Wednesday 14 April 2010

Colour-ringed peregrine at Blagdon Lake

We've just found out that one of our colour-ringed peregrines was spotted and photographed with another peregrine at Blagdon Lake, Bath and North-east Somset on Sunday 11th April. Will bring some further details once we've checked which individual it was. For now here's a link to the Blagdon birds website, http://www.blagdonlakebirds.com/ showing a photo of the bird.

Following just after, a sattelite-tracked osprey was also found to be at Blagdon, www.roydennis.org

Monday 12 April 2010

Mediterranean Gull as Peregrine prey

This Mediterranean Gull was found near the Severn Estuary where Peregrines use nearby industrial buildings.
The corpse showed evidence that can be attributed to a Peregrine kill - no doubt the dead bird then got blown or dropped on to the ground and into the bushes where it was found. Definitely an unusual prey species in the UK but probably more common in parts of souther England and mainland Europe where Med Gulls are found in greater numbers. On the Severn Estuary Med Gulls are found just when passing though on migration. This was an adult in summer plumage.

Peregrine breeding season 2010













Well, it's that time of the year and across the UK peregrines are busily nesting. Many are now incubating eggs while others are still courting and getting ready to lay.

Over the course of the next month Adrian and I will be busy getting ready for the next season of colour ringing chicks from mid-May in the Bristol and Somerset region. Finger's crossed that it is a good breeding season for the Peregrine this year and we get to colour ring many chicks.