Peregrine Falcons in Exeter city centre

See the Peregrine Falcons who have now been nesting on the spire of St. Michaels Church, Dinham Road in Exeter City Centre for at least 11 years.

Recorded at 6-45am on May 23rd 2008 by local milkman Gary Qualter.

If you would like to see the falcons yourself, the best place to see them is from the upper floors of the Guildhall Car Park with the aid of binoculars or a telescope.

Category:

Pets & Animals

Tags:

• peregrine
• falcons
• falcon
• exeter
• devon
• city
• centre
• st
• michaels
• church
• spire
• urban
• wild
• birds
• of
• prey
• mount
• dinham

[aiwayamaha]

Amazing stuff. I live in Exmouth so trying to find local peregrine spots. Will there be any now Sep 2010?

[garylq]

@aiwayamaha Hi, I've been away from Devon for a month, but the falcons were still living on the church when I left, and have been for at least 10 years. So it's very likely they are still there now. If you want to go and have a look it's in Dinham Road, there are always lots of bones and feathers scattered around the bottom of the spire from their last meal. Gary

[garylq]

Yes, St.Michaels Church is close to The Iron Bridge. The peregrines have been there for around 10/11 years, so I expect you saw them soon after they first colonised the spire.

[Sm3gH3adx]

my favourite animal : D

[tomgibo]

I live on Fore Street with my window directly facing this nest and I have never spotted them yet!

[aiwayamaha]

@garylq Thanks for the reply. Will check it out next weekend. Bristol is good for peregrines. I saw it on a BBC programe. Not sure in bristol but somewhere it has rocks cliffs near a bridge.

[Chubcatcher]

Forgot to add,Thanks for the vid Gary,lovely stuff.

[Chubcatcher]

SkaSnake....our songbirds and sparrowhawks have a hell of a lot more to worry about than being eaten by a falcon.

If all the natural cliff sites were full of falcons they would be considerably more common than they are now.

Please engage grey matter in future,that was a damned silly post.

[GTVAlfaMan]

I install cameras in the Vincent Thomas Bridge in San Pedro, California. We have two Peregrine falcons living in the center of the bridge just under the road deck. They have buzzed us a few times and I finally got a photo of one of them, he is a beauty.

[SkaSnake65]

The reason these Peregrines are nesting on our tall buildings in towns & cities for the last ten/fifteen years is due to NATURAL nesting sites are full up.They"ve been known to nest close to each other,unheard of before!Still protected by law,but surely this is proof enough theres no need to any longer,or our songbirds will be wiped out together with the Sparrowhawk!