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Ely Cathedral peregrine falcons' lives 'like a soap opera'

Simon Stirrup Ely Cathedral peregrine falconsSimon Stirrup
The new female at Ely Cathedral has forced out the returning peregrine

A nest for returning peregrine falcons on a cathedral roof has been usurped by two females, monitors revealed.

A team at Ely Cathedral in Cambridgeshire built "a palatial nesting box" and gravel bed to await the return of a pair who had bred there for three years.

But a different female has now taken up residence - followed by a second.

Spokeswoman Jocelyn Palmer said the lives of the birds in Ely had become "a bit like a soap opera".

She said the birds of prey had given the team "the runaround" before they arrived, prompting them to reposition cameras and nests to monitor their progress.

Hawk and Owl Trust Ely Cathedral peregrine falconsHawk and Owl Trust
One of the new female residents makes herself at home on the roof of Ely Cathedral
Hawk and Owl Trust Ely Cathedral peregrine falconsHawk and Owl Trust
The Hawk and Owl Trust built a gravel bed to help the peregrine falcons nest

The new falcon was first spotted on 24 March, a day after the original female was last seen, leading the team to believe she was aggressively forced out.

However, the original peregrine tiercel, or male, could still be seen circling the cathedral in The Fens.

A ring on the new falcon identifies her as a resident of the BT mast at Kirkby Underwood, in Lincolnshire. She was now vying for control of the Ely Cathedral nest with a second, younger female.

Simon Stirrup Ely Cathedral peregrine falconsSimon Stirrup
The new female peregrine is asserting her authority at Ely Cathedral

"We built this palatial nesting box which they [the original pair] promptly spurned, and found the least practical and least accessible place to lay their eggs [last year]," Ms Palmer said.

"So we had to be cunning this year and make two boxes, and lo and behold, another peregrine turned up.

"Our male doesn't know what to do."

Simon Stirrup Ely Cathedral peregrine falconsSimon Stirrup
The original tiercel - or male peregrine - has returned without his mate

The boxes are in position on the West Tower of the cathedral and the south side of the Octagon, where the original falcon had laid eggs before.

Juvenile birds move on from the cathedral - but the parents tend to stay local, the Hawk and Owl Trust said.

Such is the growing public interest in the birds, the cathedral now has a "peregrine patrol" of volunteers, who provide help and information on the progress to visitors.

The females were expected to lay eggs in the new nests imminently, Ms Palmer said.

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