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Introduction:
Since 2012, Peregrine falcons (Falco peregrinus) have bred at the top of St George's Church near the centre of the City of Sheffield. The University works in collaboration with Sheffield Bird Study Group to maintain a nesting platform fixed to the northern side of the church. The platform is monitored by a live webcam, and every year the trials of the young birds are monitored and reported on via an online blog Chris Greenwood of the Sheffield Bird Study group.
Student Peregrine Watchers:
Each year, one of our Undergraduates assists Sheffield Bird Study group to study the breeding peregrines. Freya Dunbar-Simms (Zoology BSc), assisted with peregrine watching during the 2025 breeding season:
"I first spotted the Sheffield peregrines on St George’s during an open day for the university- it was my first time seeing a peregrine falcon, so it was exciting to learn that a pair of them nest right on campus every year. I now study Zoology at the University of Sheffield and it's safe to say the peregrines were a big part of why I picked this city!
During this year's breeding season I volunteered for the Sheffield Peregrine Project by keeping an eye on the webcams and collecting information on their behaviour. This included things like the date of egg laying and hatching, meal times, which parent was on the eggs and what kind of food items they were bringing for the chicks. Through this I learnt a lot about peregrines and the biology of birds in general, and I really enjoyed keeping updated with what the pair were up to. As part of this, I also got the chance to be interviewed and appeared on the TV for a BBC piece about the birds! The highlight for me was the opportunity to climb up to the roof of St George’s Church and witness this year’s chicks being ringed as part of the BTO ringing scheme. It was amazing to see the chicks so close up, and it inspired me to start training as a bird ringer myself!"
Sheffield hosts an exciting community of bird enthusiasts. Sheffield Bird Study Group was formed in 1972. They invite guest speakers, report on recent sightings, and collaborate with other organisations to promote an interest in birds in Sheffield. Membership is free for U25s.
Sorby Breck Ringing Group are a local group of licenced bird ringers operating across South Yorkshire and North Nottinghamshire. For more information about the UK's Bird Ringing Scheme, take a look at the British Trust for Ornithology's (BTO) dedicated pages.
Ringing the peregrine chicks:
Productive relationships exist between the University and local natural history groups, including Sheffield Bird Study Group and Sorby Breck Ringing Group. Each year, experienced bird ringers from the Sorby Breck Ringing climb to the top of St George's church to attach metal and colour rings to the legs of the chicks, take DNA swabs, and important biometric information that tell us the growth rate of the chicks, and also whether they are male or female (females are larger than males).
The rings are very lightweight and are the equivalent of humans wearing a light-weight bracelet. The metal ring contains a unique code that is identifeable to that bird only. Information about this bird is linked to the ring number in a database curated by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO). If the bird is re-sighted, re-caught, or recovered in the future, the bird can then be looked up on the database and additional information added. With birds like Peregrine Falcon's, the likelihood of recapture is very low. Adding a colour ring, again with a unique colour and code combination, makes the likelihood of re-sighting that individual much greater, especially with the advancement of digital cameras.
As a result, we are able to build an intimate picture of the peregrine chicks as they grow, start to learn to fly, and ultimately depart the nest.
Above: Taking hind-claw measurements, Below: waiting patiently. (Pictures by Chris Greenwood).
IMG_4129.movDNA Databank:
Swabs are gently taken from the inside of the peregrine chicks mouths, and underneath their tongues. It's a bit like a covid test! This is carried out by individuals, with additional licences added to their standard bird ringing permit. The swabs are placed in ethanol, sealed in a bag, signed by two witnesses, and sent off to the UK National Peregrine Database. The database has been used to successfully prosecute individuals involved in the illegal wildlife trade of wild caught peregrines (see here for example), and we are delighted to be able to contribute to it's growth.
The video on the left shows the swabbing process. The chicks are noisy when being handled (and who can blame them!). The chick in the video is one of the 2025 brood, at 19 days old.
Peregrine 'ZCC'. A young female peregrine aged just 1.5 months. She was mounted by local taxidermist artist, Sarah Keen.
Peregrine 'ZCC'
In 2025, three peregrine chicks were successfully ringed at the top of St George's Church. The chicks, males, ZAC, ZBC, and female, ZCC, were the 35th, 36th and 37th chicks to successfully fledge from St George's Church since the first successful breeding attempt in 2012. Tragically, just three days after her first tentative flight, ZCC managed to get into The Diamond through an open window, and sadly passed away at just 1.5 months old.
Young peregrines are particularly vulnerable to becoming grounded in the early days of fledging, becoming at risk to traffic, other animals, and indeed, humans. Many unsuccessful flights have resulted in peregrine watchers being alerted by the University's Security team about grounded chicks, resulting in the chicks being captured and returned to safety at the top of the church. ZCC's death was the first time a chick has died at this stage.
Whilst tragic, it is worth noting that peregrine's 'natural' nesting sites include sea cliffs, where poor flight attempts by young birds nearly always end in drowning. Therefore, by adults choosing to nest in urban sites, the rate of successful fledging attempts is surely greater than those nesting on sea cliffs on the West coast.
ZCC's death was reported to the BTO, and the decision was taken by SBSG, SBRG and the University to have her mounted for the Alfred Denny Museum for educational and public engagement purposes. Donations were made by the SBSG committee and the public donations to the Alfred Denny Museum to fund this.
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