So far it hasn't  paid off but I am ever hopeful of success and pretty confident as well. Peregrines are extremely intelligent, observant and incredibly difficult to get the better of.  In addition to that, the last thing you would want to do is disturb them.  But at the end of the day, we are talking about a bird and I am sure that I can outwit them. Time is the key and I have plenty of it.  So far I have waited for 15 hours in total but haven't had the opportunity yet to get  even one shot. 

 

During my observations at the nest site  which goes back for 3 years and in this season, almost daily for the last month, I have learnt their behaviour and can almost predict what's going to happen next.  Both adults have favourite spots to perch and rest up.  Amongst these favourites is an old oak  tree that I  have mentioned on numerous occasions onthe blog.  Biding my time and using as much stealth and patience as possible, I eventually managed to put up a cover at the base of a nearby tree overlooking these perches without disturbing the birds at all   This has given me tremendous clear views of both the male's favourite perch and beneath it, some 10 feet lower, the female's.

This cover is completely camouflaged with  fern leaves and looks, even to me, like a clump of fern and bracken.  Poking out the front is a 300 lens connected to my Pentax K3.  Using elastic bands, even the lens body  is covered in fern and leaves. 

The nearest I came to success was yesterday when the falcon perched  in the oak, calling loudly.  I could see her but I knew that any movement whatsoever would have disturbed her. 

Today when I arrived the female was on her favourite perch and had I been in the hide it would have been perfect but of course, I couldn't  get in there without her knowing.  I waited  2 hours for her to depart so that I old quickly slip in to my spot, hidden amongst the netting and ferns without her being aware of me.  I sat it out and waited  for her return!

The problem is that Peregrines have quite long periods of inactivity when they just sit around doing nothing but watching, waiting and snoozing. I just know that eventually my patience will be rewarded with photos of a lifetime. My sore backside is the only thing that separates me from success.

After a total of 7 hours today the light wasnt good and sun was shining straight in to my face, the worst conditions ever for a good photograph….. it was time to leave and I still hadn't been successful.

A very interesting comparison between these two 31 day old chicks.  The one on the right, even though it's smaller has more feathers and is probably a tercel. 

 

The chicks are now  very impressive,  I am quite certain that I can see a difference in size and development between the older 2 siblings.  One is smaller and has noticeably more real feathers. This is quite likely to be a tercel and I have been told before that male chicks develop more quickly.  The youngest chick though only 48 days behind of course, is a monster but has hardly any real feathers emerging yet, surely a falcon.