Three peregrine falcon chicks have hatched from a clutch of four eggs on top of one of Sussex's most exclusive properties.

A pair of peregrine falcons laid the eggs in a nesting box perched 334ft up at the top of Sussex Heights apartment block, which has one of the most sought-after views of Brighton seafront.

The birds arrived there in the spring of 1998. In 2002 they moved to the nearby West Pier but later returned to the block.

Eagle-eyed bird lovers can catch the Sussex Heights' peregrine diaries on a web site recording the birds' progress.

The falcon diary for 2005 states: "Three of the four eggs have hatched so far.

"The female is spending most of her time sitting on the chicks and the last unhatched egg, being relieved for short periods by the male."

There were no peregrine falcons in Sussex between 1945 and 1990 after their numbers were hit by pesticides in the Forties and Fifties.

The Regency Square Area Society has been running its web diary since 2002, with pictures on its site at www.regencybrighton.com/birds/