Two young peregrine falcons making their home
at the Macomb County Administration Building stretched their wings on a
day a little windier than what they could handle.
No worries,
though -- Harwell and Martha are doing fine, having been taken to a
Michigan Department of Natural Resources & Environment rehab facility to
develop more wing strength before returning to their parents, Hathor and
Nick, and brother, Packard.
"They only had the strength to go
down," says Christine Becher, the nesting
peregrine falcon coordinator for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources & Environment. "They don't have enough muscle power yet
to get back up to where they came from."
The three young falcons
were officially named and tagged for identification earlier this month.
The names were chosen to honor Ernie Harwell, the recently deceased
longtime Tigers' baseball announcer; the Packard Motor Car Company; and
Martha Griffiths, Michigan's first female lieutenant governor. The trio, born on May 12, are Hathor and Nick's third set of offspring in as many years.
Hathor and Nick have made their home on the 11th floor of the county
building, a height close enough to the cliffs on which falcons choose
to build their nests in the wild. Birds who hatch on
building perches tend to make their own homes on similar perches later
on, Becher explains.
Peregrines usually won't nest the first year
after their birth, and they don't necessarily stay close to home. Other
pairs have made their nests in buildings and bridges in Detroit, Monroe,
Flint, and surrounding areas. "There's quite a few nesting around here
that are Ontario birds," Becher says.
Source:
Christine Becher, nesting peregrine falcon
coordinator for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources & Environment
Writer: Kristin Lukowski
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