Third Peregrine egg arrives at Salisbury Cathedral
Incubation will begin soon, with the eggs hatching in around a months time
A third Peregrine Falcon egg has been at Salisbury Cathedral, meaning the countdown to chicks hatching can begin.
We're told the female will begin incubating the clutch after the third egg arrives, but hope of a fourth egg remains.
Granville Pictor is a member of the Wiltshire Ornithological Society and has been involved with the Cathedral's Peregrine's since they returned to the city in 2013.
He said: "Almost always we get four eggs here, so they're normally laid about two days apart. If you then count about 32 to 35 days, from the date of the last egg being laid, then that's about the time when the first egg will hatch.
"They all tend to hatch out fairly quickly, within a day or two because the female normally starts incubating after the third egg, so that's why they all tend to hatch at the same time."
The eggs will be rarely seen over the next 30 days or so, as they're likely to be covered by the female for the majority of the time, however the smaller male will take over from time-to-time, allowing the female to stretch her wings.
The nest box cameras were turned on early this year and Granville told us that's provided greater insight into the courting behaviour of Peregrines.
"They have what is colloquially known as a head bang display, where both birds are nest box facing each other and they bow to each other amidst a vast amount of calling, which has been really exciting and we haven't seen that before," he said.
Granville said the Peregrines are 'amazingly popular' in Salisbury, with a thriving fan club on Facebook.