The peregrines nesting on Charing Cross Hospital have three eggs and some drama.
A male falcon has tried to take Tom’s place, using strong arm tactics, except he doesn’t have arms. Tom is around twelve years old but defended himself, sustaining wounds. Natalie Mahieu reports.
“Shots from today and yesterday including some close ups of Tom. Obvious injuries is a scratch on his cere, which looks a bit longer than I originally thought, and some scratches on his feet, but they all look clean. The injury on his chest/neck are hidden under feathers but you can see that he’s missing quite a few on his neck. He’s feeling better. He’s done a lot more shifts on the eggs today, up to 55 minutes for the last one and turned up at 4.17 a.m. for his first one (on the first days he wouldn’t turn up until mid afternoon and would do one short shift in the evening). I haven’t seen him bring food to the ledge and I don’t know if he’s hunted successfully yet. The only one I have seen being successful is Azina, she brought back a pigeon yesterday afternoon during Peregrine Watch.”
You can see her pictures and film here. You might not know where to look for Tom’s cere; it’s the waxy, fleshy covering at the base of his upper beak. Azina will not lay any more eggs. Now they will incubate but the eggs may be infertile or they may not sit tight enough. We will not know until the summer.
Who trusted God was love indeed
And love Creation’s final law
Tho’ Nature, red in tooth and claw
With ravine, shriek’d against his creed
(In Memoriam AHH, Alfred, Lord Tennyson)
Everybody’s talkin’ about falcons.