St Laurence-in-Thanet Church in Ramsgate is now home to the only Peregrine next box in the district.
The freestanding box was installed by isle nature enthusiast Nik Mitchell with help from the church community including steeplekeeper Mick Cairns.
Peregrine falcons are native birds which live in wild uplands and rocky coasts, but they will also live in urban environments and can be found nesting on top of high-rise buildings and churches. They are extremely fast and agile in-flight.
Many cities are now home to nesting Peregrines, iconic buildings like Durham Cathedral, Tate Modern in London, Canterbury Cathedral and many more have nest boxes.
St Laurence Church in Ramsgate is now home to the only peregrine nest box in Thanet and one of only a handful in Kent.
Nik said: “We have breeding pairs of falcons in Thanet but sadly their nests are rarely a success because they tend to lay their eggs straight on the roof of the building or edge of a cliff and those eggs often roll, chill or get predated. Also this year the iconic wind turbine at Richborough which was home to Peregrine’s was destroyed by an energy company.
“By providing a nest box it massively increases the success rate for the Peregrine. They have shelter from wind and rain and a nice gravel bed to keep their eggs together. “
Peregrines declined in numbers drastically during the 1950s and they are a specially protected bird under the Wildlife and Countryside Act. There are about 1,500 pairs in Britain.
Nik added: “This project is very exciting, it’s a first for the area and I’m looking forward to seeing the skies come alive with one of the most incredible birds in the world. Peregrine falcons are a natural predator of pigeons and can be used as a humane and effective way to control pigeon populations, but they will hunt other birds such as parakeet. All the time our apex predators are missing, biodiversity will be out of balance.
“For example, people in urban locations are always complaining about being overrun by pigeons and their mess. They often put-up bird spikes or get a Falconer to fly a hawk but these methods are not successful.
“Natural control is the best way, it creates a landscape of fear keeping wildlife on its toes and giving it less time to breed. I’ve had experience with Peregrines and their nest boxes in the past and have been trying to get a roof top next box installed somewhere in Thanet for years.
“The Norman church founded in 1062 is of course grade one listed so the box is freestanding with no fixing into building or altering the appearance of it. It’s been bespoke made of oak to fit within a gap of the castellations. It has a bed of gravel which is what Peregrines like to nest on.
“St Laurence Church in Ramsgate is already doing a lot for wildlife and it’s great that they have got on board with this project.
“It’s going to become a real talking point in years to come. We are very optimistic the birds will eventually find it and move in because they are in the area and do regularly fly past.
“We are bringing a bit of very exciting wildlife into what is a very urban area. So far members of the public are really excited about the project.”
That’s is fantastic we all need to try and fit nesting boxes for the biers
A big ‘Thank you’ to all concerned 👍
Perhaps consideration should be given to fitting a similar nesting box to the roof of Arlington House in Margate ? A nesting box would provide more favourable accommodation on the exposed, North-facing coast.
Peregrines are known to nest there and photographic evidence has been produced. Kestrel have also been sighted.
I had baby 1 brought down by gulls out back im under invicta flats got pics too.