WINCHESTER Cathedral's resident peregrine has laid a third egg, however it has fallen off the nesting tray. 

Having laid her first egg on Friday, April 12 and her second on Sunday, April 14, Mel's third came in the middle of last week.

However, people noticed that the new egg had rolled out of the nesting tray, with Mel only incubating two.

READ MORE: Mel the Winchester Cathedral peregrine lays second egg

Keith Betton, chairman of the Hampshire Ornithological Society, said: “There is no end to the drama this year. Earlier this week we saw that Mel had laid a third egg, but then a day later it had vanished.

“However, what has happened is that the third egg has somehow got rolled off the tray to the right as you can see in this photo, but we don’t know how this happened. Maybe Mel will be content with two eggs.

“Things like this can happen – Winnie stood on an egg one year, causing it to crack. Peregrines need to have large feet to catch prey and those talons are dangerous around the eggs. That is why they usually hobble around the nest tray with their toes turned inwards… try that at home, it’s not easy!”

To watch the cathedral's peregrine cameras, visit winchester-cathedral.org.uk/explore/peregrines/.