Peregrine falcons who have made a remote ledge on a Nottingham city centre building their home have laid their first egg of 2017.
The birds first appeared close to the top of Nottingham Trent University’s Newton Building, Talbot Street, in 2002.
Since then mating pairs have been using the same spot to build spring nests and hatch chicks.
The university and Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust installed a live HD camera system watching the nest, which is now viewed every year by thousands of people.
A new peregrine couple were spotted on the feed last week (13 March) and on Friday the first egg appeared.
In the past 15 years more than 30 falcon chicks have fledged from the site – meaning the nest has made a big contribution to the welfare of the birds nationwide.
There is currently 1,500 breeding pairs in the UK.
Speaking about the new couple, Erin McDaid from Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust said: “The cameras and live web stream provided by Nottingham Trent University have proved to be a massive success.
“Not only have they helped us ensure the safety of these protected birds, they have become a wonderful educational tool with the public and experts alike gaining a new understanding of peregrine behaviour over the years.
“The detective work done by the regular camera watchers to prove we had a new male is a great example of the value of such cameras.
“Thanks to cameras and ringing projects across the UK we now know that adult birds move between successful nest sites more often than previously thought.
“We are all really excited to see if the new couple can continue the success of previous pairings in the nest.”
Falcon cam is also broadcast live on Notts TV every day.
