The first egg was spotted by Derby Cathedral Peregrine Project web cam watcher, Justin Walker at 7.30 am on Saturday 18th March.
The falcon will now leave her egg on its own and is expected to lay three more eggs with two day gaps between each one, making a complete clutch of four. Once the third or fourth egg is laid, she will begin incubation.
Peregrines have been nesting on the cathedral tower since 2006 and the famous Derby peregrine webcams enable viewers to watch them live.
Captured by Helen Naylor via Derby Cathedral Peregrine Project webcam
Nick Brown, Enquiries Officer at Derbyshire Wildlife Trust, set up the Derby Cathedral Peregrine Project. Speaking about the first egg, he said:
“Last year the first egg was laid a week earlier but the exact timing does vary year by year. We also suspect that we may have a new male bird and new pairings do take longer to start laying.
“Once the clutch is completed, there is a long incubation period lasting about a month before the eggs begin to hatch.”
Peregrine falcons are the world’s fastest animal, able to reach speeds of up to 200mph when diving down onto prey. They nest in high places such as urban towers and rural cliffs. They have excellent binocular vision allowing them to see prey from as far as 3km away.
The Derby Cathedral Peregrine Project is a partnership between Derby Cathedral, Cathedral Quarter, Derby City Council, and Derbyshire Wildlife Trust, which manages the project.
