Joy over the hatching of peregrine chicks
Friday, 11am - PEREGRINE falcons nesting on the tower of St Wulfram's Church have welcomed two new additions to the family - two adorable fluffy chicks.
Friday, 11am - PEREGRINE falcons nesting on the tower of St Wulfram's Church have welcomed two new additions to the family - two adorable fluffy chicks. Bird lovers and the church community are over the moon with the new arrivals, as are a group of students at Grantham College who have been studying them via a webcam.
%%Could not get body element policy for VersionedContentId(1.29085.UNDEFINED)The falcons, which are powerful birds of prey and are relatively uncommon, began nesting on the steeple in the winter of 2007.
%%Could not get body element policy for VersionedContentId(1.29084.UNDEFINED)A webcam was installed to capture the beautiful birds in action, but they flew the nest soon after.
%%Could not get body element policy for VersionedContentId(1.29083.UNDEFINED)When they were spotted nesting again this year, the webcam was set back up and the project was successful the second time round.
The college's information technology lecturer Dave Slater said: "I have acted as technical advisor to the Friends of St Wulfram's Church to ensure they got a professional value for money result using the best of modern technology, and assisted with the implementation of the falcon web camera.
"The new media approaches have made students realise and appreciate their local heritage, as well as involving them with the broader local community."
Watching the webcam has been a valuable tool for students at the college, who have also played a part in other big projects.
They have been involved with a touch-screen information kiosk in the church's north porch, recording and editing an audio tour and creating a soon-to-be launched website giving extensive information on the church.
The projects were made possible by funding secured by the Friends of St Wulfram's from the Local Heritage Initiative and Nationwide Building Society.
The webcam footage of the peregrines can be viewed online by CLICKING HERE.
There is a photo gallery and a live picture which is refreshed every 30 seconds.
It is hoped that the tower will be open for visitors during an open day on Saturday, July 11. However the peregrines cannot be disturbed so the event is dependent on the peregrines flying the nest.
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Weather for Grantham
Saturday 13 March 2010
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Temperature: 2 C - 8 C
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Wind direction: North west
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