First eggs of 2024 laid by Leicester Cathedral peregrine falcon

A peregrine falcon living in the spire of Leicester Cathedral has laid her first two eggs of 2024.

A webcam monitoring a breeding pair of the birds of prey has captured footage of the eggs in their nest.

Volunteers from the Leicester Peregrines group said they were delighted after the eggs were laid on Sunday and Wednesday.

They are hoping for more eggs from the peregrines in the remaining weeks of the breeding season.

"It's two eggs so far but in past years we have had more, so fingers crossed," said David Gray, from the cathedral's peregrines project.

"I think we might get four but it's always good when the eggs start to come.

"Ideally now those two will hatch into chicks and that normally takes between 30 and 35 days.

"We've had some eggs that have failed in recent years but it's looking good so far."

Mr Gray said the project had been launched in 2015.

He said: "We've had some successes and some setbacks but overall it's fantastic to have established the peregrines in the heart of the city."

Peregrine falcons are the world's fastest animal, able to reach speeds of up to 200mph (322km/h) when diving down on to prey.

They nest in high places such as urban towers and rural cliffs and have excellent binocular vision, allowing them to see prey from as far as 1.8 miles (3km) away.

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