Post-mortem reveals Worcester Cathedral Peregrine chicks died after ingesting poison
Thousands had watched the chicks hatch on YouTube, but all three sadly died in May
Worcester Cathedral has revealed that two of its peregrine falcon chicks, who died earlier this year, were found to have ingested poison.
The three chicks hatched in the nest box at the Cathedral, and their development was followed by thousands of viewers through the Cathedral's YouTube livestream.
All three chicks died between 6th and 15th May, leading to the livestream being shut down.
Two of the carcasses were retrieved by the Peregrine Falcons in Worcester team and sent to a lab for a post - mortem, which has now revealed the birds’ cause of death as having ingested poison.
The Cathedral say it is unknown how the chicks came to ingest a poison but they have reported the results to the relevant authorities for further investigation.
The deaths will additionally be documented in this year’s British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) annual report.
This outcome follows several years of successful breeding at Worcester Cathedral, where the Peregrine Falcons previously had healthy chicks, all of which fledged successfully.
Notable sightings of the juveniles from earlier years have been reported as far afield as Bolton and London.
The Cathedral’s resident pair of adult peregrines remain in the area and have been regularly sighted around the city since May.
The Cathedral say the pair continue to appear healthy and note their reputation as successful parents in past breeding seasons as a positive sign for the future.
After a gap of over 10 years, a new pair of peregrines moved into the Cathedral in 2022 and successfully nested, produced and fledged four chicks.
They returned to the nest in 2023 and 2024 and successfully raised four healthy chicks both years.
In 2023 the Cathedral was able to install a live hi-res camera, that operated 24 hours a day in breeding season
Worcester Cathedral is hopeful that the birds will return to the nest in 2026 and, viewers can once again watch their progress on the livestream throughout the breeding season.