After finishing at Orgreave I decided it was about time I paid a visit to the Peregrines on campus. I can't really say why I have not been yet, but yesterday they had laid their first egg so I decided why not. I turned up on site and found the box with relative ease. Once that was achieved finding the bird proved not issue, as it perched handsomely on the perch on the box. This was the female bird, but as I approached she made a retreat into the box, leaving me to wonder what next.
-Female Peregrine heading into the box
I spent about 15 mins watching the box, along with another birder who was there to watch them too. He was a local and said he had been down last year to watch them then. He then left to see if the male was on the other side of the church. He was obviously not because the birder turned up on the side of the graveyard about a minuet later.
However, after about 10 mins of him being there he started clicking his fingers and pointing, telling me that the male bird was flying in. It came right overhead and landed on the perch that the female had been on. He lasted there about 10 seconds before the female rushed out to chase him off. But that at least brought the female out of the box so we could see her again.
-Male Peregrine
-Female Peregrine
However, the male was persistent and came back round allowing me to try and get some photos of him in flight. I did not pull it off well mainly because of the trees all around which made it difficult to get a clear shot, and when he was out of the trees he was too close and therefore difficult to get a great focus on. I still managed a couple of nice shots to show just lovely these birds are.
-Peregrine Male
So that was a lovely end to the day. I will certainly be coming back to see them again. I had to leave in order to make it back for football, but I will certainly be back.
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