During the study, it was identified that many pairs have used a ledge different to that used the previous year(s). Some were only tens of metres away, whilst others had chosen a totally new cliff in their home range, with the maximum distance being one kilometre. This is a good indication of the large network of available cliffs to peregrines in KNP.
One aspect of the eyrie that is consistent is ledge size with no ledge being smaller than 500mm by 1000mm.
Location on the cliff of the actual nest varied but it is interesting that quite a few were on the lower third of the cliff. On sites where ledge changing had occurred over the four year study, most birds had both an upper and lower nest ledge. This could be due to the fact that these were the only suitable ledges, however it did appear that on some cliffs there were multiple choices higher up the cliff.
It should be noted that ledge changing by breeding peregrines from year to year makes surveying work slow and time consuming in having to locate the falcons each year.
4.11 Eyries - aspect