ONE of the first peregrine chicks to be hatched on the tower at Salisbury Cathedral for more than six decades was found shot on farmland near Stockbridge.

Peter the peregrine was found by a teenage girl on March 11 in King’s Somborne.

Identified by a blue ring with the initials GX, he was taken to the Hawk Conservancy Trust in Amport, where he underwent treatment for a fractured wing, and is expected to make a full recovery.

Hampshire Police and the RSPB are investigating the incident.

Marie Thomas from Salisbury Cathedral said: “Peter was one of our first clutch of eggs at the cathedral after an absence of 61 years. He hatched along with two other chicks – Pip and Paula. It’s incredibly sad to hear that he’s been shot."

Peregrine falcons are the fastest birds in the world, able to reach speeds of over 200mph. Like all birds of prey, they are protected by law making it a criminal offence to kill or harm them.

An RSPB spokesman said: "We are grateful to the girl for raising the alarm - the public really do have an integral part to play in combating wildlife crime. We'd also like to thank local police and the Hawk Conservancy Trust for their assistance.

"Last we heard, the peregrine was recovering at the conservation centre and eating well. Though sadly there's no guarantee that, once the bird is re-released, it won't be shot at again."

Numbers went into a steep decline during the 1950s and early 1960s with just 360 pairs recorded in 1963.

According to the RSPB this was largely due to the widespread use of organochloride pesticides, which worked their way up the food chain, causing egg shell thinning and failed nests.

Subsequent reduction in the use of these chemicals and increased protection of the birds meant that over the last 52 years numbers have begun to climb again.

There are now thought to be around 1,500 pairs in the UK – many of which now live in urban areas, where tall buildings like cathedrals make ideal vantage points and nesting sites.

At Salisbury Cathedral, they were successfully re-introduced in May 2014.

The reintroduction was a result of a five year long collaboration between Phil Sheldrake, RSPB conservation officer, and Salisbury Cathedral’s Clerk of the Works, Gary Price.

Another peregrine born at Salisbury Cathedral was traced earlier this year thanks to her blue identification ring, bearing the initials SC.

Aveline, one of the two peregrine chicks hatched here last year, was spotted in Floodplain Forest Nature Reserve, Old Wolverton near Milton Keynes this January - 81 miles, as the crow flies, away from home.

So far there are no reported sightings of her brother, Raphael, has not yet been sighted. He carries a blue ring with the initials ST.

  •  THE Salisbury Cathedral peregrines produced their first egg yesterday (Friday) morning.

A second egg is expected tomorrow (Sunday) because peregrines generally lay every two days and only start incubating the eggs when they have laid the whole clutch.

The team at the Cathedral will be keeping a close watch on the birds and hope to have a live video relay up and running on screens in the Tower and Cloisters by Monday, along with a live stream on the cathedral website and stills from the nesting box.