Blogs

The final chick has hatched on top of Chichester Cathedral today, making it a full house for the city's famous peregrines.

Join us at our viewpoint to see the chicks at their cutest – all white and fluffy.

The peregrines' latest offspring brings the number of chicks born on top of the cathedral to 26. If all survive, this will be the eighth family the pair will have raised together.

Just a day after RSPB vice president Chris Packham launched this year’s Chichester Cathedral peregrines project three eggs have hatched in one day - a first for this famous couple.

All eyes are now on the final egg, which should hatch any day now....

In an unexpected, and rather unusual move, the ospreys of Bassenthwaite Lake have upped sticks and moved to a nest site on the east side of the Lake.

Home is now an artificial platform that was installed by the Osprey Project team to encourage more ospreys to settle in the area.

The osprey exhibition and activities will be running as usual, but there are currently no images of nesting ospreys on the big screen, as the cameras are fixed on the 'old' nest. The team hope to set up a camera overlooking the new nest, but need to ensure there is no disturbance to the birds.

The viewpoint at Dodd Wood remains open with great opportunities to watch ospreys fishing in the Lake, see red squirrels and watch woodland birds. The osprey team are working to set up a new viewpoint nearby where visitors can see the new nest – get all the latest details and directions on Osprey Watch.

We are excited by the news that a former chick of Chichester Cathedral's famous peregrines has started a family of her own.

The female, identified by a unique ring around her leg and part of the Chichester pairs 2002 brood, has set up a nest in the Arun Valley, West Sussex.

The Chichester Cathedral peregrines have become a permanent fixture in the city and raised 22 chicks together over the past seven years. 

From the end of April we'll be beaming live footage directly from their nest to special watch stations - we hope you can join us.

Who needs Eastenders when we have our very own wildlife soap-opera starring the Tate Modern peregrine falcons?

Misty and Bert, the adult male and female, are currently incubating a number of eggs, how many is not currently known, but we are very excited by this news.

Last year they managed to successfully breed four chicks; three males and a female, so we are on the edge of our seats waiting to see what happens this year.

If all goes to plan, the chicks should hatch at the end of April, when Bert will be at his most busy catching small 'bite sized' prey for his young chicks. Over the weeks that follow, the chicks will develop insatiable appetites, until they make that huge step and take to the wing for the first time, becoming the world's fastest animals!

From 19 July, join us daily at our Peregrine Watchpoint, and get close to this amazing family.

Come to the New Forest on 12 April for 'fangs and feathers' - a family-friendly event with plenty of games and activities for the kids. We'll also be showing live nestcam footage of a breeding goshawk and hobby.

We'll be there 10 am-12 noon, and hope that you can join us.

During breeding season, goshawks perform incredible sky dances, and hunt with breathtaking agility. Hobbies are also lightning quick – weaving in and out of trees and turning at almost impossible speeds.

You can find us in the New Forest until 31 August, where our friendly staff and volunteers will be on hand to answer your questions, and get you close to these stunning birds of prey.

The bad weather may have blown the visitor book away, blown over the scopes and tripods, and even made standing up difficult, but everyone that has so far visited our viewpoint at Malham Cove has been blown away by the prolonged views of both the male and female peregrines, sitting on their favourite perches and ledges.

Now we can confirm that there are two eggs on the nest, and that the female has begun to incubate. Even though the male will now be doing most of the hunting, he will be dropping by the nest to take his turn on the eggs so that the female can eat, stretch her wings and generally take a break.

If you are in the area, join us at the bottom of the Cove to see the birds – we guarantee you will be amazed.

With their fantastic head plumes and weird and wonderful courtship dance, the great crested grebes at Bewl reservoir are pairing up for the breeding season.

Around 80 of these elegant water birds have been spotted on the reservoir, and are making entertaining viewing as they present each other with beakfuls of water weed – the grebe equivalent of getting engaged.

Join us on a Bewl Water cruise, or watch the spectacle from our special viewpoint at the water's edge, where a couple of pairs of grebes have staked claim to a territory and can be seen patrolling and doing their dances only 20 feet from the dam wall.