Wymondham is home to peregrine falcons. These beautiful birds, known for their incredible speed, can be spotted on the roof of Wymondham Abbey – and now we even have peregrine chicks.

Our resident peregrine reporter is Gavin Bickerton-Jones, who contacted the magazine with his observations – and wonderful photographs! Here is the history of peregrines in Wymondham, told in his words:

‘I have been following the progress of the Wymondham Abbey peregrines for 10 years now, and there has usually only been a single bird there most of the time. Last year, a pair appeared at the site, and this year they successfully bred and raised 2 chicks in the box on the West tower, which was put up by the Hawk and Owl Trust 10 years ago.

‘I have been watching the youngsters grow over the last few weeks, and on the 3rd of July, they both fledged and made their first flight to other parts of the Abbey. The parents will still feed them for the next couple of months as they learn the skills to look after themselves, but then they will go away to find their own territory. Hopefully, the adult pair will stay around and produce again next year.

‘In the meantime, the trust is hopefully going to get the nest box camera up and running so, if they are successful again next year, they can be watched online. I’ve spent a lot of time down there over the years, and many locals who walk through the Abbey grounds are fascinated that we have these apex predators on our doorstep. They are a great way of bringing people closer to nature.’

Gavin is also the magazine’s resident correspondent for the Wymondham Photographic Society – you can see more of his and others’ incredible nature photography in our ‘Photos of the Month’ feature.