FLYING START TO BREEDING SEASON FOR DERBY CATHEDRAL'S NESTING PEREGRINES

Bird and egg - a member of the project team took this shot from the webcam 

                                                     

The following report has been posted on the website of the Derby Wildlife Trust.  

We are thrilled to announce that the Derby Cathedral peregrine female has laid her first egg.

Peregrines have been nesting on the cathedral tower since 2006, and this year a new record has been set  with the first egg being laid on March 8, nine days earlier than last year..

As at other cathedrals and churches, the nesting activity at Derby can be watched via live webcam.

Says Nick Brown, who set up the project: "The mild winter may explain why urban peregrines across the UK seem to be laying earlier this year. 

"Once an egg is laid, the site becomes an ‘active nest’ and it is illegal to disturb it, so we just got there in time! 

"With luck, she will lay three more eggs with two day gaps between each one making a complete clutch of four."

The project is a partnership between Derbyshire Wildlife Trust, which manages the project, Derby Cathedral, Cathedral Quarter and Derby City Council.

The birds can be watched at  Derby Cathedral Peregrine Project - 2022 (derbyperegrines.blogspot.com)

                                                        

Derby cathedral - photo by Nick Moyes, via Wikipedia