Another exciting year for Chichester's Peregrine Falcons

Another exciting year is expected for the famous Chichester Cathedral Peregrine Falcons and their many observers.
By Joe Stack
Published 5th Mar 2019, 08:43 BST
Updated 5th Mar 2019, 09:50 BST
The image was taken in early February and shows the female chasing the male away from his dinner. Photograph by David ShawThe image was taken in early February and shows the female chasing the male away from his dinner. Photograph by David Shaw
The image was taken in early February and shows the female chasing the male away from his dinner. Photograph by David Shaw

From early January, the male and female have been spotted on a number of occasions. It is hoped that another batch of chicks will be successfully fledged this year, the cathedral has said.

From March until July, visitors will be able to catch sight of the birds from the cathedral grounds and a live stream webcam view will be set up in the café for visitors to see them nesting in the spire.

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Speaking for the cathedral, Cathy Clark, communications and PR coordinator said: “At this stage it looks like the birds are settling in well and we are hoping for another batch of chicks to be successfully fledged. When they eventually fly off to find their own place in the world is lovely to think that their hometown is Chichester!”

Peregrines were seen on the tower in the mid 1990's and may have been visiting for many hundreds of years before.

This year the peregrine project will be run jointly by the Cathedral, the Sussex Ornithological Society (SOS) and local wildlife enthusiasts David and Janet Shaw who have been observing the birds since 2001.

David and Janet can often be found in the evenings during the season watching and photographing the action, and are happy to chat to the public about their observations.

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They are intending to run a series of Open Days at weekends so that visitors will have a chance to observe the peregrines through a telescope, watch the webcam footage, and learn more about the birds and their activities. The dates are April 27/28; May 4/5; May 18/19; June 8/9 and June 15/16 – all weather permitting.