On tour with The Sussex Peregrine Study Group…………
Ben and I met up with Graham Roberts and John Frankllin from The Sussex Peregrine Study Group to go up ontop of Chichester Cathedral to ring the two eyasses who are growing at a rate of knots and being very well tended to by their attentive parents. This was my third visit and Ben’s first. I last came up back in 2018 a few months before I fell down the stairs fracturing my ankle in 3 places!
Graham, me and John in 2018
After the long hot climb inside the cathedral roof it was lovely to get out into the sunshine. We could see David Shaw (https://www.chichesterperegrines.co.uk/) and his colleagues below us watching from near the Cloisters. The Cathedral has streamed the birds for more than two decades, and this year carries added significance: 2026 marks the 25th anniversary since peregrines were first regularly observed on the Cathedral. The pair has become a defining feature of the site, with more than 70–80 chicks fledged since the early 2000s Chichester Peregrines, 2026).
Above us the tiercel and the falcon were creating quite a din as Graham donned his hard hat and harness to climb into the turrett where the nest box sits.
Ben ringed both the peregrine chicks with the silver BTO (British Trust for Ornithology) rings and Graham put on the colour rings which you can see on both the eyasses below.
AV (photo courtesy of Ben Ayling)
AT (my photo)
Both of the eyasses were male this year, much to David Shaw’s surprise! We look forward to watching their adventures as they grow and fledge in the weeks to come.
Do go and see David and his team at the Cathedral are hosting drop‑in Peregrine Open Days on Cathedral Green. In 2026 these will run Wednesday to Sunday, 6 June to 5 July, offering visitors the opportunity to watch the birds through telescopes, view live footage onsite, and speak with volunteers who have supported the project for many years.
David Shaw has also written : The Falcon with a Broken Heart..... New Book...!!
A gentle, true story of resilience, healing, and finding home.
Maverick the peregrine falcon has faced hardship, recovery, and a long journey to belonging. Through searching skies and changing places, he discovers that sometimes the place you are meant to be has been waiting for you all along.
All proceeds from this book are shared between the British Heart Foundation and the Chichester Peregrine Project.
So it’s taken three years but what started in Royal Sussex Hospital has now been published by David Shaw Publishing…completely a labour of love …!!! I was determined to publish for the 25th Anniversary!!!
The official Launch of the book will be the 6th and 7th June which coincides with the first two days of the open days on the lawns at Chichester Cathedral.
#chichesterperegrines