Adrian, this is fantastic news & rob even I didn't know anything until now.

Rob Smallwood wrote:

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Great news - any particular reason for the news blackout this season?

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No one was sure where they were breeding until a week or so ago!

Great news - any particular reason for the news blackout this season?

Great news.

I'm delighted to say the Manchester birds have bred and 3 chicks were ringed today under license by Craig Bell . I am grateful to all at the CIS who allowed access at very short notice.

There has been quite a lot of Peregrine activity around the CIS tower over the last week or so, involving two birds at times. One has just stooped from the top of the tower after a couple of feral pigeons.

I saw one of them (not sure which) at about 1.30pm on Monday 20th flying into a hole on the Town Hall clock tower. It was not perched but disappeared inside the clock tower.

Was out of sight for about 4 or 5 minutes before emerging and flying in the direction of the cathedral.

[This was on the Albert Square aspect of the clock tower. Look at the clock face at the 9 o'clock - then a few feet to the left is a hole shaped like a clover leaf - in there.]

I was on High Street yesterday around 11am. I saw a male flying from the direction of Market Street towards the Cis. Couldn't see it around the Cis. The week before easter I was in Manchester and on most days i went down to the traditional nest site. I only saw the female on one occasion sat on the nesting ledge. She flew off and a short time later I saw her flying round the Cis building.

I currently help run the RSPB Manchester Twitter page and someone posted on it recently saying they'd seen the peregrines had made some eggs- either they've been mistaken, or might the birds have nested somewhere else?

I can confirm that there is less to no activity around the traditional nest site based on my most recent observations and it would appear that the nest site has been abandoned. I was very concerned over a three day period not seeing the male bird and visited Manchester before sunrise to establish if a male was present and if the birds had taken to breeding at the CIS. I did take comfort in Steve Suttill's sighting of the birds being active around the CIS building. By the third day (Friday)I decided to investigate if there were any eggs in the tray and see if there was any evidence as to the cause of abandonment. From my observations from another building I was able to determine no eggs had been laid. Of course eggs may have been predated but my instinct was that this was probably not the case. I did however notice that the floor of the nest tray had dropped slightly and this gave me cause for concern. Arrangements were quickly made to replace the nest tray under cover of a one day license and Colin Brooks of Skyline offered his services to physically replace the tray. Colin replaced the tray with my minimal assistance. The job was done in about 24 mins with no birds at or near the site. Arrangements were far more time consuming.


We can speculate as to the cause of abandonment and it may well be because of the tray itself. However previous abandonment at the site resulted in breeding at the CIS building and this has seemingly not occurred this year.


In March I saw breeding take place only once (25th March) and refusal by the female to copulate several times before then. I think Steve Burke may have witnessed copulation. I do not know what others have seen. The female is getting on in years.


I am happy to say that last night, after having dropped in to see Steve Suttill at his place of work I was able to make a positive identification of the male bird and partner to the female since 2007. My positive identification was based on the absence of any ring on the legs and the habits which are more peculiar to this bird. The unusually long pointed bill which made a reliable ID feature was reduced in size last year but I am very confident that it was the usual male and not another.


No one is more sad about the situation than me and whilst it is still possible for breeding to take place I now doubt it will happen and I sincerely hope that breeding will take place next year.

Edit for correction.


-- Edited by Adrian Dancy on Tuesday 14th of April 2015 08:15:17 PM

No Rob, you're not the only one...

Adrian and I had noted the same. Although, on occasions, two birds have been seen on around the CIS tower, most of the time there only appears to be one - the female...

Am I the only person concerned at the lack of activity around the recent breeding site?

Pair engaged in aerobatic activity around CIS tower most of today.

Mid afternoon today, a Peregrine was riding the thermals just outside Victoria Station.

I saw the birds mating today. Also got another spectacular and very close view of the male attacking crow.

Both adults on view this morning in the sunshine, the male launching itself of the arndale to have a swoop at a passing crow right above my head, the male turned to have another go but the crow soon got the message
Much later as a buzzard drifted over the female was keeping a watchfull eye on it but made no attempt to waste her energy on it.

Both adults on view this morning before my visit to Elton res, they did not seem to be bothered about the rain whilst perched out in the open !
And both seen again in lovely sunshine in the afternoon, the male with a kill.

One seen over Portland Street around 12.45pm, fighting some strong gusts of wind.

One zoomed low over Exchange Square towards Arndale at about 4.45 today - looked dinky, so I reckon it was the male.

Peregrine over the River Irwell heading towards the cathedral around lunchtime.

4 sightings of the Peregrines yesterday, including one of 2 together over the Town Hall/St.Peter's Square area.

Info thanks to John Frankland

Have seen one perched on Town Hall clock tower a couple of times this week.

They are starting to show an interest in nest site again, albeit low key.

Enjoyed a 5 minute hunting display by one of the Peregrines in Piccadilly Gardens at around 1pm. Lots of Pigeon chasing, but no success as far as I could see when I lost sight of it.

the male & female on show this afternoon, the female on the letter e of the arndale & the male on the cathedral, at 1.50pm they both flew of & lost to view, they both returned circling & gaining height, obviously hunting, the male carried on but the female gave up & went back onto the letter e of the arndale the male was then lost to view.
both adults looking a little tatty in flight maybe because they are now moulting, I was watching the female perched on a ledge last weekend, as the sun was shinning on her she was preening away & lots of feathers were coming of her also when she had a shake you could see clouds of dust coming of her.
I assume the juvenile peregrines have now dispersed as I have had no sightings of them since mid august, but I have not been in the city centre as much as I should of been lately.

One over the corner of Mancunian Way and Pollard Street this morning around 09:10am, heading East.

Tues + Wed spent volunteering for RSPB Manchester Peregrines Date with Nature as parrt of the Dig the City event in the City Centre. (This is on every day until the 10th, on Victoria street north of Deansgate, just by the back of the Cathedral for anyone interested - lots of good kids activities with various stalls and events.)

Great views of the male on the Cathedral on Tue, with the female spending some time on the Arndale Sign. Several flypasts as well.

No sign of the female on Wed, but the male showed continually (resting, sunbathing and even having a nap - very obliging!) from app 1-4.15pm, much to the delight of several visitors. Great to meet some really enthusiastic kids, especially an 8 year old boy whose bird knowledge kept the Peregrines team on our toes! His smile really made my day when I pointed out the male peregrine I'd just spotted.

Also present (highlights) were several grey wagtails, a charm of goldfinches continually present, cormorants and grey herons by the river etc. Also someone reported two kingfishers seen flying along the river.

I was told yesterday that many of the (stunning) pictures in our 'peregrine album' were taken by Steve Burke and Adrian Dancy from this forum. These are amazing - so on behalf of the team could I just say a massive congratulations for capturing such stunning images and also a huge thank you - they are really great aids when talking to the public about these amazing birds, especially if the actual birds are not on show.

-- Edited by Tanmay Dixit on Thursday 7th of August 2014 10:43:07 AM

I think I saw something similar at Dove Stones on Sunday, a juvenile and adult calling to each other as the juvenile flew around getting to grips with life in the air. There were Kestrels in the vicinity which might have been behind it all

Also should report one of the juveniles being mobbed by Lesser Black-backed Gulls around Piccadilly Station early on the 9th of this month; they get about town don't they?

Ollie Wright wrote:

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Just had a visit to Town Hall Clock Tower from two Peregrines - one of which was extremely vocal. I've always assumed that the screeching tends to come from the juvenile birds, is that so?

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In my experience the juveniles do screech a lot especially when begging for food whether or not an adult is nearby. The presence of another juvenile may excite and/or prolong the behaviour. Adults will vocalise when making contact or warding off potential predators.

Just had a visit to Town Hall Clock Tower from two Peregrines - one of which was extremely vocal. I've always assumed that the screeching tends to come from the juvenile birds, is that so?

This afternoon, was fortunate enough to see one of the Peregrines detach itself from the Arndale and seriously go at a large gull (I assume Lesser Black-backed, but didn't have bins and was too busy watching the falcon). Fantastic to see the world's fastest creature make the gull look like a lumbering wreck - the poor thing was totally outmanoeuvred and flapped off out of the territory as soon as it could regain something like composure.

It's fantastic that we can enjoy these magnificent birds in the city centre, where they are mercifully safe from persecution.

fantastic ariel displays from both the juveniles this aft/eve over Piccadilly gardens, they seem to have loads of confidence now, they were seen on a couple of occasions going on a chase & even having a go at the pigeons sat on the nearby rooftops, unfortunately though no signs of a kill (yet) also one of them went into a stoop from above the city tower
both adults were seen today having a go at the lesser black backed gulls that were getting a little to close to the juveniles.

I always browse the gallery Mike. A lot of the shots are good 'out in the field' shots rather than mega clear close-ups, and a lot of the time that's how many observers will see the bird. You might just see a shot that matches or resembles an image of your own and that could well be the moment you realise that's the species you saw, or in what stage or plumage the bird was.
As Ian McKerchar once told me...sometimes you just won't get a true feel for the bird or the image you need from a book alone. I've learnt a lot from many of the gallery images, which in my view and no doubt many others view too...is a valuable tool for help with bird ID.
Cheers
Rob

thanks all - not looking at gallery is definitely a rookie error!

Mike

Rob Creek wrote:

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Mike Savage wrote:

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Forgive rookie question, but what should I be looking for to identify juveniles in flight?

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It can be quite tricky Mike unless you know the birds well and have followed their progress from chick like Steven, Adrian, Ian M, etc....
But one thing I've looked for in the past as a general rule with juv Peregrines as opposed to adults (if your view permits such a close up rather than silhouette, but it quite often doesn't) is that adults have horizontal barring on the breast usually of an even look, whereas the juveniles usually have vertical streaking of somewhat darker colour and not as uniform. That said though Mike, it would probably depend upon the age of the juv and at what stage of plumage it was in, so my comments are purely of a 'general' observation. Hope this is of help.
Cheers
Rob

ALSO...check the photo's in the Gallery on the main homepage, some good shots of both juv's and adults

-- Edited by Rob Creek on Wednesday 16th of July 2014 08:09:51 PM

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rob you took the words right out of my mouth
mike, like rob says check the gallery & look at the recent shots of one of the juveniles & adult male, they should help.

Mike Savage wrote:

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Forgive rookie question, but what should I be looking for to identify juveniles in flight?

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It can be quite tricky Mike unless you know the birds well and have followed their progress from chick like Steven, Adrian, Ian M, etc....
But one thing I've looked for in the past as a general rule with juv Peregrines as opposed to adults (if your view permits such a close up rather than silhouette, but it quite often doesn't) is that adults have horizontal barring on the breast usually of an even look, whereas the juveniles usually have vertical streaking of somewhat darker colour and not as uniform. That said though Mike, it would probably depend upon the age of the juv and at what stage of plumage it was in, so my comments are purely of a 'general' observation. Hope this is of help.
Cheers
Rob

ALSO...check the photo's in the Gallery on the main homepage, some good shots of both juv's and adults

-- Edited by Rob Creek on Wednesday 16th of July 2014 08:09:51 PM

Forgive rookie question, but what should I be looking for to identify juveniles in flight?

Both juveniles have certainly been spreading there wings over the last couple of weeks, they have had me watching them its lots of different locations, any how today just the 1 juvenile on the CIS tower at 6pm, earlier the adult male was on the town hall, no signs of the 2nd juvenile or the female. The juveniles are now landing on the letters of the arndale which is good to see

Mike Savage wrote:

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last night about 6pm I was waiting on the open area next to John Rylands Library with my daughter, where we got a great view of 2 birds wheeling over Deansgate and reflected in the plate glass of the new buildings - they were only just about roof height

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That's pretty much the same spot I saw one yesterday afternoon! Maybe it's a new place to view them instead of walking all around Manchester!

last night about 6pm I was waiting on the open area next to John Rylands Library with my daughter, where we got a great view of 2 birds wheeling over Deansgate and reflected in the plate glass of the new buildings - they were only just about roof height

One of the peregrines (not sure if adult or one of the juveniles) screeching around the RBS building at Spinningfields. Didn't see it with a catch but a few feathers were floating down!

Both juveniles present this morning...I'm happy to say.

one of the juveniles perched on the town hall this evening at 8.25pm, no sign of the second juvenile. both were having a feed earlier on around 7pm.

had a quick visit this morning between 10.30-11am, just as I arrived in the area a flock of pigeons were flying around & yes the peregrines obviously spotted them, the first peregrine to make the chase was actually one of the juveniles dad also joined in whilst mum was sat on a nearby ledge, no signs of the second juvenile though both peregrines however shortly returned with nothing. shortly after that a kestrel was going over, the juvenile peregrine attempted to have a go at it but just gave up, both parents did not even bother with it either !!

Paul Risley wrote:

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just looked at Steven Burkes excellent new photo's in the gallery, the adults beak though is desperately in need of trimming. If you look at Stevens last shot of the juvenile then that will show you what approximate length the beak should be

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thanks paul
ian actually mentioned this about the upper mandible being a little longer than normal he himself has not seen this before in raptors, its actually been like this for a few years now, yep it could do with a trim, but he seems to be doing just fine with it. it does help also to identify him if he is sat on his own.

just looked at Steven Burkes excellent new photo's in the gallery, the adults beak though is desperately in need of trimming. If you look at Stevens last shot of the juvenile then that will show you what approximate length the beak should be

Both juveniles doing well, in the two & a half hours watching them this morning both doing plenty of flying around & having a few tussles & with mum, also very confident landings from them on Sunday the female peregrine attacked a female kestrel, the kestrel managed to land on a nearby ledge but eventually dissapeared out of view.

9 hours watching & photographing the peregrines today & in that time the first fledged juvenile had a feed whilst the second one had not
I witnessed 3 ariel attacks from the adults one on a lesser black backed gull, one on a grey heron & the best one was from the male on a mink, absolutely amazing, the male then gave me the best views I have ever had of him over the years whilst he landed nearby squaking like mad

I was with Adrian when the second juvenile fledged, whilst watching it for almost 4 hours (obviously not as long as Adrian watched them for) i managed to get some good photos, well it was close at one point i do hope it got fed before dark !

thanks again for you're help Adrian.

-- Edited by steven burke on Saturday 21st of June 2014 09:13:58 AM

I'm not sure of the time of the first fledge but the second bird fledged at 5.30pm today. The first fledged bird has had at least two meals...unfortunately the second fledgling as far as I can tell has not eaten all day.