Winchester Cathedral has delivered an exciting update from the city's new power couple.

Pictures captured by the cathedral's Peregrine cams show that Winnie, Winchester's resident female falcon, has laid her first egg of the mating season.

Winnie, who had at least 25 chicks with her late mate Chester, returned to the ledge of cathedral at the start of February.

However, for the first time in years, Winnie, who hatched another three Peregrine chicks in 2021, was flying solo after her mate Chester died in May last year.

But in a befitting Valentines twist, Winnie the Peregrine found a new male in mid February, who has since been named ‘William’ by the Winchester Cathedral team.

The pair are now expecting their first chick, and Keith Betton, chairman of the Hampshire Ornithological Society, said he's expecting more to quickly follow.

He said: "I'm so delighted that having lost Chester last summer, she has now found a new partner in William. Within two hours of Winnie laying her first egg, William was straight onto the eggs, allowing her to take a break.

"We don't know anything about him as he has no identification rings, but most likely he is young, but he is showing a mature attitude, which bodes well. Winnie will probably lay another egg on Thursday, and we expect her to lay four in total. She won't incubate them constantly until the third egg. That's her way of controlling their hatch dates, and we expect the first chick to appear on April 25."

To view the nest via the webcam, visit Winchester Cathedral's website.