As most of you have probably already noticed, there is no activity in the GVSU nest box. There were a couple of peregrine sightings over the winter, but they appear to have been of individual falcons making a quick inspection. As far as I know, a pair has not been seen in the Grand Rapids area, so the Courthouse nest box is probably not in use, either. Please let me know if you catch a glimpse of a peregrine in the Grand Rapids area, and especially if you see one in the nest box.
Posted in Falcon Updates. For those of you who have been frustrated with a broken link to the GVSU nest cam, a new link is now available in the list on the right side of this page. The cam is also available on the GVSU webcam site. I am not sure yet if the ceiling cam will be available as well. Leave a Comment. As you have probably figured out already, the Grand Rapids peregrines have not been successful in having chicks this year. Things were looking good in early April, when the female spent several nights in the GVSU nest box, but no eggs were ever seen.
Within another week or two, they seemed to have given up for this year. New pairs do not always have breeding success their first year. Peregrines were also seen in the vicinity of the Kent County Courthouse into April, but it does not appear that they spent any time in the nest box.
Same Peregrine, flying off the building. In this photo the mostly white chest and belly is visible, which also helps confirm the identification. Unfortunately, it is not possible to tell if this is one of the downtown GR birds.
My personal guess is that it is a migrant bird hoping to make an easy meal of one of the pigeons or sparrows that hang around the mall area.
