WE all need some good news, even if it is only very small – an egg. Salisbury Cathedral’s peregrines have laid their first egg – and within a few days there may be more.

The female returned to the nest just before 7pm on Saturday 19th March and laid the egg just before 8. She stayed on the nest until the early hours of Sunday morning when the male flew in to take over. After a short absence she was back on the nest at 6.30am.

They will continue to watch the egg in shifts from now on.

The first egg is exciting news and means there’ll be a lot to see on the webcam – but it is still a waiting and watching game. The female won’t start incubating the eggs until the last one has been laid and she will lay at roughly 48 hour intervals.

Let’s hope this great weather holds and a big thanks to the local RSPB for the egg-alert, particularly Pat Byrne,  who spotted the egg soon after it was laid.