More Chicks Coming for Ealing Hospital Peregrines |
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Four eggs expected to hatch in next few weeks
April 9, 2025 Ealing Hospital’s resident birds of prey are expecting some new additions in the coming few weeks. The breeding pair of Peregrine Falcons have produced four new eggs and look set to become parents again. Ealing Wildlife Group (EWG) reports Dusty and Freddie are currently sitting pretty the eggs which should hatch at the end of the month. The couple, named after two of Ealing’s most famous past residents, singers Dusty Springfield and Freddie Mercury, have produced seven offspring to date, entertaining local residents with their family antics for the past three years. They chose Ealing as their home in 2021 and were encouraged to settle by EWG who installed a gravel tray on a ledge on the tenth floor of the hospital encouraging them to nest. The first chicks were born on the roof of the hospital in 2022 with three spotted on the ledge on the north-eastern corner of the building . Peregrines, whose traditional habitat are cliff faces, began migrating to urban areas after facing near extinction from now banned pesticides in the 1950s. They find tall buildings with largely inaccessible roof space an ideal home along with a ready supply of food in the shape of London’s pigeon and parakeet population. You can watch their activity 24 hours a day on the EWG YouTube channel and even scroll back on the previous 12 hours of activity so you never miss any action.
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