Class of 2016 Peregrine Chicks at 33 S. 6th Street

Peregrine chick, with both the project and federal
leg bands.

Four peregrine chicks were banded yesterday at a site in downtown Minneapolis, which has had the names of Multifoods Center, City Center, and currently 33 S. 6th Street.   This site is historically very important to the Midwest peregrine falcon restoration project.  It was the first urban site to host a “hack box” of peregrine chicks, and the first Minnesota site since the 1960s to produce a wild-hatched peregrine that would fledge successfully. In 1985, Dr. Harrison “Bud” Tordoff and Dr. Patrick T. Redig, co-founder of The Raptor Center, approached the building management team at 33 South 6th Street to inquire about putting a “hack box" (also known as a "release box") on the roof. This release box would house young captive-bred peregrine chicks that would be the start of a reintroduction of the species.

The arrow shows where the nest box is.

This year, there were new adults at the site.  The previous male was found dead in spring, presumed to be from injuries related to a territory dispute.  The new male is Triumph, b/r 58/P, a 2013 hatch from the Mayo Building in Rochester, MN.  The new female, who had previously been at another site in downtown Minneapolis, is b/r 22/X, from a building on the East Bank of the University of Minnesota.

The public was invited to attend.  There were lots of questions!

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RC staff provide leadership, technical advice, and administrative support for the Midwest Peregrine Society, which includes 13 Midwest states and two Canadian provinces.

The history of the Midwest peregrine restoration project, as well as a searchable database for the public to look up individual birds, sites and states, is here.