Dramatic year for Winchester Peregrines

Watch our report on the Peregrines of Winchester Cathedral by ITV Meridian's Mary Stanley

It's been a dramatic year for the Peregrine Falcons at Winchester. Winnie and Chester have been nesting at the Cathedral for 5 years.

They'd previously made their home at the Hampshire Police HQ in the city but the building was demolished in 2017.

This year 3 chicks were born to the pair but sadly Chester died last month. The pair had been together since 2011 and had produced 25 chicks.

The peregrines have had to contend with torrential rain along with threats from a "rogue" peregrine and Cathedral staff have had to rescue one youngster when it fell from the ledge and was unable to fly back up.

Now, a new male has also now joined the family. Nicknamed "Andy", he was born in Andover in 2019

Thousands of people have been following the compelling story.

The webcams had 37,000 views last month, with people also following the story on social media

Peregrines have not had an easy time. Many were killed during the Second World War, so that they did not intercept pigeons carrying secret messages.

Their numbers also declined with the use of pesticides in the 1950s, but now there are believed to be more than 2,000 pairs in the UK.

Chicks have been born at Chichester and Salisbury Cathedrals this year as well as sites in Southampton, Andover and Basingstoke