A rare species of falcon that nearly went extinct in the UK has successfully laid eggs in Andover.

A pair of Peregrine falcons nesting at St Mary’s Church have so far laid a clutch of three eggs, with the potential for more in the coming days.

Despite lockdown, you too can watch the falcons, and the progress of their eggs, from the comfort of your own home thanks to a webcam funded by the generosity of Andover.

Peregrine falcons are one of the world’s fastest birds, capable of reaching speeds of over 200mph while diving towards prey. They use this speed to catch smaller birds, and can often be see nesting on tall buildings and cliffs.

In the 20th Century, their population suffered a dramatic decline when the use of pesticides such as DDT impacted on their populations. Though used on crops, the pesticides built up in the food chain, and became concentrated in predators such as the peregrine. This causes a number of effects, including the thinning of egg shells and lower fertility, which caused 80 per cent of peregrines in the UK to have been lost by 1964.

Following the banning of DDT and similar pesticides, peregrine populations have recovered, with a 2014 survey by the British Trust for Ornithology estimating there are around 1500 breeding pairs in the UK, with England in particular having seen a 34 per cent increases since 2002.

Peregrines arrived at St Mary’s Church in 2018, and had their first brood of three chicks in 2019. Following this success, the church raised thousands of pounds to install a live webcam so that members of the public can watch along at home.

This year, the peregrines have been active from January, with courtship behaviours taking place until late February, when they began mating. The first egg was laid on March 24, with two more following on March 26 and March 28.

With peregrines laying on average three to four eggs a year, one more egg is possible in the next few days. Over the next month, the mother and father will share the incubation of the eggs, who then hatch over a period of days.

Another 35 days later, and the chicks will start to fledge, while their parents teach them how to fly. They then become independent after about two months, and then live for around five to six years, though some live much longer.

If you’d like to watch the peregrines for yourself, you can see them on the livestream at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fBC-KEcmBA