Norwich Cathedral welcomes new falcon after recent loss

Kim Skipper captured this photograph of the bird she has nicknamed "Edith" at Norwich Cathedral on Tuesday

Experts hope a new peregrine falcon will make the top of a cathedral her home after the recent death of another bird.

The peregrine falcon, nicknamed Edith, has been spotted flying around Norwich Cathedral.

Her arrival has come two weeks after another peregrine, GA, died after flying into a stationary car.

Kim Skipper, who photographed the new arrival, said: "Let's hope the new falcon is successful."

The new bird was spotted about a week ago and captured on a webcam run by the Hawk and Owl Trust

The Hawk and Owl Trust said on its Facebook page: "After the sad loss of GA a new falcon has visited!"

Adrian Blumfield, from the trust, added: "It's positive there is a new falcon in the vicinity, whether it stays or is chased away, only time will tell."

The bird has been captured on a webcam, but streaming has been paused until 2022, he added.

Ms Skipper, who regularly photographs the birds with her husband, Chris, who she got to know whilst taking pictures of the birds, said: "GA was the reason me and Chris met when I got into the peregrines in 2017 and got married at the cathedral in April.

"It was so sad and upsetting when she died but we have wonderful memories."

GA was described as "much loved" by people in Norwich

The bird was named Edith after Ms Skipper first saw her standing by the grave of World War One nurse Edith Cavell a week ago.

The trust said, GA, the eight-year-old who was labelled a "feisty" female, was first seen in the city in 2015 and took over the nesting ledge the following year, claiming the site for herself.

She had 24 eggs, 22 hatched and 14 successfully fledged, but she died on 12 November, from neurological damage, after hitting the car.

The Hawk and Owl Trust set up a nesting platform for peregrines on the cathedral in 2011.

Peregrine falcon facts

• Largest British breeding falcon with a body length of 15-19in (38-48cm) and a wingspan of 37-43in (95-110cm)

• Top speed of about 200mph (320km/h) when diving

• Breeding pairs stay together for about 10 years

• Mainly feeds on medium sized birds, such as pigeons

• Population was at a low in the 1960s

• Currently about 1,700 breeding pairs in the UK

Source: RSPB, Hawk and Owl Trust and Lavenham Falconry