THIS is the exciting moment the first of four peregrine falcon eggs hatched at the Worcester Cathedral. 

Avid watchers of the peregrine live stream were delighted to see the first egg hatch this morning  (Monday) on the same timescale as last year.

The hatching appears to be healthy. 

Chris Dobbs, the cathedral’s biodiversity advisor, said: “It’s great news that we have, what appears to be a healthy first chick.

"One of the nice things is that it’s happened on exactly the same timescale as last year.

"The peregrines are very regular.

"This female knows the exact number of days from laying to hatching so we knew exactly when to expect it.

Worcester News: Percy and Peggy Percy and Peggy (Image: Worcester Cathedral)

The pair of adult falcons have been named Peter and Peggy and arrived at the historic building in 2022. 

The watch the action live, visit www.worcestercathedral.org.uk/news/peregrine-falcons.

Mr Dobbs continued: "It should be around a week now until all four have hatched and hopefully we’ll end up with four healthy chicks.

“Normally there’s a day or two in between each egg but it looks like the second one might hatch sooner than that, which is really good, as the closer they are in age and strength the better when competing for food.

“As the weeks go by, the chicks will get bigger and bigger very quickly and fledging should start around the end of May or the beginning of June.

"So keep watching the livestream for lots of exciting updates over the coming days and weeks.”

The birds thrive in the urban environment, building nests on top of some of our city's highest buildings, hunting small birds including pigeons.