A peregrine livestream at Worcester Cathedral has been viewed over half a million times on You Tube as the chicks hatch – surpassing last year’s total views for the whole season!
The adult birds, named Peter and Peggy by Cathedral followers, laid four eggs earlier this year, and the first chick hatched in a well-timed arrival on Easter Day! This was closely followed by the second and third chicks on 21 and 22 April.
For the past three years, the pair have raised and fledged four healthy chicks. This year one of the eggs was unviable and therefore failed to hatch – this is not unusual, and in fact this pair has been incredibly lucky to consistently produce four chicks over the past few years.
The three hatchlings are thriving in the nest being cared for by their parents, and there will hopefully be lots of exciting milestones in the coming weeks including feeding, ringing and then fledging. For the first time in over 10 years, a mated pair of peregrines moved into the Cathedral in 2022 and successfully nested, produced and fledged four chicks.
The same pair returned to the nest and fledged four chicks in 2023 and 2024. Last year’s 24-hour livestream received nearly 500,000 views from across the globe.
The cameras are back this year, and the action is also being livestreamed on a screen inside the Cathedral. The ‘Peregrine Falcons in Worcester’ team of experts are hosting a series of drop-in sessions, with cameras, scopes and binoculars to see the birds up close and share their knowledge.
This year the team will be joined by Worcestershire Wildlife Trust (WWT) for three sessions. The dates and times for the upcoming sessions are as follows:
Wednesday 30 April | 5-6.30pm
Friday 2 May | 10am-4pm (WWT)
Monday 5 May | 5-6.30pm
Thursday 8 May | 1.30-3pm
Wednesday 14 May | 5-6.30pm
Saturday 17 May | 10am-4pm (WWT)
Thursday 22 May | 1.30-3pm
Tuesday 27 May | 5-6.30pm
Friday 30 May | 10am-4pm (WWT)
Wednesday 4 June | 5-6.30pm
Monday 9 June | 1.30-3pm
Thursday 12 June | 5-6.30pm
Tuesday 17 June 1.30-3pm
There's no need to book, just turn up and watch and learn all about these fascinating creatures.
Chris Dobbs, Biodiversity Advisor for the Cathedral, said: “It’s great to be able to share the action from the nest on the livestream, much like many other UK Cathedrals, and at the drop-in sessions, and we’re delighted that Worcestershire Wildlife Trust have come on board this year.
“The birds are always incredibly popular, and we can hopefully all enjoy watching the progress of the family again this year.” Peregrines are the fastest living thing on earth, able to reach speeds of over 200mph in a dive while hunting (called a stoop). That’s much faster than a cheetah, at around 70mph!
Peregrines are classified in the UK as Green under the Birds of Conservation Concern 5: the Red List for Birds (2021). Protected in the UK under the Wildlife and Countryside Act, 1981.
