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One of the unexpected joys of 2020 was the soap opera/zoology crossover that came from getting to know a family of peregrine falcons nesting on top of Charing Cross hospital. 
! (1/14)
This is Tom, the ~10 year-old patriarch. Logan Roy, basically.
! (1/14)This is Tom, the ~10 year-old patriarch. Logan Roy, basically.
This is Flame, mated with Tom for two years 2/14
I started watching the show when Tom and Flame were busy rearing this year’s only chick, Jack. Together, they are the @FaBPeregrines 3/14
@nmahieu brought me up to speed with the seasons and characters I’d missed, especially about Tom’s former partner, Charlie, whose memory loomed over the nest box - and who had been displaced by Flame. 4/14
Jack grew up strong and in June many local people waited at @MargravineCem to see him fly for the first time #fledgewatch 5/14
We watched Tom and Flame bring Jack typical west London cuisine (raw parakeet and pigeon, mostly). The crew seemed so solid. 6/14
Like the rest of us, Jack learned about regular washing, but he did his in his infinity pool on top of the hospital 7/14
I often wondered about their aerial world and the view they must have. You get a glimpse from this angle (mother and son both in the shot) 8/14
Competition. Their nest is prime London territory, near to the river and the rich hunting grounds of the Barnes wetlands @WWTLondon. There are some 30 pairs of peregrines in London, each with a territory of only about 1.5 miles radius 9/14
All was well with the family unit, until... DRAMA! An intruder falcon fought with Flame, and displaced her. Succession? @nmahieu named the new female Smoke (pictured). We never saw Flame again. She’s probably dead. 10/14
At around the same time in November, Jack disappeared too. There had been some aggression between father and son, and it seemed Jack decided to fly the coop. Here he’s giving me a farewell high five. A high three. With blood-soaked talons 11/14
But Smoke didn’t hang around. For a while Tom was alone, then another female arrived. This one has a ring. She has been living in the north London realm of Alexandra Palace, but was born in the Netherlands in 2018. 12/14
Tom has been courtship-stooping at her at great speed, skimming her feathers in mid air. Trying to impress her. It seems to be working: here she is bringing a pigeon to the nest box 13/14
Will Tom and the new female mate? Will they raise a family next year? I am hooked. Follow @FaBPeregrines for all the updates. Thanks to @nmahieu for all the fantastic peregrine natural history I’ve learned. 14/14
