Cathedral

I walk past this magnificent spire on my way to and from work ... for me it is the crowning glory of Huntly Street, Aberdeen : St. Mary's RC Cathedral. I heard on the radio this week that it has just celebrated its 150th anniversary, but it hasn't been a Cathedral that long. Designed by Alexander Ellis and opened as St. Mary's RC Chapel in 1860, this spire (by R.G. Wilson and the tallest in the town) was added in 1877, with the Chapel being elevated to a Cathedral in 1878.

Enough historical musings ... if you look very carefully just above the clock on the left, you may just make out a Peregrine Falcon which was sitting there giving a good screech and this is what prompted me to pull out the wee snapper on my way to the bus stop tonight.

It is nice to see the Peregrine find sanctuary on the spire.

Peregrine Falcons are present in Central Aberdeen but they are currently facing many threats from developments such as the council proposals to raze the mature wooded glen of Union Terrace Gardens, the green heart of the city, an area over which Falcons which nest nearby train their young.