Peregrine roll call

ScottBanks — Thu, 17 May 2012 01:02:00 +0000

With winter setting in around Orange, and a week of the coldest nights so far this year, it’s been comforting to see both adult peregrines staying with us. Swift spends the afternoons up on the tower roof sunning herself, while Beau tends to roam the countryside. Every so often you’ll catch Swift overnighting in the eyrie. We can go days without spotting Beau so it’s good to see him when he does decide to grace us with his presence. Last evening both birds came back to the tower, and again this morning both were here, one on the roof and one on the microwave dish down the side.

Winter will get much colder but with some luck either (or both) peregrines will remain live Internet stars for the duration.

The new server configuration for our streaming capability now seems to be more stable & automated, with some software contingencies in place if things go wrong; we can but hope that electrical power & the campus network stay up for us!

More activity from the resident adults

ScottBanks — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 12:45:25 +0000

As Autumn becomes Winter in Orange our resident adult peregrine pair remain with us, and indeed Swift spends many hours on her ledge. This morning we were visited by the local white bully boys, the gang of cockatoos, who have been hanging around testing Swift’s patience more than once recently. True to her nature Swift didn’t lose her cool and watched as the cockies messed around in the trees below, with the odd swoop past the ledge before departing.

Yesterday we were treated to a bowing display between Beau, who arrived first, and Swift, following soon after. Video from both the ledge camera and the HD nest camera of the same incident can be viewed at the links in this sentence.

Camera and streaming upgrades today

ScottBanks — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 02:54:28 +0000

Today we’re undergoing some maintenance work on the video streaming server to try and stabilise it a little better. You may find the cameras are down at times for testing today and over the next couple of days while we streamline the server’s operation. Apologies to all. If we had to make some big changes this is the best time of the year to do them!! Back soon…

Swift enjoying post-lunch preening

Easter time in the eyrie

ScottBanks — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 02:23:39 +0000

Life around the Concrete Hilton goes on as per normal for Swift and Beau. With no kids around they have the area all to themselves and have indeed been staying close to home. On some days Swift has spent most of her day here, either on the ledge, snoozing in the eyrie or up high on the roof. Yesterday we were treated to both adults on top of the tower, pretending not to notice each other but enjoying the sun! This morning a mini-flock of 10 cockatoos arrived to disturb Beau’s peace around on the microwave dish. They spread themselves out over the angled roof and it took them a while to notice Beau around the corner but the white clowns soon flew off again, no harm done..

A happy and safe Easter to all our viewers, supporters and crew. Best wishes to everyone in the northern hemisphere where your peregrines are returning home once more. Keep in touch!

Cleared for take-off!

New HD camera is now available online

ScottBanks — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 13:31:04 +0000

After a week or so of unusual power glitches affecting our servers and cameras it appears we’re past the worst. We took the opportunity during the various power cycles and reboots to finally feed the hi-definition nest camera through our web pages, replacing the older & lower quality nest camera, a unit which has been a faithful servant for a good period of time and has witnessed some of our most incredible memories, but has now effectively been superseded in technology. You’ll find the improved nest view at our camera pages, hosted by CSU’s Division of Information Technology web servers. This new beast is a day/night, all-weather camera with awesome colour quality (more details on the nest camera page) . We’ve also been able to improve the Project’s technical control over the camera web pages after negotiation with CSU which should allow for efficiency in tasks as required – thanks heaps to Robbo, James and Bobbie for allowing us this liberty!

We must also again mention our fantastic technology suppliers, Shane at IP Video Solutions and Basil at Lan1, who have provided sound technological advice, good equipment, and more than worthy sponsorship for our software and hardware improvements. They play a big part in the results we’re able to bring to everyone now.

We have further technical “behind the scenes” improvements to undergo to our streaming capability and stability shortly but will keep down-time to a minimum. Thanks everyone for sticking with us!

Incidentally Swift has been delighting us with her regular audiences on her ledge and the occasional rest in the eyrie, but it’s also created difficulties in arranging a maintenance climb, which will have to be done any time now.

Hanging out for sunny weather

ScottBanks — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 05:27:26 +0000

We’re well past the best that summer could throw at us, and with cool temperatures & serious flooding all around Orange our resident peregrine couple have chosen their location well. The occasional visit by Beau and the regular hours spent keeping the window ledge warm by Swift have kept us “in peregrine” over this quiet spell. With some luck and effort we want to be able to make the new HD nest camera available via the camer pages shortly too.

We are also about to undertake a climb to clean out all the old feathers and detritus from the Concrete Hilton but with Swift spending so much of her day with us now the window of opportunity will have to be well chosen. Both adults, in their infrequent visits, have shown great interest in last season’s scrape and will inspect it and settle in before returning to the ledge once more.

A nothing summer and a wet autumn

ScottBanks — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 22:57:29 +0000

Very quiet up in the trees and on the ledge lately. We can almost certainly now state that our 3 youngsters, Byng, Ophir and Narrambla, have “left the building” and ventured forth on their own. No sign of the younglings for over a month now. We have been fortunate though to have been entertained by adults, Swift and Beau, who will stay with us right through the season (the macropus subspecies in Australia is non-migratory).

There’s a theory for why our 3 youngsters have all left us so early and it has to do with this amazingly average summer that Orange is going through. Apparently it’s the coolest summer on record and we haven’t had a day above 30degC (86degF) at all. With the odd week after New Year in very cold temperatures this may have thrown out the birds’ clocks and they’ve moved on early. No doubt Beau is happy as he’s not being pestered, and Swift has her ledge back without being attacked by the angry Ophir! Indeed Swift overnighted with us a few nights ago. Great to see her with us!

With all students now back on campus there’s a renewed interest in activities up the Concrete Hilton once more and the public screen in the Learning Commons area has drawn quite a few passersby.

How to handle bullys

ScottBanks — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 22:41:50 +0000

First thing this morning Swift was happily soaking up the sun’s rays on top of the Concrete Hilton when she was joined by 5 rowdy white sulphur crested cockatoos. When they realised who was quietly hunkered down at the far end of roof their crests flicked up and gradually they waddled their way towards her. Like a mob of schoolground bullys they advanced to within about 3 or 4 feet before she revealed herself like a Sith Lord, wings spread, and they backed away. Determined not to be outdone they maintained their verbal taunting for a while longer until Swift employed “strategy” and flew down in to the trees. Three of the bullys followed her down but lost her in the thicket. After the remaining two followed them to the trees Swift quietly flew back up for a few minutes before being rejoined by four annoying cockies.

Showing incredible patience Swift held her ground and eventually doubled back down on to the ledge – a clever move as the cockies have nowhere to land near her. The game continues while the bullys float around buzzing the ledge but one would put their money on Swift winning this one soon!

Swift and friends

A changing of the guard, or, home to roost

ScottBanks — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 05:30:56 +0000

It’s been a few days now since we last saw one of this season’s three youngsters. It may well have something to do with the bad weather, but it will no doubt also be influenced by all three maturing and attaining more independence. With some luck they’re all becoming adept at hunting.

Indeed since earlier this week we’ve only been accompanied by Swift and Beau who may be feeling more “at home” once more, now that their offspring are flying off to new regions on their own. Swift has spent many hours on the ledge , with an entire overnight the other evening. Beau also comes home to roost and if you’re lucky you’ll catch either/or in the cameras during the day, most often at dawn or dusk.

In saying that here’s a shot from earlier this week of the last sighting of a yearling, taking a snack:

Dining in

Dreary quiet days

ScottBanks — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 22:45:37 +0000

With some pretty average weather, violent storms last week and rain predicted this week, it’s a quiet time in the trees, although regular feedings (or pleading for feedings!) can be heard every day still. The youngster roll call has reached two at any one point in time since last year so we can but hope that number 3 is safe and sound elsewhere. This period has given us an opportunity to breathe again and plan ahead for this year. The priority for us now is to achieve funding for the second HD camera. This first camera, to appear soon on the streaming pages, is vastly superior to our our older models, and a second unit will replace the current ledge camera. We’re well on our way in $ terms, thanks to our brilliant supporters from every walk of life! Once improved vision is in place we’ll be looking further towards upgrading our two servers as they’re old and running very close to 100% most of the time, but in saying that they’re very reliable and proving their current worth.

The feeling of the day