Cathedrals: des res for peregrine falcons

We are very fond of observing both the wildlife in our own garden and in the surrounding countryside, and it's wonderful to see the increasing interest in such matters through programmes such as the excellent Springwatch (and its sister seasons). The new-ish technology of webcams enables an extraordinary study capability without intrusive disturbance.

I was delighted, however, when I Googled 'peregrine falcons cathedral' - without saying which cathedral - to discover that it's not just our local, beautiful Norwich cathedral that's home to these beautiful birds. So (more for my own aide memoire than anything else) here are a few of the dedicated sites I've found - where the high cathedral spires are clearly regarded as the penthouses of the bird world.

First, our local Norwich birds, first seen on the cathedral in 2009:

http://www.cathedral.org.uk/visitorinfo/norwich-cathedral-peregrine-falcons-norwich-cathedral-peregrine-falcons.aspx

The Derby peregrines have been there since 2006:

http://derbyperegrines.blogspot.co.uk/

Chichester peregrines are old hands: they've been there since 2001:

http://www.chichesterperegrines.co.uk/

Lincoln since 2007:

http://www.visitlincoln.com/blog/peregrine-falcons

I can't find how long they've been resident in Worcester:

http://www.worcester.gov.uk/peregrine/

The birds returned to Salisbury for the first time since 2003 this year:

http://www.salisburycathedral.org.uk/news.php?id=739

There may well be more, but these have come up on an initial search. Many of the above give amazing webcam coverage, which of course will only be active for a short time longer as we're into the fledging season.

I haven't had the opportunity to attempt photography of these lovely creatures myself, but Gordon Burwood (a first-rate local amateur) has captured some wonderful images. I thoroughly recommend his Facebook page for some excellent work. Here is a beautiful example.