Jason Hicks, a security guard at the university, said the pair of birds is nesting on the ninth floor of the Newton Building at Nottingham Trent University.

It is believed to be the first pair to nest in Nottinghamshire for 160 years.

"The bird has distinctive arrow-shaped wings and flies quite high," Mr Hicks said.

Pigeon feathers

"I checked on the internet and the bird is definitely a peregrine falcon.

"We have seen lots of pigeon carcasses around and one day we saw some feathers floating down."

Tim Cleeves of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds said: "It is unusual to see a pair of peregrine falcons in Nottinghamshire in the summer."

"The birds don't usually to make a nest, but simply use a ledge of a building to lay their eggs or use a leftover nest."