I keep an eye on two Peregrine eyries within the boundaries of my south-west Leicestershire listing area. One site has become hard to monitor as the pair there have moved the nesting site to a ledge which is much further from the viewing point, but not so the second pair. I was watching two young on the nest ledge from a safe distance when something caught my eye. It took a second or to to work out where the movement came from but when I did I was surprised to see it was a juvenile Peregrine. It must have set out on its first flight, as it was quite a distance from the eyrie. Luckily I had my camera with me, so I blasted off a few shots and then retreated just in case the parents were watching. The pair have raised three eyases (chicks) this year.
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| Juvenile Peregrine |
Staying with the breeding theme, the seven young Shelducks are still doing well at Cotesbach Landfill site and the Herring Gull chicks in Leicester are piling on weight on a diet of old pizzas and chips.