Fresh Hope??
5 May 2009
Another day of interesting behaviour! Today, (Tues 5th May) the birds have spent the majority of their time on or around a new (old raven’s!) nest positioned on the east facing clock face. They have been sitting very close to each other, often both in the nest together, and also have disappeared on hunting trips together. Such “lovey dovy” behaviour is not the norm for peregrines, except during the pair bonding period, which usually occurs before laying in Feb and March. The female then spent the afternoon “scraping” the nest. This is a natural behaviour to create a bowl shaped “scrape” on the nest ledge, which prevents eggs from rolling off the cliff.
It is unusual, but not unheard of, for peregrines to lay a second clutch of eggs after sitting for the full incubation period. When it does happen, it tends to occur only in city nesting peregrines, reflecting the greater availability of food in cities later in the year.
Could Gavin and Stacey be attempting a second clutch?? Watch this space!!