Peregrine falcons settle on Newbury's BT building
Birds of prey raising young on tower’s highrise ledge
NEWBURY has become home to some of the only peregrine falcon chicks in Berkshire.
It is believed there are three juvenile birds, as well as their parents, nesting at the top of the BT building in the town centre.
Bird enthusiasts across the area have been keeping a close eye on the nesting site since last year, when the pair were first spotted together and showing clear signs of mating.
They are believed to be one of only three pairs of peregrines in Berkshire.
According to the Berkshire Ornithological Club, peregrines have been recorded frequenting the Newbury BT Exchange building since 2008, but most sightings were in the winter.
The strongholds of the breeding birds in the UK are the uplands of the North and West and rocky coasts, but with greater protection they have now spread to urban areas.
Our photographer Phil Cannings captured one of the birds returning to the nest with its kill – an unfortunate collared dove.
Newbury Weekly News reader Ewan Davies has been making the most of his lockdown walks to keep an eye on the nesting pair and said he was delighted when he spotted the young peregrines for the first time.
“I live nearby, so see them most days, particularly now I’m working from home,” he said.
“There’s an interesting array of bird corpses around the bottom of the tower where they drop the remains.
“Someone even told me they had found an owl at the base.
“We have the red kites and peregrines around here and then buzzards, kestrels and sparrow hawks up on Greenham Common; we are very lucky around here for birds of prey.”
On Twitter one reader reported that the chicks were first spotted on June 12, taking their first flight nearly three weeks later.
Ken White added that he believed there were two female and one male juveniles in the family.
The peregrine falcon, which is the fastest bird on Earth in a dive, reaching speeds of up to 200mph, is a protected species under the Wildlife and Countryside Act.
