A pair of Peregrine Falcons were seen regularly around Norwich Cathedral for a number of years prior to 2010. The Hawk and Owl Trust were contacted to see whether it would be suitable to introduce a nesting site for the Peregrines. The nest platform was installed in 2010 at the base of the spire; however, it was moved higher up the spire in 2011 with the help of the local fire department. The nest box faces South-West, is 220ft above the ground and is 1m x 0.7m.

The box has been in place since 2011 and has been used as a nesting site by a pair of Peregrine Falcons every year since. While the adult birds have changed over the years, we have had 33 chicks fledge from the nest platform as of 2024. While we have specific information about some of the previously ringed Peregrines such as ‘GA’ (who was born at our Bath site and ended up nesting at Norwich Cathedral) most of the birds were not ringed so there is an element of unknown when it comes to their specific history.

The Hawk and Owl Trust was set up in 1969 as a response to the decline in Peregrine Falcons across the UK and around the world from the 1940s onwards. This dramatic decline was due to the use of the chemical DDT which was used in insecticides which caused the Peregrine eggs to weaken, causing a decline in the number of chicks hatching, among other issues. Through conservation efforts, legal protections and banning DDT, Peregrine Falcon numbers have recovered and now have ‘green’ conservation status. There are now more than 1750 pairs in the UK. The reason for providing nest sites in urban areas such as Norwich is because in wilder habitats Peregrines would nest on cliff edges, and tall buildings such as Norwich Cathedral mimic the conditions required for a Peregrine to nest there.

We now have a number of Peregrine nest sites that we monitor alongside Norwich, these include: Bath, Ely, Kettering and Yeovil.