All eyes were on Worcester Cathedral’s peregrines with latest viewing figures showing the livestream was viewed over half a million times on YouTube as the chicks hatched – surpassing last year’s total views for the whole season!
Peregrine Livestream Hits Half a Million Views as Chicks Hatch at Worcester Cathedral
The adult birds, named Peter and Peggy 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.
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.
Since 2022 – the first time in more than a decade – the peregrine 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 ‘Peregrine Falcons in Worcester’ team of experts are hosting a series of drop-in sessions throughout May and June with cameras, scopes and binoculars to see the birds up close. And this year the team will be joined by the Worcestershire Wildlife Trust (WWT) for three of the sessions. No need to book.
Find all the session dates here.
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 creature 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.
Watch the action from the nest and all the other live peregrine webcams here.
