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Public seeks comfort in connection with nature – popular wildlife webcam sees 16 fold rise in viewing figures

A popular wildlife web cam at Nottingham Trent University, in the heart of the city centre is proving hugely popular, during the country’s lock down.

The webcam was one of the first of its kind installed more than a decade ago, on advice from Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust to the University, to provide security for a family of protected peregrine falcons.  This has seen a 1600% rise in views during the Coronavirus ‘lock down’

Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust believes that the astonishing viewing figures, which have seen more than 40,000 additional unique page views, highlight the importance of people’s connection with nature.

Speaking on behalf of the Wildlife Trust, Head of Communications Erin McDaid said: “People are part of nature, not separate from it, and the huge rise in numbers viewing the peregrine camera feed underlines just how important our connection with nature is. With people observing the guidance on travel and social distancing and with many households isolating, people cannot see, hear and experience wildlife in the ways they would normally - so we’re delighted that the camera is providing a daily dose of nature for thousands of people.”

The 2nd egg. 3rd April 2020

The female peregrine laid her first egg of the season on March 16th -  sparking an increase in interest just as the country faced up to the prospect of restrictions designed to limit the spread of coronavirus. After 16 days passed without a second egg, a second egg was laid on April 2nd – coming as a complete surprise as eggs are usually laid at two day intervals. The charity, Nottingham Trent University and avid web cam viewers are now eagerly waiting to see if both are viable, and hope the family prospers to and continues to provide opportunities for people to see nature in close up for many weeks to come.

Speaking on behalf of Nottingham Trent University (NTU), Charmaine Morrell, Sustainable Development Manager said: “The falcons have a huge fan base which the webcam has enabled, from when we installed it in 2012. Fans of the falcons can watch in real time, the birds nesting, eggs hatching, chick rearing right through to fledging.  These have become key milestones for our staff, students and the wider pubic to enjoy and we’re delighted that so many are viewing the falcons this year, as a way of connecting with nature.  We’re hopeful that both Mrs P’s eggs will hatch this season and if successful, this will be the 39th and 40th chicks reared from the University nest”.

 The web cam can be accessed via the Nottingham Trent University website, to where it is housed on the Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust’s site.

Take a look

Erin continued: “Our longstanding partnership with Nottingham Trent University has enabled us to protect a family of peregrines for well over a decade and to share their success with people across the globe. It seems that this year, the family have a much larger audience and we’ve got everything crossed for a successful season ahead.”

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