Welcome,

The thing I love about spring isn't exactly that the weather is turning warmer, or the flowers blooming etc... it's that I get to get out of my office and go watch birds.

Yesterday was just such a day. I headed over to the Pilsen Park neighborhood just after 1pm. Why not Grant Park to check out the migrating sparrows? Or Burnham Harbor to see the Red-breasted Mergansers that have been hanging out at the south end of Northerly Island? Because Pilsen has a pair of nesting peregrine falcons.

While the peregrines were at one time nearly gone from North America (eastern populations were gone and western had declined by 80-90%), the falcons have come back a long way in their recovery. This peregrine expedition will help the visitor learn about the peregrines - why they were at one time gone from Illinois and just how they came to be back. And back they are.

When I started observing the falcons in 1989, I had only 1 nest to observe. I could spend my entire day just watching this one pair at the Wacker site, biding my time by keeping a journal of what I saw. Such as when the male, Jingles would come to incubate the eggs for awhile, or what he brought back to the nest ledge after a successful hunting trip. My first observation of a peregrine ever was from the Sears Tower watching Jingles dive down to catch a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. It's during a dive (or stoop) that the peregrines reach the excessive speeds for which they're known.

Now-a-days, with 12 pairs to keep track of (not to mention new nests to find), it's been a long time since I was able to keep track of all the peregrines on my own. It's the individuals who work in the buildings that the peregrines nest on, or people with the office across the street that monitor the birds for me. While they do all the work (or should I say avoid their work?) I get to periodically pop in, such as yesterday at Pilsen.

Right now it's the start of the nesting season. We have a few pairs on eggs and in the upcoming days we'll be checking in at other sites. This expedition will allow you to follow along as we observe the chicks hatch, feed, and learn to fly. Sometimes you'll hear from me what's happening, and at other times I'll send an update from one of peregrine volunteers. In those cases I'll wait just as anxiously as you to hear what's going on. For instance, it'll be great to hear if Jingles is back at Wacker for the 18th time. Last year he was the oldest breeding male peregrine in the Midwest.

While I've longed for an office window that faces an eyrie (instead I get Soldier Field), I can take great satisfaction that with the webcam on our Waukegan site), I can watch the peregrines anytime with the simple click of a button. Of course, that's not going to stop me from getting outside every chance I have. As a matter of fact, right now seems like a good time........

Mary