St Albans Cathedral and its feathery inhabitants have featured on prime time BBC programme The One Show.

The segment all about the rare bird species nesting in St Albans Cathedral aired on Friday last wee with presenter and wildlife cameraman Hakmza Yassin.

He described the site as an "incredible medieval landmark".

Since 2022, a pair of Peregrine falcons have been returning to the site in order to nest.

A female Peregrine on a nest tray.A female Peregrine on a nest tray. (Image: Barry Trevis) Yassin said that the birds of prey come to the cathedral as the height of the roof provides them the "security" of their natural cliff top habitat.

"This is humans having a positive affect on wildlife without us knowing," he added.

Joining the presenter was Heidi Mansell, head of The Hertfordshire & Middlesex Wildlife Trust, who is taking the birds under her wing.

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Alongside a team of licensed bird ringers, Yassin made the journey up the 120 steps to tag the 21-day old chicks.

A male Peregrine.A male Peregrine. (Image: Patrick Wainwright) With a grin the presenter said: "Can you imagine how cool this is, baby Peregrine Falcons and the bell is ringing, you can't picture the scene much better than this.

"The best part is that the Peregrines are so easy to see, the birds are on display here."

By ringing the infants, The Wildlife Trust can track the progress of this protected species when they eventually leave the cathedral.

St Albans Cathedral.St Albans Cathedral. (Image: Alan Davies) Their presence has caused bird watchers to flock to the landmark hoping to catch a glimpse of the Peregrines. 

Dean of St Albans, Reverend Jo Kelly-Moore also featured and was pleased to see the cathedral and nature "working in harmony".

Since filming, the three Peregrine juveniles fledged their nest successfully and are now being seen around the Cathedral’s roofs and towers, while their parents are teaching them to hunt. 

The full episode aired on Friday, October 4, and is available via BBC iPlayer at bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m0023hym/the-one-show-04102024.