Cathedral peregrine lays three eggs
Three is a charm for the Cathedral’s loftiest residents. The visiting peregrine falcons can now boast two more eggs in their spire nest.
Dedicated viewers of Chichester Cathedral’s live peregrine falcon camera were excited to spot that the birds laid the first egg of the year on March 25, with the others coming in quick succession.
Footage from the top of the spire showed a peregrine sitting proudly on the nest.
The first egg arrived at 5.56am, a week earlier than normal. David and Janet Shaw, who have been integral to the monitoring and filming of the peregrines, said in their blog: “What great news in this 25th Anniversary year.”
The incubation period for peregrine falcon eggs is 29-32 days, and while the female will lay three to four eggs, not all will hatch.
The eggs must be kept at a constant temperature, and the mother will rotate the eggs under her body to keep them warm.
She will only leave the nest for brief periods to eat prey brought by the male.
So far this year, the male has taken to perching on the golden cockerel weathervane at the very top of the spire.
Although the birds of prey were first spotted patrolling the cathedral in the 1980s by a maths teacher at The Prebendal School, they have been raising chicks since 2001.
Last year, two little females hatched and took their first wobbly flights before they fledged at midsummer.
Visitors can check on their progress on the screens at the Cloisters Café over a cup of coffee.
The peregrine project is run collaboratively by Chichester Cathedral, the Sussex Ornithological Society (SOS) and local wildlife enthusiasts David and Janet Shaw.