A few miles down the road from where I live is Leamington Spa, with its imposing Victorian town hall, complete with bell tower. For some years now, peregrine falcons have been nesting each spring in the tower and, since 2013, Warwickshire Wildlife Trust and Warwick District Council have placed a live webcam in the tower, and provided information about the birds to the public. Additionally, WWT hosts live events, near the tower, during the peregrine breeding season to engage the public.
In all the years I've been following the live webcam action I've never managed to see the birds in real life. Today, however, has been a sunny day, and a live event day, and I went into Leamington . . . and saw the male bird on the outside of the tower!
In the top left image below, if you look at the right hand projecting corner, above the window arches, you can just see a bird perching. The top right and lower left images are of that corner, with the male peregrine. The female is in the space inside the window arches, currently brooding four tiny chicks who hatched in the past 48 hours. The final image is the male on the balustrade looking in through a window arch at his chicks and partner. In this position he was also visible from inside, through the window arch, on the wide angle camera of the live stream.
And below are photos taken, while I was there, by someone with a much longer lens than I had with me!
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