All four peregrine chicks hatch at Chichester Cathedral

Rain may have been lashing Chichester Cathedral, but its famous peregrine family is flourishing.

The first chick, which hatched the morning of Tuesday, April 24, was followed very rapidly by the next three which all arrived on Wednesday, April 25.

“The chicks all hatching in such close succession was a first for the pair of nesting peregrines at Chichester Cathedral and despite the rain and wind, the adult birds are doing a brilliant job at keeping all the chicks warm and fed,” said Molly Dailide, of the RSPB South East.

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With this year’s brood all successfully hatching, the total number of chicks now hatched in the past 11 years at Chichester Cathedral is 42.

Molly continued: “It was even more incredible that the fourth hatched in full view of the webcam. This is fairly unusual to see as they usually hatch whilst the female is sitting on the eggs so you don’t often get such fantastic views of the emerging chick.”

Although the Chichester peregrines are doing well, the severe weather conditions have had tragic consequences for their counterparts in Nottingham, with the male going missing in the bad weather and the loss of three out of four chicks.

Furthermore, the weather temporarily spelled bad news for the RSPB who are set up in the Cloisters Café garden at Chichester Cathedral. After the recent storms, the project had to be closed for two days due to weather damage. However, the good news is that the project is now once again open to the public.

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This project offers the rare opportunity to see these amazing birds close up through telescopes provided by the RSPB. You can also watch on the live webcam with edited highlights, as the chicks grow up and then learn to fly. Friendly staff and volunteers are also on hand to tell you about the fantastic history of these great birds at this free event.

This is the 12th year the peregrine pair has bred on top of the cathedral, in a nestbox provided by the Sussex Ornithological Society.

Live footage from the nest camera is now being broadcast on the RSPB site

Online viewers can also read updates and see new photos and footage at the project’s Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/chi.peregrines and on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ChiPeregrines.