Hatch watch at Lister Mills

We are on hatch watch at Lister Mills! Incubation appeared to start around the laying of the 3rd egg, which is typical. The incubation time is usually somewhere between 29 and 36 days and we're now on day 31. The temperature has been a little above average for April, although there was some rough weather at the start of the month. We could see the first signs of hatching any day now. If things go well and the eggs begin to hatch, it will be interesting to see how the female reacts. Last year, rather than letting the chicks peck their way out themselves, which is typical, she was quite rough in helping pull them out. And in the end, only two of the four eggs hatched. Hopefully it will all go well this year.

We assume that the Dalton Mills pair are also incubating eggs. On a visit on Saturday I saw the male chasing off a Buzzard, likely indicating that they have eggs to protect.

At City Hall the male has stopped visiting the nesting tray. He may have simply given up attracting the female to the tray or she may have laid eggs elsewhere. The issue appears to be access to the box. On all but one visit, the male dropped down from the perch on the roof of the box. At first this was quite an ungainly move, but he got quite good at it with practice. She appears not to like the idea of dropping down from the perch on the roof. She is a larger unit than the male so perhaps not as agile on her talons. Peregrines are of course majestic flyers, but can be a bit ungainly on the ground. On one visit the male managed to fly straight into the box. The very strong winds that day allowed him to fly into the wind at the height of the box, effectively reducing his speed in relation to the clock tower to almost nothing. Although it did require an alarming veer to the left at the last minute! Incredible flying. We saw the female attempt a similar manouvre but she abandoned the landing attempt at the last moment.

We were expecting the birds to be able to easily fly up to the perch at the front, but there is a small ornamental part of the building that projects out below the ledge, which we did not take into account. Possibly that's blocking their approach route. Peregrines fly to a perch by first dipping down low, and then steeply climbing up to the perch so that their speed drops to almost a stall as they reach the landing point.

When we are safely outside of the breeding season we will consider if any works are possible to make access easier. Although disappointing, we at least know that the box has been found and the birds appear keen to use it, even if ultimately they didn't this year. If we can fix the access issue, it seems likely they would breed in the nestbox.

As I write this news update, I've just seen the Lister Mills birds swap over, and there was a largish white spot on one egg. Is it a bit of gravel stuck to the egg, or is it a pip in the egg made by a chick - the first signs of hatching? I'm not sure we're there yet, but keep your eyes peeled on our live cameras...