There was some excitement when I got to the Peregrine territory yesterday morning but first there was massive deflation because, as I opened the flap of the hide and peered on to the nest ledge, hoping beyond hope that there was going to be a sitting peregrine – there was nothing. I think we are getting to the stage when eggs need to be produced very soon if breeding is going to take place this year and with this falcon being  only in her second spring I am beginning to accept that she is too young.  Then suddenly, there was a bird of prey, but brown – it was a female Kestrel and it was just above the nest ledge!  Perhaps looking for a nest site itself?  Would the peregrines accept that, I doubt it?  Then as if to confirm my opinion, there was a peregrine, it was the falcon.  She had flown in to protect her territory.  I fully expected conflict of some sort but she just went on to her nest scrape, did a bit of scratching around, sat still for a minute or two on the nest and then left. Meanwhile, the Kestrel flew back  in front of the ledge as if to mob the Peregrine.  All very interesting. Then the nest ledge was vacant again? Then the real excitement – there is an egg!   With the nest vacant,  I used all my optics stacked one on toop of the other.  This gives me massive magnification, hardly good enough to publish as a photo but, then using the zoom on the live view of the camera, I  could  just make out a portion of colour where a tiny fraction of an egg was visible.  This is great news and within the space of just a few minutes I went from deflation to elation!  But now, as if to make observations really worthwhile, the falcon is away from the ledge and not guarding the precious object at all. If I hadn't  seen the egg I would have almost certainly given up the idea of success this year.  As was proved when the Kestrel turned up, I can only assume that she is watching carefully from afar.