Anxious wait to see if peregrine falcons hatch

Villagers are facing an anxious wait to see if peregrine falcon eggs will hatch after a three-year project.

A pair of the birds have been protecting the eggs since they were laid at the end of March in a box on the church tower in Stoke-by-Nayland, in Suffolk.

The Stoke-by-Nayland Peregrine Project was set up in early 2023 to attract a mating pair. This is the first year any eggs have been laid.

Peter French, from the project, said it was "anxious times" waiting to see if the eggs would hatch after a long incubation period.

"We're not lost yet, but we are running now very close to the end, at which point they could abandon the eggs."

Stoke-by-Nayland is located in the picturesque Dedham Vale National Landscape, close to the Essex border.

French said the eggs had been well protected by the birds, with the pair swapping over in shifts.

Originally four eggs had been laid, but one was dropped down into the churchyard below.

A livestream of the birds' nest has been broadcasting pictures.

French said it had been a "huge effort" to monitor the birds' behaviour, with every switchover between the parents being recorded.

An expert he spoke to had never seen a clutch of eggs not produce at least one chick, French explained.

The Wildlife Trust says that peregrine falcon "eggs hatch after approximately 30 days of incubation".

"The parents are still sitting, they're still nurturing the eggs, they're still rotating the eggs, they're still keeping the eggs warm," said French.

"If anyone knows whether or not those eggs are fertile, surely it's the parents."

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