There have been some right shenanigans among the peregrines at Symond's Yat Rock this spring. The outcome is that two new birds have taken over the prized territory just at the most sensitive time of the peregrine's year.

It is regular and normal for passing peregrine falcons to move through the territory of the resident birds at Symond's Yat. They are referred to as 'intruder birds' and usually either pass untroubled or are seen off by the local pair. But at the end of March a new male refused to be driven away and ended by evicting the male peregrine who had been in residence at The Rock for a decade.

Remarkably more drama followed a few days later when the local female was found injured with wounds thought to have been inflicted when trying to drive away an intruding female. This left a brand new pair of birds taking over just when the breeding season should have been getting into full swing.

It might be expected that after the very hard winter we have just had that there would be fewer peregrines about. Certainly small birds such as wrens, coal tits and goldcrests are drastically reduced in numbers this spring though some others such as robins and dunnocks seem to have survived remarkably well.

Greenfinches even seem to have leapt up in numbers and it may be that the disease trichomoniasis which decimated them a couple of years ago may itself have been weakened by two cold winters allowing greenfinches to recover strongly. At places I have visited recently such as Bigsweir, Cannop and Clanna greenfinches have been singing and displaying well.

But to get back to peregrines. Feeding as they do on other birds, they were unaffected by the bad weather as their prey species probably became weakened, or less wary, and therefore easier to catch. As peregrine numbers climb so there are more young, two year old birds looking to set up their own territory and disputes such as the one at The Rock this spring are a natural result.

So the start of April saw two new, strong but almost certainly young and inexperienced peregrines at Symond's Yat. Just when egg-laying should have started they had to get to know their new territory, find the best feeding areas and 'suss out' likely nesting ledges. They even had to get used to each other as it is quite possible they had never set eyes on each other before meeting at The Rock. They had to form a pair bond and mating began almost at once but without any sign of eggs being laid.

Fortunately they seem to have settled in now and last time I was at the Rock the female was spending long periods in a hole in the cliffs with the male standing guard just outside. If breeding does go ahead this year the birds will be getting on for a month later than usual but should still have plenty of time to fledge and rear their young.

For the last two years no young peregrines have flown from the nest site at Symond's Yat and it was suspected that either the female, who had only been at the site for those two years, or the male, by virtue of his old age, might have been infertile so peregrine watchers, and there are tens of thousands every year at Symond's Yat, will be hoping that the new birds ring in a new era of productive nesting at The Rock.