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Reality stars in longevity shocker
Last modified: 01 August 2012
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This season well over 8,000 people visited the peregrine viewpoint.
For most reality stars, their career is over before their tan has even faded. One minute they are opening a supermarket, the next they are stacking the shelves in it.
But for two celebrities, the fame game is lasting considerably longer. For the past six years, the famous Manchester Peregrines have been the talk of the town, wowing shoppers and commuters as they soar majestically over the city centre and help to control the resident pigeon population.
Each year from April to July, people have flocked the RSPB’s peregrine viewpoint in Exchange Square to catch a glimpse of the birds and their young chicks taking their first flights. Over the past two seasons, many more have followed the daily soap opera of their lives via the live nest cam.
Although the RSPB has been running the Manchester Peregrine project for several years, the birds appear to have lost none of their showbiz appeal. This season well over 8,000 people visited the peregrine viewpoint to see them and their four chicks in the flesh, while the live nest cam feed attracted over 37,000 views, amounting to more than 22,000 hours of viewing.
Jo Keene, the RSPB’s Manchester People Engagement Officer, said: 'I believe the secret to the popularity of the peregrines is that they have the power to take us out of our hectic daily lives for a moment, enabling us to briefly escape our work stresses and mortgage worries. I am not surprised people never seem to tire of watching them.'
For the second year running, the RSPB teamed up with Manchester Digital Development Agency (part of Manchester City Council) to enable the peregrines to reach a worldwide audience via their live webcam, their very own Twitter account, and through their family photos and videos on Flickr. More information about Manchester Digital Development Agency’s work on the project can be found at: http://s.coop/1omq
Manchester Peregrines forms part of the RSPB’s Date with Nature programme of events, which make rare and spectacular wildlife accessible for everyone to see.
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