The return of the NTU Peregrine Falcons…
Resident falcons spotted on the livestream feed
On New Year’s Eve, Nottingham Trent University‘s resident falcons were spotted catching up on the livestream by regular livestream watchers.
Known as Archie and Mrs P, the falcon pair nest on an outside ledge near the top of our Newton and Arkwright building. The tall building mimics the high crag, cliff and quarry faces of a rural-nesting peregrine, similarly providing a flat ledge to nest on and clear views of the abundance of prey below, Nottingham’s feral pigeons.
The female usually lays one egg every 2-3 days from mid to late March. She will then incubate a clutch of three or four eggs for 29- 32 days whilst the male will be predominantly responsible for hunting.
In the last nine years, this nest site has successfully seen 35 chicks fledge. We expect these juveniles to stay within a 60-mile radius to help strengthen the East Midlands falcon population. Last year was a little different for our falcons, captivating yet unsuccessful with the four eggs laid not hatching. A summary of the events from the last breeding season can be found here.
Peregrines are powerful fierce predators, yet elegant and graceful. We are excited and hopeful their recent sighting will follow a successful brood in the coming months.
Our livestream is available all year and accessed from the NTU Sustainability website.
The Sustainable Development Team also post regular updates on social media pages Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.