GRAND RAPIDS, Mich — Sitting on top of the GVSU Eberhard Center in Downtown Grand Rapids, is a bird box for peregrine falcons. There are two parent birds, which had four chicks this year.
Earlier this week, a young and injured peregrine falcon was found on the ground in downtown.
"Every once and a while," said Peg Markle, executive director of Wildlife Rehab Center, "You get a young one or injured one, and it gets out of the nest. We get called downtown to go and pick him up and finish raising him."
Markle's team brought the young bird back to their center. A vet did some tests, and it was eventually transferred to another wildlife rehab center in Eaton Rapids, which specializes in birds of prey.
"Vet did radiographs, no injuries other than blood in the trachea" said Louise Sagaert, director of Wildside Rehab, "So, we think he ran into something while he was chasing prey."
The bird has been receiving fluids, and his energy is already picking up.
Grand Rapids is one of a few cities in Michigan that have bird boxes on top of tall buildings in its downtown.
"They were brought in quite a few years ago, to take care of the pidgin problem downtown," said Markle.
However, 13 ON YOUR SIDE spoke to a biologist with the DNR, who works with the bird box at GVSU. He said the primary reason these exist is to help restore the rare, endangered species.
The box on top of the Eberhard Center has been there since about 2012 or 2013, he said. In 2017, the two falcons began to produce chicks.
"They live in cliff kind of areas," said Sagaert, "So, buildings downtown are perfect."
Sagaert said all the falcons are tagged on their feet to keep track of them. That is how they were able to confirm this was one of the babies of the two falcons in downtown Grand Rapids. They even treated one of his siblings earlier this year.
When he heals at the center in Eaton Rapids, the falcon will be released back to the box at the Eberhard Center where they will "let them fly off again from there."
"So, obviously he was trying out his skills, and doesn’t do very well yet," said Sagaert, "He needs more practice."
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