Romsey Abbey’s first-ever pair of nesting peregrines have produced two eggs.
The presence of the eggs was confirmed after a visit by Keith Betton of the Hampshire Ornithological Society.
One of the eggs was knocked off the nest and the other had apparently been abandoned..
Despite one egg being left, an update from Romsey Abbey’s Facebook page said “from the birds' behaviour it seems likely that their nesting attempt has failed this year”.
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Peregrines have never nested at Romsey Abbey before, although pairs have shown interest in recent years. A nest tray was installed on the west end of the abbey in 2021.
In 2023, a pair of peregrines was seen at the abbey but did not stay.
The identity of the male peregrine nesting at Romsey Abbey this year is known from his leg ring. The female is unknown.
Keith said: “We know from his orange leg-ring that the male this year is one of three chicks born on St Mary's Church, Andover, in 2020.
"We had not seen him since then and were delighted to find him paired up with the female who has no rings to identify her origin. Most likely she is also a young bird and this may be the first time that either has nested because usually peregrines pair for life.”
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