THE first peregrine falcon eggs of the year have been laid at Salisbury Cathedral – and there are hopes they could hatch in time for Easter.

The South Tower balcony at the cathedral has been the chosen spot for peregrines to start a family since 2014, with a dedicated live stream available for people to keep an eagle-eye on the birds.

This year is no different, as the first egg of the season was laid on Sunday (March 16), followed by the second last night at around 11pm  (March 18).

Revealing the egg-citing news, a Salisbury Cathedral spokesperson said: “We were delighted to see our resident peregrine had laid her first egg of the season, three days earlier than last year.

“The chicks may take around 33-35 days to hatch, so we could have chicks on Easter Day!

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“Peregrines usually lay 3-4 eggs per clutch… stay tuned for all peregrine updates.”

The male peregrine was seen scraping stones away at the nesting box on March 14 as part of preparations, and the pair reportedly showed typical courtship behaviour, which put the team on alert that an egg could soon be coming.

An un-ringed adult male Peregrine, with facial features that strongly suggest it could be the same male as in the previous several years, has already been spotted staking his claim on the brand-new Cathedral nestbox this year.

All eyes will be on the peregrine cam to see how many eggs will be laid this year Picture: Salisbury Cathedral

Granville Pictor of the Wiltshire Ornithological Society said: “We’re lucky to have the peregrine cameras at Salisbury Cathedral as it gives us a unique window into the lives of these incredible birds, helping us understand their behavior.

“A good example is the female’s incubation pattern, as she probably won’t start keeping the eggs warm until she’s laid the second-to-last one.

“Since peregrines usually lay three or four eggs, we can expect to see them uncovered for quite a while. She’ll know instinctively when it’s time to settle, and from that point, we’ll be able to watch the whole process play out.”

To date thirty-five chicks have fledged from the Tower since the peregrines returned to Salisbury Cathedral in 2013.

This is including one chick (Wyle) that was adopted by Sally (the Cathedral’s most famous peregrine) in 2017, after both his parents were poisoned.

Watch the moment the second egg hatched last night: 

The chicks have travelled far and wide over the years – Osmund (orange colour ring YND) in Hertford, Peter in Hampshire (blue colour ring GX) and Aveline (Colour ring SC) in Milton Keynes.

A spokesperson for the cathedral said: “We’d love to hear from anyone who thinks they have spotted one of our peregrines – just check the letters on the colour ring (or Darvic ring) on their left leg.

“In the case of peregrines from 2014-2020 the colour ring will be blue. After 2021 they are orange.”

There have been reports of peregrines nesting at Salisbury Cathedral since 1864.

For nearly 90 years, these birds lived peacefully on the tower, until the use of harmful pesticides, and persecution, led to a lengthy absence.

Four chicks successfully fledged their nestbox after a mated pair of peregrines nested at the site in 2014.

Since then peregrines have hatched and fledged from the tower every year except for 2018, when a territorial battle between two females prevented laying.

Four eggs were laid last year, and all four fledged.

Keep an eye on the peregrines by watching the live stream here.