In the many years that field workers have been monitoring and studying in Bowland, a lot of experience is gained about individual sites, birds and rearing capabilities. These can obviously vary as the same bird and even same pair of birds aren’t guaranteed to be in the same site every year, but to a point, over time you gather a good understanding for each site.
Site 6 is a new one but we are fairly confident that it is the same pair of birds from a previously well used site in the near area which obviously isn’t occupied this year.
This understanding of the birds gives a great insight when inspecting. For example some falcons and tiercels will be completely silent until field workers are within 30-50metres of the nest. Other pairs will be vocal the moment a human or any sort of disturbance that they deem intolerable is in sight – often when you are well in excess of 300-400 meters away. It has to be remembered that Birds Of Prey have tremendously good eye sight, much better than the best pair of binoculars money can buy.
This may seem more like a lecture at first but the reason I mention this is to explain the happenings that have occurred in the last 3 trips to site 6.
The falcon at site 6 is a very wary bird. The site becomes visible with binoculars from easily 600 meters away and by the time your within the 600 metre space she is up off the site and calling aggressively.
Our first visit to check on the progress of the site since eggs were recorded and photographed was Monday the 11th May and sure enough the falcon was straight off the site and calling. Sometimes this aggressive behaviour can be due directly to human interference as the bird views humans as a direct threat due to persecution by unsavoury characters previously. However a good understanding of this bird as mentioned above was a good indicator that things should all be well.
The site was inspected and photographed and as mentioned earlier on the website one egg was found with a young chick dead in the shell while trying to exit it. And 2 other eggs which at first were assumed to be dead due to suspected human interference. It was decided that another trip was necessary to ascertain the outcome and give the 2 remaining eggs chance to hatch.
Field workers then attended the site on Saturday the 16th of May at between 7.30-8.00am. On inspection they found a newly hatched chick which had only just exited the egg as it was still damp. It had not yet dried out.
Field workers reported seeing a vehicle parked near the site so the decision was made to recheck the site again at the next best opportunity.
With a break in the weather and 2 field workers available the site was re-checked on Monday the 18th of May at approximately 12.30 – 1.00pm.
This now brings us back to the first bit of literature above. The 2 field workers inspected the site at approx 600m away with binoculars. No bird could be seen and no falcon flipped out. The site is hidden behind a rock and long heather so it was assumed that the falcon was sitting tight brooding a newly hatched chick.
The field workers proceeded and both agreed that when within the 200 metre area of the site that something was wrong. No birds were in the air and none had exited the site. Something WAS wrong.
When the field workers reached the site there was only one solemn cold egg, no young, no egg with dead chick in and small fragments of egg shell all over the scrape.
The 2 field workers who visited the site are very unsure as to what to make of it. It is worth noting that a single peregrine was sited some 200 metres from the site flying high in the sky and away. How much relevance this holds we are not sure.
What is strange and heart breaking more than any-thing is that one fresh healthy chick was witnessed in the site on the Saturday morning. In just a little over 48hours later the site had been abandoned and young missing.
Could it be direct interference by thieves? direct persecution? or just simply natural causes, a fox or maybe stoat? All your comments will be gladly received and greatly appreciated.
It is worth noting the only reason this site hasn’t been deemed natural causes straight away is because there was no sign of a struggle. No blood or feather (down) in or near site that should well be there had the chick been eaten/taken by vermin. Also one egg being left behind doesn’t sound quite right for an opportunist predator.
You decide!?
It looks like a definite case of human persecution, a fox or other predator would not have left one egg in the nest,the only way to protect this eyrie would be 24 hr protection.