Salisbury Cathedral's peregrine falcon chicks to be named after NHS heroes
A vote is being launched
Last updated 13th May 2021
We have the chance to have our say on what the four peregrine falcon chicks born at Salisbury Cathedral are going to be called.
In previous years we have been given a number of names to do with a certain theme and we can vote for our favourites.
That's happening again this year with all options to do with medicine and public health as a tribute to all the NHS vaccination teams out there, including the Sarum South team who have been working from the Cathedral.
They will all have a connection, however distant, to Salisbury and the Cathedral.
The competition will be launched on Salisbury Cathedral's social media pages.
THE NEXT STEPS
After all four chicks successfully hatched at the end of April, the team at Salisbury Cathedral have now carried out their next steps.
They have ringed them, which means that they will be easily spotted when flying, and we can see whether any return over the next few years.
Phil Sheldrake, Salisbury Cathedral's Nature Conservation Adviser said:
"We have ringed them slightly earlier than last year, but they are all of a good size and you can see their adult feathers starting to show. They will grow very fast from now on and it won't be long before we see them hopping off the nest to explore the balcony."
Each chick now sports a distinctive orange ring, the colour used for peregrines ringed in the South region.
Every ring bears a unique three-letter code that allows researchers and livestream viewers to keep track of each individual chick from now on.
This year's letters are TVD, PTJ, TND and PHJ.
The chicks are expected to remain on the balcony until June, when they are expected to fledge.
They will then stick around for about a month after before leaving on their own.
LIVE STREAM STATS
Viewing figures show the live stream of the nesting box halfway up the spire at Salisbury Cathedral continues to be a hit as fans of the peregrine falcons check in on the pair.
So far this year there have been a staggering 187,749 unique page views.
On one day alone, Monday 3rd of May, there were around 9,000 views, it's thought that was people checking out how the newly hatched chicks faired in bad weather.
The Covid-19 pandemic appears to have dragged more spectators in as well as, since last January, there's been around 471,000 unique page views.
People from 88 different countries have watched the birds with people in the USA and Canada particularly big fans!
You can follow their progress on Salisbury Cathedral's website.