Peregrine Chick Banding at 33 S. 6th Street

Young falcon is held up to show bands on the legs.

Four chicks - three males and one female - were banded today at 33 S. 6th Street in downtown Minneapolis.  Many of you might know how important this building is to the peregrine falcon restoration project.  Last year was the 25th anniversary of the fledging of the first wild peregrine in the Midwest since DDT wiped out the original population.  The release of young peregrines at The Multifoods/City Center/33 S. 6^th Street building was the pivotal element that became a watershed in the success of peregrines being reintroduced into the Midwest.  It was the first urban site to host a “hack box” (also known as a "release box") of peregrine chicks.  This release box would house young captive-bred peregrine chicks that would be the start of a reintroduction of the species.  This would become the first Minnesota site since the 1960s to produce a wild-hatched peregrine that would fledge successfully.

A camera is positioned in the atrium to show the chicks at the nestbox,
and where they will perch as they survey their new
home to be - the skies over Minneapolis.

TRC 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 state information, is here.  A recent Minnesota Daily article on the project is here.  

We want to thank the building staff at not only this site, but the other metro/urban locations.  The early and continued success of this project is ensured only through their support. 

Dr. Julia Ponder, Executive Director of TRC, examines a chick before she will draw a small blood sample.