Merton Council has defended itself against criticism for live streaming footage of birds nesting on the Civic Centre roof but not broadcasting council meetings.

Peregrine falcons have been nesting on the roof of the Merton Civic Centre in Morden for the past three years, with four chicks successfully hatching in 2016.

The birds are a protected species, and so the council has set up a webcam to keep an eye on the hatching and the fledglings as they grow, which they began live streaming on Tuesday, March 21.

However, Merton Council has come under fire on social media for broadcasting footage of the birds after the decision was made to stop filming council meetings in February last year.

Feb 2016: "I’m sure their hordes of fans will appreciate the opportunity to watch them in action.” Row erupts over whether to webcast Merton Council meetings

In response, a spokeswoman for Merton Council said: “We’re thrilled to have peregrine falcons take up residence on the Civic Centre roof for the third year running.

“They’re a protected species, so when they first settled three years ago, Natural England and the London Peregrine Partnership designated our roof as a breeding site and a no go area.

“The falcons are on the roof for several months but we still need access to the roof.

“After much negotiation the London Peregrine Partnership were happy for us to install a webcam so we could still access the roof, while they could keep an eye on the birds.

“Last year we released webcam screen shots of the chicks which prompted requests from the public to watch the falcons live. As the camera was already there, we set the webcam up to stream live this week.

“This is a rare opportunity to watch nature at first hand - the response so far has been really positive with the public and schools tuning in and everyone is looking forward to watching the eggs hatch live in the next month.”

She added that live streaming council meetings had cost £15,000 a year, whereas the webcam cost just £400.

The female peregrine falcon normally lays three or four eggs in late March or April, which hatch about a month later.

The chicks fledge at 38 to 44-days-old, before the adult birds spend around two months teaching the young to hunt.

To watch the live stream of the peregrine falcons, click here.

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