Two peregrine falcons, who have made the ledge of a Nottingham city centre building their home, have hatched their first eggs of the year.
The first egg hatched at around 12 noon on Sunday (April 23) and the second at 7pm the same day.
Two more eggs are expected to hatch soon, resulting in a total of four chicks.
Both birds are playing an active role in the upbringing – with mum tending to sit on the nest while dad brings the food.
The university and Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust installed a live HD camera system watching the nest, which is now viewed by millions of people and also features live on Notts TV.
Our first glimpse of the @NTUEnvironment falcon chicks at @Notts_TV this year. Makes for more fascinating viewing than Game of Thrones pic.twitter.com/2qJSXulK2i
— Owen Shipton (@OwenShipton) April 24, 2017
Erin McDaid from Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust said: “The birds have nested there for many years and we have seen a number of chicks fledged – which is great for a species which were previously low in numbers.
“The cameras were originally installed in 2012 for security and to stop people hurting and stealing the birds – which does happen – and we have seen many benefits as a result.
“The feed provides us with a platform for education and enables us to spread the message about the birds to a live audience.”
And… We have our first EGG!! Take a look yourself!! https://t.co/59fFHcrDRJ pic.twitter.com/QLtRDpxvg3
— NTU Environment Team (@NTUEnvironment) March 17, 2017
The birds of prey first appeared close to the top of Nottingham Trent University’s Newton Building, on Goldsmith Street, in 2002.
Since then mating pairs have been using the same spot to build spring nests and hatch chicks.
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 are currently 1,500 breeding pairs in the UK – although the number was as low as 400 at one point.
