RICHARD WILLIAMSON Peregrinations...Are they boys or girls?

Forty-two children, and most of them doing well across England and Europe.

But what of the last four in the huge family of peregrines born and bred in Chichester? At time of writing nobody is quite sure what they are, boys or girls.

When they were ringed by Graham Roberts the county ecologist and he then weighed them, two of the nestlings weighed in at 615 and 595 grammes. And the other two were 725g and 760g.

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Female peregrines are always bigger so presumably that is what they are. But they are much lighter than previous females. Does this mean the parents are coming to the end of family life?

We shall have to wait until next year to find out. Meanwhile, the husband seems only able to carry home small birds for the babes. Just young starlings in fact.

His longer wife had to go out to get something more substantial, a fat wood pigeon.

She left it for him to cut up and feed to the children. But he has brought back one magpie at least. The pair joined forces to see off another buzzard, flying wing-to-wing to escort it out of the skies.

You can see all the fun if you go along to the cathedral cloister cafe and shop where the RSPB have their film camera and telescopes for you to see and use.

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