in pursuit of Peregrine

On the skyline of Cardiff can be seen a new elegant figure in keeping with the ornate architecture of the City Hall.

Can you spot the majestic Peregrine Falcon perched high on the figurine above the Clock?

It is causing a stir for the people of Cardiff but a nightmare for the local bird population as

it scours the local parks and spaces in search of its prey ..... taking anything from pigeons to kingfisher!

The Peregrine is on the endangered species list, but in recent years pairs of the bird have increasingly taken to nesting in old church towers, in our cities. In the case of Cardiff, the City Hall has been chosen, despite the deafening clock!

The Peregrine has taken the lofty top tower over from the Raven and uses the latters old nesting sites to lay their eggs. Peregrine are lazy when it comes to making nests!

In recent years the RSPB working in collaboration with the National Museum and City Council to install a web cam so that the public can watch the nesting birds through their "Date with Nature" stand in the Museum.

Over the past two years I have volunteered as an engagement officer to show and share this experience with the local visitors through use of the live cam and telescopes on the City Lawns.

Yesterday was an exciting moment with the webcam recording live coverage on the nest site there was a great deal of movement from within the high sided, former ravens nest, that the peregrine has adopted.

The female Peregrine was sitting much higher on the nest than earlier in the month. Then she was incubating the eggs and only her tail feathers could occasionally be seen by viewers to the live cam. Her high position suggested she had some young chicks under her.

At times she could be clearly be seen stretching forward and preening the fluffy balls of fur in her care in the nest. (left below)

SUDDENLY at 2.30 the male flew to the ledge in front of the nest. He must have communicated with his partner for minutes later she departed from her nest perch ... I was expecting there to be swap of birds on the nest ... but minutes later she returned with a pigeon in her talons to the nest and for the next 15 minutes proceeded to gouge the flesh from the bird and feed the bundles of fluff in the nest.

On occasion a visitor to the site and myself could see the faint shape of a bundle of fluff bob above the nest sides as she continued to feed ... see right illustration.

Then she proceeded to carry the carcass from the nest (above), and return to her duties on the nest.

At this stage there is no certainty as to how many hatchlings there are on the nest. All the action suggests at this point there is a strong hope of the birds rearing young successfully this year, as similar activity has been seen by visitors to the project since Thurday afternoon.

The birds have hatched their eggs a good two weeks sooner than last year, when the weather conditions did not resemble the mild sunny conditions currently being experienced, and is a strong factor pointing to the failure of the nest last year. The birds have also chosen a more sheltered nesting site this year.

So all eyes are on the Clock Tower in the hope that the birds will have greater success this time round as was the case in the 2008 season when three chicks successfully fledged.

Why not visit the RSPB Date with Nature Site : you can be rest assured a good reception from the team of staff at the site ..... to guide you through what you are seeing!

Following the Antics of Grebes, mid April!

The spring April days has allowed me to get out with my paints to capture the Grebes on location!
Certainly there is still plenty of inter warfare between pairs as this photo captured on Monday.

It has been great to even get my brushes out and put paint to paper with the warm conditions which allows the paint to dry.



But even in the length of time taken to capture the Grebes centre stage with the coots nest neighbouring them ... there were to be some events that would surprise the on looker!











As the painting neared completion to my amazement a pair of Black Swan strutted across the quiet waters under the willow resembling two coppers crossing the theatre stage in pursuit of escaped prisoners!









Who could this pair possibly be in pursuit of and to what end?

Any suggestions?

And before the last brush strokes were put to the painting the Grebes were to face new unexpected aggressors from the quiet waters putting an end to their present activities!

Come back to find out more of the unravelling saga!

Don't this pair look menacing .... and I tell you they were to the birds they were in pursuit of!









Today has seen me find my first nest of Grebes and the warmth of the sun meant that the birds could leave the nest displaying the one egg and dive and lazily snooze as only grebes do in the water.

Even as the artist painted and mixed his colours the geese were quite keen on giving a helping hand!

Just one of the delights of painting on location!!

Great Crested Grebes Part II

Later in the month, shortly after the willow had come into leaf there was one afternoon when there was a frenzy of activity, where one pair of Grebes were repeatly being particularly aggressive to the other Grebes on the lake. The pair left their territory with extended necks heading and intercepting the other Grebes, be it a single Grebe or a pair. This is depicted in my composite pastil painting below.

On each occasion one could not either predict whether the assault on the other Grebe was going to result in a full blown vicious fight with on occasion both birds dissappearing under the water. Or the alternative on occasion was the courtship ritual, leaving the observer wondering if the loyalties of the birds had changed and who had actually become the looser.

Certainly for the observer on the bank it was as dramatic as any movie at the flicks!


By the following day the waters were a whole lot calmer both with improved weather conditions and without the assaults of the Grebes, read the next epic instalment coming soon, stay tuned!