible which turns in to a crack very clearly. Watch the slides of that event :



For the latest news visit the Derby Blog: There are some great video's to watch of the hatchlings

http://derbyperegrines.blogspot.com/

For todays feedings in slideshows and much more pics of the eyases click this link:

http://falcoperegrinus-froona.blogspot.com/2008/05/derby-arent-they-sweet.html

Oberhausen

Rochester: things have started

Mariah and Kaver are very antsie, moving about, listening to the eggs. There is defenitely something going on. One or two eyases inside the eggs have pipped the aircell membrane and are screaming from within. That is for both parents very exciting indeed and the eechup back. The eyas uses it's eggtooth to break through the egg in a process called pipping.This is not a concious proces but one out of oxygen depletion. The eyas has grown so much that the chorio-allantois is no longer capable of supplying enough oxygen to the eyas. The rising level of Co2 in it's system causes spasmen. One of that spasmic movemnets is of the hatchmuscle in the neck of the hatchling. A very powerfull muscle. This sudden movement causes the eggtooth to pierce the membrane.
But the oxygen in the aircell will run out as well. This takes about 24 hours. And the suffocationproces repeats itself. This time the hatchling pierces the eggshell. And has all the oxygen it needs. It will rest first and then turns and chisels, turns and chisels, until eventually it cuts off one end of the shell.

De Mortel 17 days old

Terminal Tower Cleveland

Nijmegen: 16 days old

Rome:

Both eyases are quite agressive in taking food which one of the parents brings. I saw one really put up quite a fight with the female who brougt a plucked bird in. The eyases have the weight and size of and adult peregrine now and are very strong. They both have the peregrine spirit as well. Wariors they are already.
It is quite a difference with other nestsites where it is all peace and quiet. It has to do with the amount of food that is delivered, It has not been much in the past days. But today they got so much food that they finally refused it.

Zwolle eyases

James River Bridge: changing fast

Oberhausen: continuing story of the headless pigeon

After a very long wait there she was, the female with the daily pigeon. But now it was time for a lesson. She did not leave but walked up the scrape to join the 3 juvi's and the pigeon. She made the start with plucking some feathers and let the juvi's eat themselves. I even saw some feathers being plucked. She stayed and watched. And did not feed the. They had to do it themselevs. No real plucking, but it is obvious they are learning. In the meantime she looked like Napoleon at the battlefield giving commands....

De Mortel: how to pluck a prey. By S2

Well it's almost a lesson for the Oberhausen juvi's. Our own S2 teaches how to pluck a prey in front of the cam.
Last year we made a videoclip of her plucking. She is very good at it.

Zurich: flapping on the ledge

1996 klärt Orniplan im Auftrag der Fachstelle Naturschutz von Grün Stadt Zürich die Machbarkeit von Falken-Nisthilfen, speziell für den Wanderfalken ab und schlägt nach der Prüfung von ca. 12 Gebäuden zwei Standorte vor: den Hochkamin des Kehrichtheizkraftwerkes Josefstrasse und den Hochkamin des zweiten städtischen Werkes im Hagenholz. Im Dezember 1997 wurden die beiden Kästen montiert und seither alljährlich von Turm- oder Wanderfalken besetzt.

Translation: In 1996 Orniplan sugested 2 nestsites for the peregrine falcon. One of them is this one.The nestboxes where placed in 1997 and have been occupied ever since.

The scrape has been used by this peregrine couple for 2 years now. In both years they fledged one juvenile. This year there are 2 eyases!

Brighton Sussex Heights: 10 days old

Zwolle: 12 days old

Cobb island: 16 days old

Flat out, they are spending their day flat out. It is very warm on Cobb Island. So the eyases are flat with legs stretched and panting to cool off.

Oberhausen: enjoying the evening

After a good meal the 3 juvi's do some wingflapping, preening and lay themselves down in the scrape.

Derby: aren't they sweet and the egg that cracked

A photoshoot of the 3 adorable Derby eyases.











SLIDESHOW UPCLOSE



SLIDESHOW OF THE FEEDING AT 11:00



SLIDESHOW OF THE FEEDING AT 18:00, WATCH THE CRACK GROWING IN THE EGG!




EVEN BETTER VISIBLE HERE: ALL OF A SUDDEN THE PIP TURNS INTO A CRACK.