Nuts have to retype my message - got timed out
- first one was great, this one shorter ... sorry (and just so you know, I'll be blogging on this tomorrow with at least one of the photos)
Just Dennis and I on the roof today, Larry is way under the weather today so we will be back up soon to finish the final tech stuff on the cameras. Nestbox is in great shape, still half full of snow but I suspect that over the next couple of days (we are suppose to get warmer weather!) that should melt. I have photos from the spycam and from our roof visit which I will post tomorrow evening, just too late for me to do it now I'm afraid Gang.
So, yes, there were two scrapes in the un-snowed part of the nestbox - specifically in the back, inside if you like where there is a roof to provide some protection. Actually Larry has a photo from one of our earlier visits that showed the nestbox entirely full of snow - I'll see how it turned out and post it later if it worked. Anywho, two scrapes, one seriously deep, the other not so - but it is usual behaviour for the pair to make numerous nest scrapes in various locations before settling down and choosing one. So, they are doing all the things young peregrines do when they are in "love".
Speaking of that, Trey and his lady love spent most of the day on the Sterling (her) and Paris (him) Buildings before retiring to the JR sign later in the afternoon for some conubial bliss. And yes, she uses the J, he uses the top or the R foot to perch on. I think that the J has more room for them to consumate their relationship. So, nestscrapes + carnal relations = eggs sometime in the next couple of weeks. Since we don't know exactly when they started copulating, can't say more precisely when the first egg will be laid. They however usually continue to copulate until third egg is laid.
Dennis and I had originally gone to add some additional gravel to the nestbox as an inducement for the pair (think new paint when you are selling a house) but in the end we didn't add anything since there were scrapes there - didn't want to disturb them at this stage of the game. Was kind of surprised actually, what with the snow in 1/2 the box but it does look as though the nestbox is a much more serious contender than last year. Of course, thought she was going to use the box last year, right up until we saw that darn egg on the nestledge in Dennis' photo. So we will just have to wait and see. Their lack of activity on the east side I'm hoping is a postive sign for a "Nest on the West"
