Four peregrine falcon chicks born at Cathedral

The chicks are getting ready to fledge with experts holding boxes to catch them if they fall

Four peregrine falcon chicks have hatched at Lincoln Cathedral.

Three of the chicks were first spotted by a photographer on 25 May and are now around four weeks old.

The chicks' wooden nesting box is situated about two-thirds of the way up the east-facing side of the main tower.

Bruce Hargrave, tower guide and resident peregrine falcon expert at the cathedral, said seeing the chicks was a "great indicator" for the once-endangered species.

Bruce Hargrave is Lincoln Cathedral's tower guide

Photographer Colin Lea first managed to capture a photo of three of the chicks on the morning of 25 May, capturing the fourth on 1 June.

He is one of a large group of keen photographers who patiently wait in Minster Yard to catch sight of the birds of prey.

The chicks are now preparing to fledge the nest, developing their feathers so they are large enough to fly.

Mr Hargrave told BBC Radio Lincolnshire: "Cathedrals are a favoured place for birds of prey.

The next nature and architecture tour of the Cathedral is taking place on 15 June

"What a great indicator they are for the health of the environment."

Other breeding pairs of peregrine falcons can be found at churches in Grantham, St James' Church in Louth and at the docks in Kings Lynn, Norfolk.

Samantha Mellows, director of visitor experience and enterprise at Lincoln Cathedral, said: "We very much know the peregrines are around because they are quite noisy.

"It's quite a familiar sound that we enjoy listening to. It's really nice for visitors to see as it isn't a common bird you would see in your garden."

The wooden nest box the chicks were born in was installed in the 1980s by Norman Bonner, a former head carpenter at the cathedral.

Records dating back to the 1920s show peregrines nesting at the catherdal.

The bird of prey was formerly listed as endangered after almost dying out in the 1960s.

This was due to the impact of insecticides entering the food chain and causing issues with their ability to lay eggs.

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