Peregrine falcons nesting on top of St Mary’s Church have successfully hatched three chicks.
The pair of birds nesting on the top of the Andover Church laid four eggs in late March, and had been incubating them over the past month. The first egg hatched at the start of May, with two more following in the days after.
You can keep up with the peregrine family thanks to a live webcam on top of the church, which was funded by Andover residents back in 2019.
Peregrine falcons are one of the world’s fastest birds, capable of reaching speeds of over 200mph while diving towards prey. They use this speed to catch smaller birds, and can often be see nesting on tall buildings and cliffs.
In the 20th Century, their population suffered a dramatic decline when the use of pesticides such as DDT impacted on their populations. Though used on crops, the pesticides built up in the food chain, and became concentrated in predators such as the peregrine. This causes a number of effects, including the thinning of egg shells and lower fertility, which caused 80 per cent of peregrines in the UK to have been lost by 1964.
Following the banning of DDT and similar pesticides, peregrine populations have recovered, with a 2014 survey by the British Trust for Ornithology estimating there are around 1500 breeding pairs in the UK, with England in particular having seen a 34 per cent increases since 2002.
Peregrines arrived at St Mary’s Church in 2018, and had their first brood of three chicks in 2019. Following this success, the church raised thousands of pounds to install a live webcam so that members of the public can watch along at home.
This year, the peregrines have been active from January, with courtship behaviours taking place until late February, when they began mating. The first egg was laid on March 24, with three more following.
The mother and father incubated the eggs over the following month, with the first chick hatching on May 2. Another followed on May 3, with the other on May 4. The other egg is yet to hatch, and at the time of writing, it is thought it is unlikely that it ever will.
The three chicks have been fed by their parents over the past week, with a diet of captured birds which their parents take apart for them. In around a month’s time, they will begin to fledge as their feathers develop, and their parents will give them flying lessons. 
After around two months, they will become independent, and can expect to live around five to six years on average, though some much older individuals have been found. 
If you’d like to watch the peregrines for yourself, you can see them on the livestream at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fBC-KEcmBA