Grand Rapids Peregrine Falcon Watch

Supported by the GRCC
Physical and Biological Science Departments,
in cooperation with Grand Rapids Audubon Club


Photo courtesy of Elaine Fleming, March 2010


.FALCON WATCH   The peregrine pair is still present in the downtown area.  Please email ElaineK at ekampmue@grcc.edu to report sightings in the Grand Rapids area. 

IDENTIFYING THE FALCONS
Adult vs Juvenile:  Adults have white fronts with horizontal dark grey barring. Their backs are a dark blue/grey.  Juveniles have beige/tan fronts with heavy vertical brown streaks.  Their backs have a brownish grey color.  

Male vs Female:  Females are approximately 1/3 larger than the males.  There are no general plumage differences.

Our individuals (2008):
Suzy 2: Adult female, no bands on either leg.
Art: Adult male, Black 70 over Green M (70/M) on left leg, purple USFWS band on right leg. (hatched 2004, Ghent, KY)

Follow the development of the chicks using the age guide, found here, from the Canadian Peregrine Foundation.  


CURRENT NEWS
8/16/10:  Even during the hot humid days the falcons were hanging around downtown.  The birds have been seen at least once a week, mostly on McKay Tower or the State building.

7/12/10:  Falcons have been seen on McKay Tower and the State building over the last month.  The hotter the weather, however, the less we see of the birds.

6/3/10:  The falcons are still in town.  Yesterday, Mary P saw them on McKay Tower and Elaine K saw one on the State building.

4/29/10:  Our peregrine pair seem to be nervous and their nesting process easily disrupted.  On April 15, Elaine K observed three falcons in flight going SE from the Michigan/Ionia area.  Not long afterwards, she saw two falcons returning to that area.  Since then no falcons have been observed on the MSU/Secchia building where they had been seen almost constantly for two weeks.  Instead, peregrines were seen often on McKay and Amway, common perches during most of the year.  Reports of both falcons being seen at the same time strongly suggest that they have not attempted to produce any more eggs and that they are no longer checking out nesting sites.  If they follow the pattern of last year, they will remain in the area throughout the year and we can hope for another attempt in 2011.

4/14/10:  The falcons do not appear to be nesting yet, though they are still seen frequently in the downtown area, including Amway Grand and the area around Michigan and Ionia.

4/9/10:  The falcons continue to be observed mating and investigating nest sites.  They are seen most often in the area of Michigan and Ionia.  They do not appear to be incubating eggs at this time.  The letters mentioned in the previous report remain favorite perches.

3/29/10:  This week Elaine F was the first to find the falcons on what seems to be a new favorite perch - the letters of the MSU's Secchia Institute at Michigan and Ionia. (See picture above)  Falcons continue to be seen on the courthouse and Amway. 

3/24/10:  Several reports of mating have been received and the falcons seem to be spending a lot of time on/around the Kent County courthouse.  At 1:30pm today Elaine K saw one falcon on the SE corner of Amway and one spiraling upward over the GRCC/Spectrum/VAI area.

3/11/10:  The falcons are more active and are being seen more frequently in the downtown area.  Elaine K spotted a falcon perched on the elevator shaft of the new Children's Hospital on 3/10.

2/5/10:  Lynn H. provided photos of a peregrine falcon perched on a building north of Leonard/Monroe.  She reports seeing the falcon there frequently the last few months.  Falcons are also still seen downtown in the usual places.
 
1/22/10:  Peregrine falcons continue to be seen regularly in the downtown area, especially on the NE and SE corners of the Amway Grand Tower.

2009 HIGHLIGHTS
A pair of peregrine falcons resided in the downtown area throughout 2009.  Their identities were not verified, so we do not know if they were Art and Suzy 2 from the previous year.  A nest was established on Plaza Towers, but the eggs did not hatch.  The pair did not make another nesting attempt as far as we know.  The birds were most often seen in the area around the Amway Grand Tower and McKay Tower.  Click on the title of this section to view the 2009 observation log.

2008 HIGHLIGHTS
Art and Suzy 2 successfully raised two chicks to fledging in 2008.  They laid two eggs in the relocated nestbox on the Kent County Courthouse building around April 10th. The chicks hatched around May 17th, we think.  The male juvenile wears Black E over Green 20, the female juvenile wears Black sideways P over Green sideways C on their left legs.  Both have purple USFWS bands on their right legs.  The adults were seen all year except from late July to late August.  Click on the title of this section to view the observation log for 2008.

2007 HIGHLIGHTS
A peregrine falcon pair had a successful breeding season in 2007, hatching three chicks in the nestbox on McKay Tower.  Two of the three survived to fledge - one male (Green C over Black 39) and one female (Green N over Black 62).  The juvenile falcons and the adults were often observed in the area until late July.   Adult falcons returned in mid-August, but no definite sightings of C39 or N62 have been reported.  Unlike previous years, peregrines were observed in Grand Rapids every month in 2007.  (Click the title of this section to view the entire 2007 observation log.)

2006 HIGHLIGHTS
The big news for 2006 was the installation of two nest boxes in the downtown area.  The first one, put up in March, is on the roof of the State Building. The second one, on the roof of McKay Tower, was put up in September and dedicated in memory of Art Snell. 

Peregrine falcons were seen frequently from late February through May.  No nest was observed, but a failed attempt on the State Building (not in the nestbox) was suspected.  By late May observers confirmed a different pair of peregrines were being seen downtown.  What happened to Jake and his mate is still unknown.  Falcon sightings continued to be reported regularly until late November.

2005 HIGHLIGHTS

March: The male was confirmed as the same tiercel as last year at this site: Jake, Black U/*G, born in Mississauga, ONT in 2002. The female is unbanded.

April: Both birds are seen frequently. Common locations include Immanual Lutheran Church, Van Andel Institute, State Building, McKay Tower, Commerce Building, and various spots around Calder Plaza.  A nest on the Van Andel Institute was suspected but not confirmed.

May: Observations suggest a nest on the roof of the State Building, out of public view.

June: A nest with 2 eggs was observed by a DNR biologist on the State Building.  Late in the month it was confirmed that the eggs did not hatch.  The birds were seen frequently in the area.

July-December:  Falcon sightings were sporadically reported throughout the summer, fall and early winter.  A partial band reading indicated Jake was still here in early October and probably has not migrated out of the area.


BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Peregrine falcons were released in Grand Rapids in the late 1980’s as part of the Midwest Peregrine Falcon Restoration project, but none of those birds came back to establish nests here.  The first peregrine falcon nest in the area was established in Grand Haven in 2000. Since then nests have been found in Muskegon in 2003 and in Port Sheldon in 2004. The first documented pair to nest in the downtown area was discovered in the summer of 2004. A pair of peregrine falcons has been observed in the downtown area since February of 2005.  Common locations include McKay Tower, the Amway Grand, Kent County Courthouse and the Trust building.
 

 

Contact information:
Elaine Kampmueller: ekampmue@grcc.edu, (616) 234-4256

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