A RARE pair of Peregrine falcons have settled on Brighton's tallest building.

The spectacular birds of prey have been frequently spotted on the 336ft-high roof of Sussex Heights, the 24-floor luxury residential tower block on the seafront. Experts believe conditions are right for the two birds to become one of the first pairs in Britain to breed in urban surroundings for many years. Now the Sussex Ornithological Society and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds have been given permission from residents to put a nesting box on the roof. The RSPB and the society believe it is a secure site as it can only be reached via a penthouse suite, through which special permission has to be gained for access to the roof. Many twitchers have already found out about Brighton's two Peregrines, and have set up equipment to watch the large birds swoop on the starlings which gather over the West Pier at dusk. Three sparrow hawks have also been taking starlings and pigeons from the pier and town centre. Ecologist Graham Roberts, from the Sussex Ornithological Society, was given special permission by the residents of Sussex Heights to investigate the suitability of the roof for a nesting site. He said: "They have been regularly roosting on the block and they regularly use an empty balcony. "They obviously like the roof, and conditions now seem ideal for them to breed. Everything is right."

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