Detroit's Peregrine Falcons

As a result of DDT use in pesticides, Peregrine Falcon populations were decimated during the 1950s and they ended up on the endangered species list. A survey in 1964 found no adult peregrines east of the Mississippi! By the 1970s DDT had been banned and a program was launched to reintroduce peregrines in the eastern US. My father was always interested in birds, and especially birds of prey, so I still remember how excited he got when Peregrine Falcons were introduced into downtown Detroit in the late 1980s.

Peregrines usually nest on a ledge in a high cliff to protect their young from predators and also to aid in their hunting. Peregrines hunt their prey by diving at them from above at speeds that can reach 180 mph! To help bring peregrine populations back from near extinction, pairs were introduced in Grand Rapids and Detroit because they had tall buildings that replicated cliffs and they had an abundant food source in the form of pigeons and starlings. Since their introduction the population has steadily increased and there are now several nesting pairs that return to downtown Detroit and surrounding areas each year to raise their young. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources has some information about Peregrine Falcons and their introduction into Michigan on their website.  

There are approximately ten nesting pairs currently in downtown Detroit. They begin mating and nesting in April, with their young hatching in May and fledging in June. The Macomb Audobon Society has a great website with observation diaries and photos of nesting pairs from the past six years. I've been enjoying keeping up on the various pairs that have nested and reading about their young. The DNR is banding the young so that they can be tracked in future years.

There are three peregrine chicks (Clair, Clementine, and Lenny) being raised at the Macomb County Building in Utica and they have their own webcam that I have gotten addicted to. I don't think the chicks have taken their first flight yet, but they're close and I expect it will be within a matter of days. Right now you can watch the three hop up on a ledge by their nest and flap their wings to get exercise and get them stronger for flight. It will be exciting when they fledge, but I'm gonna miss them when I can no longer visit them via their webcam. It is exciting to see how the peregrines have made Detroit their home and how more pairs return each year to raise their young.