THE cause of death of Winchester's male peregrine has been identified.

Chester, who had at least 25 chicks with Winnie, was found dead last month near his nest at the cathedral.

A post mortem has since been conducted, and it found the bird of prey to be underweight with internal parasites.

Keith Betton, county recorder and chairman of the Hampshire Ornithological Society, said: "He had been with Winnie since at least 2013 when Hampshire Ornithological Society helped them by placing a nesting box on the former Police HQ.

"Chester had been father to at least 25 chicks in his time – ensuring that not only was he replaced, but his species has spread far and wide from Winchester. Only around half of Peregrines live for more than a year, but once they have acquired the skills they need to survive they can live for at least twenty years. We think Chester was at least 12 years old, and maybe quite a bit older.

"With three large chicks in the nest gully Winnie will have to rear them alone, but that should not be a problem for her. In fact, some females lose their mate before the eggs hatch and manage to rear the chicks without any help. Of course, if she does struggle, we will find ways to help her."

A male peregrine which was born on St Mary’s Church in Andover in 2019 has recently been spotted in Winchester.

"He has been around for at least a week and has passed over the Cathedral a few times and was chased off by Winnie on Wednesday afternoon when he landed by the nest," said Mr Betton.

"Thankfully, our initial concerns that this was an aggressive female were unfounded. Being just two years old he will never have nested and he probably wants to settle down.

"Single Peregrines do wander in search of mates and for all we know, he could end up being Winnie’s new partner in a few months. However, for now she will focus on rearing her chicks before allowing any strangers to visit."

Mr Betton writes a weekly blog on the peregrines. View it here: https://www.winchester-cathedral.org.uk/2020-peregrine-diary/