Chichester Peregrine Blog

A glorious afternoon to go out with the cameras and where else but Chichester to see our favourite peregrine couple.As we arrived she left the pinnacle on the SW where she was sunning herself to greet her mate as he arrived to join her.  She soon returned to the same spot as he took up his favourite place at the top of the spire this time on the south side in the sun.  Perhaps they were feeling the chill in the air!!

Yesterday, after our first snowfall, I popped down to check on our peregrines to see how they were reacting to it.  Dad was sitting on his usual high perch, then flew down onto the South pinnacle where he sat in the sun looking down into the balcony.  He seemed completely fascinated, transfixed by whatever he saw there.  I assume he was looking at snow – there wasn’t any visible up there from the ground, but the balcony wouldn’t have had any direct sunlight to melt it.

Several minutes later, mum flew in and landed on the pinnacle immediately below him, so I briefly had both of them in view in my binoculars before he flew down into the NW turret.

I stayed for a few minutes to see what he was doing, but he didn’t reappear, and there was no sign of feathers flying out, so it didn’t seem as though he was plucking anything.  He could’ve been investigating snow in there, or perhaps he was just getting out of the cold for a while…

I guess our girl just likes it at home too much – she’s still there!  I’ve seen the two of them together on several occasions, and again yesterday, keeping each other company in their luxury penthouse suite on top of the cathedral.  Can’t say I blame her – why would she want to be anywhere else, with all the comforts she’s got there?  Numerous high perches to choose from where she can enjoy sunshine, or shelter from the wind and rain, a second pair of eyes to keep a look-out, and the company of her well-trained ‘spouse’.  What more could she want?