Since February, people have followed the journey of Winnie and William, Winchester Cathedral’s resident peregrine parents, as they successfully hatched, brooded and reared two healthy chicks.

Now Elizabeth and George have fully fledged the nest and have begun their own independent lives outside of the cathedral grounds.

Keith Betton, who appeared on Spring Watch in 2021, reports peregrine numbers are steadily increasing and are doing better than ever.

In his role as chair and county recorder at Hampshire Ornithological Society, Keith personally monitored 21 nests this year – a very healthy number compared to previous seasons, though this does mean more competition between the birds.

READ MORE: Winchester Cathedral peregrine chicks start to fly

Therefore, it is likely Winnie will remain in Winchester and possibly the cathedral, as she guards her territory as to not lose the site to another competing female. William may wander a bit further.

Within the next few months, they may make the odd brief visit, however this is unlikely as the parents do not encourage this behaviour and strive for them to be as independent as possible.

Hampshire Chronicle: George chasing Winnie, photo: Steve Grundy

Sightings of them in other places is possible due to the ring tags fitted, however due to the large network of peregrines now in operation, a sighting of either of them could take years.

The cathedral have confirmed that the nest cameras have now been switched off and will be turned back on early next year.

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