Peregrine falcon couple hatches a family atop University of Michigan Hospitals
Ann Arbor's state-endangered peregrine falcons are the proud parents of three new baby chicks that share the family home: A nest perched atop the University Hospital.
The peregrine family is evidence the birds - which mate for life and have been spotted around Ann Arbor since 2006 - have accepted a nesting box built on top of the hospital in the last year, according to an article posted about the falcon family on the University of Michigan Museum of Zoology’s website.
U-M and Michigan Department of Natural Resources officials spotted the baby peregrines on May 23.
Ann Arbor's peregrine falcons hatched three chicks in a nesting box atop the University of Michigan Hospital in May.
Photo courtesy of Barb Baldinger, MDNR
But conditions there were less than ideal for family life, Hinshaw told AnnArbor.com in 2010. Storm water would disturb the nest, and once she found a cracked egg at the base of Burton Tower.
After the latest round of renovations began on the 1936 landmark tower in late 2010, DNR officials and others collaborated to lure the falcons away from the tower with nesting boxes, including one atop the hospital and another on the roof of North Quad.
The effort worked. According to the zoology website, the chicks looked to be about 9 days old on May 23.
That means the female falcon likely laid her eggs around April 10, and the chicks hatched around May 14. They may be able to leave the nest by the end of June.
According to the DNR, the use of the chemical DDT in pesticides almost eradicated the species. But due to the ban of the chemical and decades of reintroduction efforts, the birds were removed from the federal government's endangered species list in 1999, but remain a federally protected. State law still lists the peregrine as an endangered species.
Juliana Keeping covers general assignment and health and the environment for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at julianakeeping@annarbor.com or 734-623-2528. Follow Juliana Keeping on Twitter
Comments
BhavanaJagat
Fri, Jun 10, 2011 : 4:47 p.m.
Thanks for sharing this photo of cute chicks and the efforts of University Staff to provide a nesting place. A nice story about the effects of human interventions on nature and life. It speaks about the magic of creation. Nobel Laureate Dr. Steven Chu had observed that we need to know each individual member of a given species to understand the nature of diversity. Each new living object comes into its state of existence as an individual; unique, distinctive, one of its own kind, and original. Even identical twins or clones could be identified as 'Individuals'.
bedrog
Thu, Jun 9, 2011 : 11:35 p.m.
It's always nice to see wildlife in unexpected places. But not always for those closest to it. Another cool large predatory bird experience ( for those not actually living there) can be had in an tony local neighborhood ( whose address i will omit in order to protect privacy) where a flock of up to 30 turkey vultures spend the night befouling an upper crust roof befeore catching the morning thermals to cruise the Huron river for carrion....
Tommy
Thu, Jun 9, 2011 : 9:18 p.m.
Great story. I love hearing about falcons!!!
djm12652
Thu, Jun 9, 2011 : 9:26 p.m.
that was my first car... a 61, and not anywhere as cool or cute as the photo!
Marvin Face
Thu, Jun 9, 2011 : 9:10 p.m.
Even though it was deleted, you have to admit it was a good one, right?
Tom Joad
Thu, Jun 9, 2011 : 8:53 p.m.
How about a Falcon Cam? Or would that violate medical privacy laws?
Epengar
Fri, Jun 10, 2011 : 5:23 p.m.
There are plans to add a back door to the nest box next year, so that hatchlings can be banded and a camera can be installed. I don't know why that wasn't done to start with. <a href="http://www.ummz.lsa.umich.edu/birds/peregrine/um-peregrines.html" rel='nofollow'>http://www.ummz.lsa.umich.edu/birds/peregrine/um-peregrines.html</a>
treetowncartel
Thu, Jun 9, 2011 : 8:27 p.m.
It is good to see the birds of prey making a comeback. There is one that hunts the M-14 corridor between Ann Arbor and Plymouth. A few years ago I found the back end of a baby gosling in my yard. I was taken aback for a second, until I realized I was standing under one of my bigger trees.
A2K
Thu, Jun 9, 2011 : 8:21 p.m.
Very cool! I got excited a few weeks ago having seen (what I thought) was a Peregrin in my A2 backyard...but after doing some research found out it was the much-larger, Cooper's Hawk (a male) - likely after our numerous feisty red squirrels. I love that the city made the extra-effort to fashion new nesting sites for these birds.
spm
Fri, Jun 10, 2011 : 12:10 p.m.
I've seen a Cooper's Hawk sitting on my backyard fence also. It was eyeing a few of the sparrows munching at the bird feeder. A few weeks later I saw it again down the street sitting in a tree watching a neighbor's bird feeder that's in her front yard. It's very cool to see such birds right in the Old West Side. Growing up around in Michigan in the '60s & '70s I barely saw a squirrel much less a hawk or falcon in my neighborhood!
RTFM
Thu, Jun 9, 2011 : 8:14 p.m.
In keeping with the good culture of Ann Arbor, I trust these peregrine's don't kill innocent birds and they are in fact vegetarian.
djm12652
Thu, Jun 9, 2011 : 9:25 p.m.
@ Juliana...phew....I don't see fat Chihuahua on the list...she's safe for another day...unless some Giant Condors move in...
Juliana Keeping
Thu, Jun 9, 2011 : 8:26 p.m.
Haha-not quite. These birds eat other small birds. Here is a list of recent meal remnants: Date Food Item 14-Mar woodcock wing 17-Mar woodcock head, foot 18-Mar woodcock body, head, estra wing, killdeer feather, duck? feather 21-Mar mourning dove body, woodcock wing. Woodcock wing- N. Quad 24-Mar woodcock bill, coot wing 28-Mar woodcock leg 5-Apr killdeer wing, headless mummified cuckoo- from previous year 11-Apr coot foot 12-Apr headless meadowlark, headless mourning dove 14-Apr coot foot (old), mourning dove foot 21-Apr male flicker head, mourning dove feathers and foot 25-Apr sora rail head 26-Apr woodcock wing 18-May woodcock head (for more, <a href="http://www.ummz.umich.edu/birds/peregrine/um-peregrines.html)" rel='nofollow'>http://www.ummz.umich.edu/birds/peregrine/um-peregrines.html)</a>
Huron74
Thu, Jun 9, 2011 : 8:08 p.m.
That is just so cool. Showing my age here but I remember as a kid that the DDT (which we were solemnly told was safe enough to sprinkle over your breakfast cereal) was in wide use. And as a result the larger birds esp. raptors had problems with their eggs not hatching and so forth. And now few decades later this! Cool. Nature can repair itself quite nicely if we but let it.