A PAIR of peregrine falcons have been spotted roosting on the roof of Ealing Hospital.

The two birds of prey decided to take up residence at the hospital last spring and local wildlife enthusiasts are hopeful that they will start nesting there in the near future.

Peregrines started migrating to urban centres in the last two decades after recovering from near extinction in the 1950s.

Their traditional habitat and prey are cliff sides and rock doves.

Sean McCormack, founder of Ealing Wildlife Group (EWG) told Nub News: "The big buildings in urban centres look like rocky cliffs, while pigeons are very similar to rock doves, so it's easy to see why peregrines migrated to the big cities.

"Hospitals in particular are great for them because the roofs tend to be quiet and hospitals usually have a high concentration of pigeons due to the large number of people coming and going, so the peregrines have plenty of prey to hunt."

The two birds – one male and one female – have been named Freddie and Dusty, after two of Ealing's most famous singers (Freddie Mercury and Dusty Springfield).

McCormack, who works as a vet and was one of the people behind the world's first ever Christmas song for dogs, said: "We had a poll on the group and these were the two most popular names, although we did have some other really good suggestions too."

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EWG has over 3,700 members on Facebook and they have taken the peregrines to their hearts.

That's why they decided to put a nesting box on the roof of the hospital, in order to help the birds nest and hopefully make Ealing Hospital their permanent home.

McCormack explained that this year could be the perfect time for the pair to nest: "Dusty has a ring on her foot which has her own unique code.

"We looked it up last year and found out that she was two years old and originally from Surrey.

"Peregrines tend to nest at three years of age and the process starts in February, so we're hopeful that with our nesting box, very soon they'll be nesting."

Apart from the nesting box, EWG members have also installed a motion sensor camera that captures movement and that way they can record footage of the nesting season.

"We would ideally like to set up a webcam in order to manually watch them, but they're too expensive and we don't have the funds.

"But we are offering the opportunity for a local business or an individual to sponsor a webcam for next year, if you're interested, please get in touch," added McCormack.

Peregrines are still relatively rare in the local area, with one pair in Southall and another in Brentford.

They're very territorial, which is why McCormack is so happy that Freddie and Dusty seem to have chosen Ealing Hospital as their new home.

He said: "With a pair in Southall and another in Brentford, there was a space in central Ealing.

"As they're still relatively rare, we're very grateful and excited to have them on our doorstep."

If you want to learn more about Ealing Wildlife Group and the work they do, you can check out their website HERE and sign up to their newsletter.