Peregrine falcon chicks hatch on top of incinerator plant in Great Blakenham

• Watch Russell Hookey's report from atop the plant

Peregrine falcons nesting on top of a waste incinerator plant in Suffolk have successfully hatched three chicks.

The recycling and energy site at Great Blakenham near Ipswich is visited by hundreds of bin lorries each day from all across the county.

It is thought the tall structure resembles a cliff to the breeding birds who have made it their home since 2019.

The chicks are the latest success following efforts to encourage and develop biodiversity on site, including five beehives and a wildflower meadow.

Ornithologist Peter Merchant said: 'The youngsters hatched all on the same day which is a textbook situation.

"In Suffolk, I'm responsible for 11 breeding pairs of peregrines now.

"The first breeding pair was 2008 under the Orwell Bridge and that was the first pair for 200 years.

"Since then, they've gone from strength to strength."

Peregrines are a large and powerful falcon with long, broad, pointed wings but by the mid-1960s, 80% of the population had been lost due to illegal hunting practices and contamination of their food supply.

Numbers have since recovered following a ban on pesticides but the East of England is one of the last areas to see such a recovery.

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