Firstly, let me show the clock tower of Cardiff’s City Hall, as it’s really rather splendid.

The exquisite architecture of this tower is the perfect home base for two equally exquisite birds, a pair of Peregrines (Falco peregrinus).

The height of the tower provides these falcons with an excellent vantage point from which to search out unwitting prey, particularly from among the city’s Feral pigeon population, and is a safe, secure location upon which they can build a nest and raise their young.

I’ve seen Peregrines on this tower since I first moved to Cardiff ten years ago and, as these birds have an average lifespan of 10 to 15 years, it’s possible these are the same birds I first saw in 2015 though, of course, I can’t be sure of that. I can, however, be sure that it is always a joy to spend time watching them.