An individual is ‘helping police with their inquiries‘ after a person was seen on livestream camera deliberately walking over three Peregrine falcon eggs laid by the resident breeding pair at St Albans Cathedral in Hertfordshire yesterday.
The livestream feed, run in partnership by St Albans Cathedral and Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust, has been taken off air.
A livestream viewer said:
“The female bird was sitting on the eggs and all of a sudden there was a noise that spooked her, it sounded like a door opening.
“Then I saw a man’s leg enter in front of the camera. He stood there for 30 or 40 seconds before literally walking across – he didn’t stamp but he stepped on the eggs and just kept walking“.
More details on BBC News website here.
UPDATE 5 May 2025: ‘Investigation still ongoing’ into person seen trampling Peregrine eggs at St Albans Cathedral (here).
Raptor Persecution UK 
What kind of sick, twisted, and entitled bastard could do this? Although, Speckled Jim owners immediately come to mind,
I’m devastated
Anti-raptor morons and raptor haters are everywhere having never got used to the birds being protected since the 1950s. Sickening perhaps folk will start to realise now this has happened at a much loved city nest that such behaviour is routine in parts of our countryside and especially our uplands.
Yep, it it easy to forget that the peregrine population in the grouse moor areas is in a relatively worse state than harriers. I can’t remember the last time I saw a peregrine on any of the grouse moors I potter about on – it’s certainly several years. Have enjoyed seeing them elsewhere including newly fledged youngsters flying around at a cathedral nest site, so I can appreciate the upset this arsehole will have caused.
How did he get up there? It’s not public access. I hope he gets more than just the usual slap on the wrist. This is a very sick individual.
Has this frightened the female away from the Cathedral completely now? If so what will be done? I agree with other comments in all other respects. So wicked and so very sad that 3 potential beautiful chicks will now never hatch.
Surely that access should be locked off until the chicks hatched and fledged.
“Surely that access should be locked off until the chicks hatched and fledged.”
Yes, indeed, but we do not know enough about the event at the moment…
agreed
Two points occur to me. Firstly, is there enough evidence to identify the person responsible sufficiently clearly to allow proceedings to be taken against them? Secondly, might the birds re-lay, if it is not too late? Hopefully their natural instinct breeding timing clock has not run down too far.
oh come on. This isn’t some raptor hating psychopath. If he’s on the roof, then probably a maintainence person who wasn’t warned and just didn’t see them. Horrible as it is, it doesn’t look deliberate.
“If he’s on the roof, then probably a maintainence person..”
Possibly, but you don’t know that.
“who wasn’t warned”
Possibly, but you don’t know that.
“and just didn’t see them”
Possibly, but you don’t know that. One parent bird was incubating, and was scared off (witnessed on live cam) Have you seen the location and the hand-made nest box? How was that ‘not seen’?
https://stalbanstimes.co.uk/st-albans/st-albans-cathedrals-peregrine-falcon-eggs-destroyed/
“it doesn’t look deliberate.”
Possibly, but you didn’t see it to say that, did you?
Why did the Cathedral authorities call the Police? Why have they not reported that it turned out to be was one of their own staff? Why have they reported:
“We are currently working with the Rural Operational Support team at Hertfordshire Constabulary, and a person is assisting the police with their enquiries.
“The live cam will remain offline until further notice.”
It’s possible you’re right. But you don’t know that, do you ? So we’re all speculating. And you’re directing all this hatred. It might be a complete and very unfortunate accident is all I’m saying
according to BBC news, the person stood in front of the eggs for 30 or 40 seconds before treading on them. This tends to support the theory that the destruction was not accidental.
“And you’re directing all this hatred”
Me? Really? Was that when I wrote “we do not know enough about the event at the moment…” ?
“It might be a complete and very unfortunate accident is all I’m saying”
It might be, but you didn’t sound uncertain earlier: “This isn’t some raptor hating psychopath.”
The site should be secure, hopefully in future, with an internal camera if needed. Hopefully the bird’s will relay, the Peregrine at WGC Silo’s has been pushed away, with no alternative nest site, do that’s two pair’s of this magnificent bird. Very sad.
WGC Silo ?
Nearby Welwyn Garden City? (Nabisco Shredded Wheat)
https://www.whtimes.co.uk/news/22378091.peregrine-falcons-breed-chicks-old-shredded-wheat-silos/
https://www.whtimes.co.uk/news/22459722.farewell-shredded-wheat-silos-pictures-demolition-work/
https://siteonesolutions.com/a-new-home-for-peregrine-falcons-in-welwyn-garden-city
Simple put him in St Albans High Street on a Saturday morning and let people walk and stamp on him
Surely, if the person was in any way connected with the Cathedral, he would have been fully aware of the presence of the birds at this spot and of their high level of legal protection. Whoever it was, what was he doing there in what should have been declared an out of bounds area? If it turns out to have been an ‘official’ visit, why was there such a desperate necessity for this? Irrespective of whether standing on the eggs was a deliberate act, it would appear that he had already committed the offence of reckless disturbance by scaring the bird off the eggs.
You would imagine that birds nesting in a location such as this would be free from danger and interference. Clearly this is not the case, there having been an incident last year involving someone aiming a laser beam at a Peregrine nest site.
It makes no sense whatsoever, completely nonsensical!
Just remember, this incident came to light because it was caught on camera, the very same thing is happening all over the country at this time of year, (and worse) with no cameras present. The peregrine is probably the most persecuted bird in the UK today.
What is the government doing about these sickening acts of barbarism? I despair at how easy it is for these animal abusers to get off so lightly when they commit these cruel acts. I’m not anti all hunting BTW, or anti meat eating, there are legitimate reasons for ‘some’ countryside management (farming/forestry/disease etc.) But anyone getting off on harming wildlife for fun is dangerous in my opinion. To think licenses for deadly weapons are given out to those who kill only for the joy of killing, it is utterly chilling.
WTF I’m speechless if your not safe on a camera in a cathedral I thought security would be excellent again how and who is this individual that got access why aren’t the birds off limits securely fenced cordoned off it’s a bloody cathedral xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx
It “beggars belief” that the person who trampled the eggs did it without knowing what they were doing. Apart from the possibility that the person was blind? (if so it would be unwise to walk about on a cathedral roof) the adult birds would have been making a lot of noise overhead. Perhaps he deliberately made it look like he was unaware of the eggs as a future defence for his actions? The birds will quite possibly recycle and lay again, but considering this has happened in full view of a camera protection of the birds was not guaranteed by the camera and apart from publicising the falcons presence it possibly added in some bizarre way to an antipathy towards the birds; perhaps cameras at nestsites for ‘entertainment’ aren’t necessarily the best idea??
I am wide awake in disbelief at this unbelievable stuff there must be cameras or footage elsewhere the police will surely be able to identify this individual or someone can it’s a sick sad soul less heartless inadequate spineless not worth the skin there in the country is full of them that’s the sad thing in the towns on the moors these cruel horrible individuals live and let live .
“I am wide awake in disbelief at this unbelievable stuff there must be cameras or footage elsewhere the police will surely be able to identify this individual”
An individual “is helping the Police with their inquiries”
See: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c87ppe1jjvxo
https://www.hertswildlifetrust.org.uk/news/peregrine-falcons-eggs-st-albans-cathedral-destroyed
https://www.hertsad.co.uk/news/25079296.peregrine-falcon-pair-unlikely-lay-eggs-cathedral/
I am not sure why the wildlife trust thinks that it is unlikely that the peregrine will recycle and lay again? I would have thought that it is quite likely given that incubation would only recently have started and the birds were seen copulating.
absolutely disgusting behaviour, hope they are caught and imprisoned, so sad for something that was meant to be bring joy