Peregrine watch point opens today at foot of Norwich Cathedral

A peregrine falcon nesting at Norwich Cathedral laid her first egg of the year on March15. Picture: Hawk and Owl Trust (Image: Hawk and Owl Trust)

The special watch point has been erected at the foot of the spire.

For bird watching enthusiasts, the news could not have come sooner as a peregrine falcon nesting on the cathedral's spire laid her first egg of the season last month.

A third egg has since been seen at around 7.47am on March 20.

Halfway up the cathedral, the Hawk and Owl Trust nesting box has been in place since 2011 and seen generations of peregrine chicks fly the nest.

Speaking ahead of the watch point opening, Zoe Smith, peregrine project officer for the trust, which is based in Sculthorpe near Fakenham, said: 'The people of Norwich really love the peregrines and online we have over a million views watching them from all over the globe.'

The peregrine watch point in the cathedral grounds was officially opened by the Dean of Norwich at 10am today (Saturday April 6).

More than 30,000 people are expected to descend on the peregrine watch point to view the birds, which is open at Norwich Cathedral from now until July 14.

• The Norwich cathedral peregrine webcam can be viewed at the Hawk and Owl Trust website .

This pair of peregrine falcons nest on the spire of Norwich Cathedral. Picture: Andy Thompson (Image: Andy Thompson)