Falcons breed in heart of capital

Isolated marshes, estuaries and cliff faces would be their natural habitat. But this pair of peregrine falcons have not only managed to nest in the heart of London, they have raised five chicks.

These are the first pictures of the feathered family living on top of the University of Westminster's high-rise building on Marylebone Road.

Once driven to the brink of extinction, the peregrine falcon has been helped by intensive conservation to recover to the point that there are about 1,300 pairs in Britain.

Catching sight of these magnificent birds of prey usually requires hours of patient spotting. But live pictures of the London family are being broadcast on BBC2's Springwatch show this week and next.

It is thought the pair reared two chicks last year, but this is the first time their offspring have been filmed. They have three this year and the third egg hatched only last week. They are being monitored 24 hours a day by remote-controlled cameras set up on the tower close to the nest, with the footage broadcast online via webcam.

A watch point will be set up in Regent's Park later this month so that the public can view their progress from a safe distance.

Springwatch presenter Simon King said: "I know of no record of peregrines nesting in central London and successfully rearing chicks. It's a reflection of people's attitude to such creatures, which is much more positive than it used to be."

Peregrines were almost wiped out by intensive use of pesticides in the Fifties and Sixties. Before that, huge numbers were culled on the orders of military chiefs who feared they would prey on homing pigeons carrying vital military information during the Second World War.

Better legal protection and control of pesticides helped the population recover. Then, in 2000, a pair nested at Battersea Power Station and bred the following year. The Marylebone peregrines are likely to return to their nest year after year unless disturbed. Police are keeping the nest under observation.

The birds are attracted to London by its tall buildings with the flat ledges needed for nesting, and its many feral pigeons, on which peregrines prey. Andrew South of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds said: "This is fantastic news. They are still the most protected birds in the country."