This is AWESOME - Falcon Fantasia

I love these guys so much,,


Falcon Fantasia from Neil Grubb on Vimeo.



Link to this awesome vid,, for description

http://www.vimeo.com/2984249

Peregrin Update - Roslin Scotland,, by Neil

I thought I'd post an update on the Roslin Glen peregrines, but before doing this I have uploaded a full resolution version of my Fantasia movie - much better quality than the compressed YouTube version - if you wish to view this follow this link: http://www.vimeo.com/2984249 If you're interested you will also see some rough work I have been doing on other birds - winter finches, starlings and waxwings - with a new HD camera. I hope to be able to upload some HD footage of the Roslin peregrines this year. Anyway, the update:

The juvenile falcons left territory around September last year, and the adults were not often seen on territory until late January. In the UK, peregrines often move toward the coast in winter, presumably because there is the opportunity to feed on overwintering waders (shorebirds, in American parlance!). We have had a cold winter, the coldest for around 15 years, with a lot of snow, so it will have taken its toll on woodland / inland birds I would guess. I began to see the female on territory quite regularly early February, often perched high on conifers overlooking the nest area. The male appeared around the same time, and some courtship - chasing - behaviour was seen although I haven't witnessed any nest ledge displaying yet - for reasons which may become apparent.

Two weeks ago I noticed a massive twig nest built on the ledge where the peregrines had nested the last two years. A pair of ravens had moved in - and at that point I realised things could get interesting! Yesterday I visited the site, had watched for two hours with no sign of any activity, when I heard the 'cronk cronk' call of incoming ravens. Then out of nowhere, like a pair of guided missiles, came the two peregrines - dive bombing the much bigger ravens, and preventing them from approaching the ledge. The ravens quickly gave up and flew off. I'm aware that peregrines nesting in raven nests is a well recognised phenomenon but what really intrigues me about this is that the peregrines were on territory the whole time the nest was built, and didn't disturb the ravens during nest building at all. So did peregrines deliberately allowed the ravens to build a nest, and then evict them ? Or do the peregrines simply become more territorial as spring approaches. I remembered that when I discovered the pair in 2007, they had nested in what appeared to be a fresh but abandoned twig raven nest. This nest was messy but still intact after the 2007 season but had completely fallen apart by the end of the 2008 season. The ravens nested approximately 200 metres away on the opposite side of the glen both years. Maybe the peregrines have used the ravens' nest building skills more than once for their own benefit ?

Anyway, I hope to be able to share some more news / HD footage of both peregrines and ravens in the coming year. I took some practice HD shots yesterday using a 400mm lens on the camcorder and they look quite nice on the TV, so I will upload them to Vimeo later today.

Neil