Norwich Peregrine Watchpoint Week 1

The start of the week was quiet on the nest platform, with both the male and female Peregrine taking it in turns to incubate the eggs while the other went off to hunt. We had a couple of very hot days where they had to conserve energy and could be seen panting and sunbathing to try to keep cool. When on the eggs there was a lot of fidgeting and moving around which suggested that hatching was not far off.

On 03/05/25 the first chick hatched at 4.30am!

Throughout the day the male and female swapped over several times and while feeding the chick started off slow, they got back into the swing of it and the chick was fed a couple of times on day one.

On 04/05/25 chick two hatched at 5am!

The weather was much cooler, wetter and windier so the adult Peregrines spent more time protecting the chicks and eggs. The two chicks were fed several times and the parents seemed much more attentive.

On the morning of 05/05/25 there were still only the two chicks, but come the afternoon this changed. At 1pm the female could be seen removing the egg shell from underneath her and a glimpse of the third chick was seen. That afternoon all three chicks could be seen being fed and all alert and looking healthy.

We have our fingers crossed that the fourth chick will hatch Tuesday 6th!

Come and visit the watchpoint this week: Tuesday 6th, Wednesday 7th and Thursday 8th.

Now that the chicks have hatched there will be much more activity around the Cathedral as the adults have multiple mouths to feed.

Liberty Wells (Outreach and Conservation Ranger)