Full house for Kettering peregrines as all four chicks have now hatched
Congratulations are in order for Kettering’s resident peregrine falcons who have welcomed four more chicks into the world.
The webcam superstars’ nest box on Kettering’s ‘parish’ church of St Peter & St Paul in Market Place has been closely monitored in recent weeks with the high-flying birds brooding a clutch of four eggs.
This newspaper reported last week that two chicks had arrived, and anyone watching the Hawk and Owl Trust webcam may have seen the proud parents with two more new arrivals in recent days.
A spokesman for the Hawk and Owl Trust has confirmed the pair’s happy news, saying: “All four have now hatched.”
Visitors to the town centre are used to craning their necks to get a glimpse of the pair of peregrine falcons that have claimed one of the towers as their home.
This is the third year the attentive pair have successfully bred, producing eleven fledglings in that time.
Once persecuted, improved legislation and protection has helped the birds to recover and they have now expanded into many urban areas. The species can nest on cliff-ledges, quarry faces, crags, sea-cliffs and man-made structures.
Peregrines are a Schedule 1 listed species of The Wildlife and Countryside Act.
Peregrine falcons are the world’s fastest animal reaching in excess of 200mph in a dive, which makes them very effective hunters catching their prey in mid-air.
People can donate to the Hawk and Owl Trust or St Peter & St Paul Church to support the conservation effort.
Donate to the Hawk and Owl Trust here or to St Peter and St Paul Church, Kettering here.
To watch the peregrines online go to https://hawkandowltrust.org/live-cameras/kettering-peregrines