I’ve noticed that the bowing and other courtship behaviour has become more frequent, longer lasting, intense and close over the last couple of months.
Food-bringing has increased, but I still haven’t witnessed a transfer to the female. Xavier has stashed prey occasionally, and Diamond has eventually found it and eaten it…. interestingly they then both keep looking for the stash for some time afterwards.
Obviously, Xavier was feeding Diamond somehow during last year’s breeding period (although, if you remember, he took no part in incubation or brooding chicks that weren’t his own) so we did have three successful fledgings, and hopefully the same will happen this year, but he still is very cheeky, almost taunting her with the food, then skedaddling. See below for videos.
VIDEO 20170719 squaring off ledge
VIDEO 20170719 squaring off nest
A friend of mine got a photo of a peregrine (female, I think) with a pigeon prey in a Bathurst car park recently….it would be interesting to know where they were nesting.
Photo by Tracy Carpenter
I’ve seen a Peregrine on the spire of the Presbyterian Church, corner of George and Howick Streets, so maybe that’s the spot?!
https://goo.gl/maps/pm7JrYTRNcD2