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UK cathedrals host falcon communities – and attract interest across the globe

Norwich, UK

Images of peregrine falcon pattering across cathedral rooves are becoming a familiar sight at many UK cathedrals as their spires and roofs increasingly play host to families the birds of prey with web cams positioned to reveal them to a wider audience attracting viewers right across the world.

Salisbury, Norwich, Liverpool, Worcester, Winchester, Wakefield, Ely, Derby, Lincoln and Chichester are among the cathedrals involved and many provide specially constructed nest boxes for their winged residents.  

UK Peregrine chicks at Salisbury Cathedral

Peregrine chicks at Salisbury Cathedral. PICTURE: Courtesy of Salisbury Cathedral

Nick Brown, of the Derby Cathedral Peregrine Project, explains that in urban areas, cathedrals “act as surrogate ‘cliffs’ or rock faces which are the usual nest sites for these birds”.

While the phenomenon is not new, it does mark a success story for falcon preservation as Salisbury Cathedral archives indicate. Peregrines are known to have nested at that cathedral in 1864 and for nearly 90 years lived peacefully on its tower.  

UK Derby Cathedral peregrine on roof

 A peregrine chick in the nest box at Derby Cathedral. PICTURE: Courtesy of Derby cathedral.

After World War II, increased persecution and the use of pesticides, especially DDT, lead to their disappearance. In 2014, the first peregrines reappeared taking up residence in a nest box build by Salisbury Cathedral works yard team. They nested and fledged four chicks, returning every year to the same site to raise more young.  The only exception was in 2018, when a territorial battle between two females prevented laying.

The past two decades have also seen the birds arriving at numerous other cathedrals including Derby in 2006, Norwich in 2009 and Winchester in 2018. 

In recognition of this as an environmental success story, cathedral authorities have welcomed their arrival. In Norwich, for example, cathedral staff and volunteers always enthusiastically await the start of the courtship flights leading to nesting in early spring. Nest boxes are provided by cathedral authorities who link up with local wildlife trusts to help care for the birds.  

This can involve creating the special nest boxes as well as temporary facilities on the ground where visitors can find out more and watch the birds through web cams. It can also involve some rescues, such as during fledging when juveniles might come to the ground and, as Brown comments, have “to be rescued and taken back to the top of the tower for a second go!”

There can be little doubt as to the popularity of these airborne visitors. 

As soon as they begin nesting, cathedrals report seeing visitor numbers increasing. At Salisbury, the chicks have even been named as a result of public voting. In 2021, 1584 people voted on Facebook for names drawn from medicine and public health figures. 

UK Derby Cathedral peregrine2

‘Noble’, a peregrines on the roof of Derby Cathedral . PICTURE: Courtesy of Derby Cathedral.

The UK’s cathedral falcons are also attracting interest around the world. Marie Thomas, of Salisbury Cathedral, told Sight that the cathedral’s three live camera streams have been viewed 561,605 times so far this year.

“The nest box camera is by far the most popular,” she said. “Most of our livestream viewers come from the local area, but we have a great number of people from around the UK. Looking further afield, we get people watching from Australia, United States, Canada, Italy, Germany, France and Spain.”  

Set up just 11 weeks ago, the Salisbury Cathedral Peregrine Facebook group follows the peregrines from hatching to fledging.

It now has members from throughout Australia, Tasmania, NZ, USA, Uganda, Johannesburg, Italy, Spain, Slovenia, Japan, Holland, Eire and Denmark.  Similar interest has been experienced at Derby, where the webcams have resulted in more than four million viewers from 70 countries since 2007.  

 

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