Rex takes first flight from Cathedral Tower

Wednesday, 7 June 2023 01:00

The first of the three peregrine chicks hatched on the Cathedral Tower this year has fledged.

Rex, who was ringed and named just over three weeks ago, took his first flight off the parapet wall (nearly 70m up) today. Leaving his two sisters, Rose and Lily, the male juvenile took to the air at around 11.28, returning shortly afterwards.

Meanwhile, the RSPB Date with Nature team has set up telescopes on the Cathedral lawns.

The telescopes and RSPB peregrine experts will be on hand for the next month or so, allowing visitors to watch Rex honing his flying skills up close and learning to catch prey from the adults.

Hopefully, he’ll be joined shortly by his siblings, Lily and Rose.

Rex can be identified by the large orange plastic Darvic ring on his left leg, which bears his unique two-letter ID.

Each chick wears a Darvic ring so that they can be monitored and tracked, providing important insights into the secret lives of these magnificent birds.

Anyone with sharp eyes, binoculars or a telescope can identify the falcons and let the BTO know where they saw them and how they were.

One amazing tracking story comes courtesy of Barry Trevis, warden of Lemsford Springs Nature Reserve in Hertfordshire. Barry and colleagues have been monitoring Flo (Orange ring TND), a female that fledged from Salisbury Cathedral Tower in 2021, after reported sightings in Hertford.

In May, he contacted the Cathedral Peregrine team to let us know that Flo had moved on and established a nest on the top of Welwyn Garden City’s iconic former Shredded Wheat silos, designed by Louis de Soissons in 1926 to encourage the American company to set up base in the town.

Flo on the Shredded Wheat silo (Photo: Kevin Garrett)

Barry Trevis said: “Flo has clearly deposed the original female, which had bred there for three years, raising ten young, but until the end of May, we couldn’t be entirely certain because the building is in a poor state and too dangerous to enter.

Fortunately for us the Herts Constabulary team agreed to put up a drone in order for me to establish breeding success – and the captured shots of two chicks up on the silos.”

Generally, only a third of peregrine juveniles make it through their first year, making the news about Flo very special.

Meanwhile, back home, anyone wanting to learn more about these extraordinary birds can visit the Date with Nature team. They will be at the Cathedral with their telescopes from 11.00 to 16.00 from today, available most days of the week (see list below):

Tuesday 6 - Saturday 10 June
Monday 13 - Friday 16 June
Monday 19 - Friday 23 June
Monday 26 - Friday 30 June, except Wednesday