Delight with Falcon chicks' progress at cathedral

Media caption,

Listen to BBC Sounds to hear how the four chicks received their tracking tags.

  • Published

Peregrine falcon chicks nesting at Worcester Cathedral have been ringed, allowing bird experts to track their location and lifespan.

The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) tagged all four chicks on Monday morning.

A metal ring and a larger plastic ring were individually added to the ankles, with the apparatus including a three-digit code unique to each bird.

Stuart Brown from the BTO said the group had seen peregrines that were ringed in Worcester in the past turn up as far away as London and Manchester.

He said: "It is interesting to see where they go and how long they live."

As well as tagging the animals, their wings and talons were also measured.

Image caption,

Jessica Stuart-Smith said the tagging "went very well"

Jessica Stuart-Smith, also from the BTO, told BBC Hereford & Worcester: "I think it went very well [on Monday] - we got all of them ringed nice and quickly and got them back in the nest.

"The most important thing is making sure they are comfortable."

Worcester Cathedral has also begun offering expert-led drop-in sessions for visitors to view the birds through telescopes and binoculars.

The sessions will be held throughout May and June.

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