The Peregrine Project in Aylesbury

Following the theme in our previous post we'd like to share some good news from Buckinghamshire. 


Dave Short writes:
In mid-2007 we noticed that a young pair of Peregrine had taken up residence in the middle of town, 200ft up on a Bucks County Council office building. Bill Robson and myself, who at the time were volunteering for Aylesbury Vale District Council Barn Owl Project, approached Bucks council about placing a nesting platform on the building. The two councils worked together and a platform was duly erected in spring 2008, although sadly no birds bred that year.


In both 2009 & 2010 two birds were seen together, but no evidence of breeding was seen and the platform remained vacant. Then, in 2011 things began to look more promising. In late spring, two Peregrines were seen copulating and an egg was laid on the platform, though sadly it didn't hatch. 


With high hopes for 2012, we decided to put two web cameras on and around the platform in order to get closer to the action, and an anonymous donor kindly paid for their purchase and installation. Sure enough, the Peregrines bred this spring, and we now have two chicks age 3 days and 2 days--the first confirmed Peregrine breeding record for Buckinghamshire! If all goes well, we will be colour ringing the chicks in due course.




To keep up to date with what's going on in the the first ever Aylesbury Peregrine nest all you need to do is follow the Aylesbury Vale Channel on You Tube here.
Here is their latest video from 2 days ago. Enjoy.


To read more stories about Peregrines in the Demog Blog go here!