What can you see at York Minster besides the cathedral itself? If you look up at the minster you can see the gargoyles and grotesques, but you may also see a nesting pair of peregrine falcons.
Since around 2015 there has been a nesting pair of Peregrine falcons at York Minster. During the 2018 they were reported to have raised four young. Two of the three times I visited York I was able to spy some falcons flying around the minster, landing on grotesques and the towers.

If you are going to try to catch these birds of prey, bring a powerful pair of binoculars or a zoom lens. They land pretty high up on the minster. Whether you are a birder or not, they are enjoyable to see in flight.
For more information check out a Twitter page devoted to the York Minster Falcons: https://twitter.com/YorkPeregrines?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
Or this website: http://www.yorkperegrines.info/wp/
This is fantastic! I donate to the Peregrine Fund in the US. They support all birds of prey as well as the peregrine. Also my father’s name was Peregrine and my son is also Peregrine. i will look up more info via the links in this post.
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I have seen eagles nests in NY. I have yet to see a peregrine falcon on this side of the pond. What an interesting name!
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The first Peregrine in my family was born in the Netherlands while his mother was fleeing religious persecution in England ( Tudors Protestants vs Catholics). Peregrinus means traveller hence his name . He died in 1601.
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Awesome captures of such a beautiful raptor!
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They are awesome! They are working to replace the well worn gargoyles and grotesques, but are being careful not to disturb the area of the Minster they favor. I felt lucky to see them.
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Nice shots! They are hard to photograph I. Florida as most of the time we see them in flight.
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It is hard to catch them flying they are so quick. These two lingered a while where they were perched. That made it a little easier. Although the first one was hard to get sharp. He was harder to find as well. The one by the chimney pot was squeaking a lot. Probably calling their parents.
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Yeah, like “feed me”. 😊
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Fabulous! I had no idea!
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I was lucky enough to be there when birders were with binoculars and long lens. I asked what they were watching. You really need good binoculars or a good zoom lens to fully appreciate them. I have seen them flying around in July more than one year. It seems that is when the babies are active flying.
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These birds are so beautiful and majestic! What wonderful pictures!
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Hard to capture them as well. You have to find them perched. They are quick fliers.
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I bet, it must be a challenge to catch them at just the right time. You captured them beautifully, though!
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