The first peregrine egg of 2025 has been laid at Salisbury Cathedral. The egg was laid at around 10.25am on Sunday 16 March.
First Peregrine Egg of 2025 laid at Salisbury Cathedral
Peregrine season began early this year when the cameras launched in February, one month earlier than last year to catch the beginnings of ‘courting’ behaviour from the peregrines.
Eggs have also been laid at Norwich and Worcester.
You can watch all the cathedral peregrine webcams below or here.
An un-ringed adult male peregrine, with facial features that strongly suggest it could be the same male as in the previous several years, had already been spotted staking his claim on the brand-new Cathedral nestbox this year.
Three cameras show live streams from the South Tower balcony on the Salisbury Cathedral website; two set up to catch the action on the nestbox, and one set up at the other end of the balcony, which has been dubbed the ‘larder’ because that is where the adult peregrines often store spare food.
This is a partnership project between the RSPB South Wiltshire Local Group and the Cathedral that was set up last year with an active joint Facebook Group for discussion and to share footage.
Granville Pictor of the Wiltshire Ornithological Society said:
“We’re lucky to have the peregrine cameras at Salisbury Cathedral as it gives us a unique window into the lives of these incredible birds, helping us understand their behaviour.
“A good example is the female’s incubation pattern, as she probably won’t start keeping the eggs warm until she’s laid the second-to-last one. Since peregrines usually lay three or four eggs, we can expect to see them uncovered for quite a while. She’ll know instinctively when it’s time to settle, and from that point, we’ll be able to watch the whole process play out.”
So far, thirty-five chicks have fledged from the Tower since the peregrines returned to Salisbury Cathedral in 2013 including one chick (Wyle) that was adopted by Sally (the Cathedral’s most famous peregrine) in 2017, after both his parents were poisoned.
The chicks have travelled far and wide over the years – Osmund (orange colour ring YND) has been spotted in Hertford, Peter in Hampshire (blue colour ring GX) and Aveline (Colour ring SC) in Milton Keynes.
If anyone thinks they they have spotted one of the Salisbury peregrines – just check the letters on the colour ring (or Darvic ring) on their left leg. In the case of peregrines from 2014-2020 the colour ring will be blue. After 2021 they are orange – and do get in touch.
