5/31/08: From Elaine F "At 11:20am, the female was in the entrance of the nest box. After several minutes, we heard kakking and spotted the male flying towards the nest box with a food delivery. The male briefly touched down at the entrance of the box and the female took the prey and jumped into the box and began feeding. We couldn't see the eyas(es). The male had flown to the NE corner of the court house...After feeding the eyas(es) for a couple minutes, the female flew off towards the Chase Bank building but returned to the box shortly. Then the male flew off the NE corner and went in the same direction of the Chase Bank building. The female went into the box and settled down."

5/30/08:  Mary P saw a falcon on the SE corner of Amway Grand at 7:45am.  From 1:35-2pm, Elaine K saw the female brooding the chicks and preening while the male was perched on the north side of the courthouse.  The chicks stayed hidden.

5/29/08:  According to Robbin R the two adults were both flying around during the helicopter crash fire, but it seems they settled down quickly.  At 4pm Elaine F saw a falcon on the west side of the courthouse.  At 5:10pm she saw one falcon on the One Fountain antenna and one in the nestbox.  Both falcons soon flew to land on the red crane at VAI.  At 5:45pm Elaine K saw the female feeding two chicks. The male brought prey (starling?) to the nestbox, then went to the NE corner to clean it.  When the female left, the male went to the nestbox and fed the chicks.  From 6-6:40pm both adults were on the red crane but the male took off to fly around the Pearl St/Division area before returning to the nestbox.

5/28/08:  During this afternoon one adult falcon was in the nestbox, often standing at the front, while the other adult was seen on the NE corner frequently.  Between 12:30pm and 5:30pm, one, then two, and possibly three, little heads were occasionally visible on the right hand side of the box.  At this time, they are only visible when looking from the SW corner student lounge on the 5th floor of GRCC's Science building. Observers today included Robbin R, Steve B, and both Elaines.

5/27/08:  From Elaine F "At 7:50 pm from the top of the GRCC ramp, we saw a falcon in the box moving around. About 8:10pm, a falcon flew in and up to the red crane where it sat for about 10 minutes.  It then flew off around the north end of the courthouse behind the building and out of sight.  We left about 8:15 with the falcon in the box still visible."

5/25/08:  Elaine K sent the following: "One falcon was standing at the front of the box at 3:10pm. At 3:15pm, the falcon took off to the north and stooped on an unidentified raptor.  When it returned to the box I was able to tell it was the female.  She was either standing over the bab(ies) or at the front of the box until I left at 4pm.  I got one glimpse of the male as it circled the courthouse then flew over the GRCC Science building where I was watching.  The eyasses stayed too low in the box to be seen."

5/21/08:  The following report was sent by Elaine F: "At 2:30pm, there was a falcon on the east rail of the Amway Tower... At 2:45pm, I saw a falcon move to the front of the nest box then it flew out and headed NE past the cranes ... At 2:50pm, I spotted a falcon on the One Foundation antenna.  At 2:54pm, I watched the falcon from the antenna fly over to the nest box and land inside and immediately a falcon flew out.  Somehow I missed the falcon going into the box earlier.  The one that flew in was definitely the female when you compared the two side by side.  The male falcon flew off to the NE and I didn't pursue it.  The female in the box did some squirming around and spreading out her wings then laid down after a few minutes."  At 5:10pm Elaine K observed a falcon on the east rail of Amway and one in the nestbox.

5/20/08:  A falcon was seen on the NE or SE corner of Amway Grand at 7:20, 7:30 and 7:50am by Elaine K.  At about 12:45pm and again at 2pm, Elaine K observed the female moving around in the nestbox.  Behavior remains consistent with brooding eyasses.

5/19/08:  From the GRCC ramp, Elaine K observed some movement by the falcon in the nest box at 10:45am.  The other falcon took off from the SE corner of the courthouse and flew first north over VanAndel Institute and Spectrum Health and then soared high into the sky, drifting east and out of sight.  At 5:30pm, Elaine K saw that the female in the nestbox was in a different location in the box, was no longer laying flat, and was looking down under herself frequently. This was the first observed behavior that clearly indicated brooding instead of incubation.  Between 8 and 8:30pm, Elaine F saw the male deliver prey to the nestbox, where the female fed herself and presumably at least one chick.  The male was perched on the NE corner of the courthouse frequently throughout the day.

5/17/08:  Elaine F sent: "About 3:45pm, Chris and I went to the top of the GRCC ramp.  There was a falcon on the east rail of the Amway and I did get a brief glance of wing tips in the box.  About 4:10pm, the falcon flew off the rail and did some speed flying over downtown.  At one point, I saw an unidentifiable large bird and the falcon may have been after it but I lost both behind some buildings.  About 4:25, the flying falcon landed back up on the east rail of the Amway."

5/16/08:  From 10:10 - 10:45am, the two Elaines observed both falcons. At first, one was at the front of the nestbox and one was on the NE corner.  The one in the box took off, flew around the courthouse and out toward a raptor flying over the river.  In just a moment it returned and landed on the red crane working at VanAndel Institute.  With a spotting scope we were able to verify that this was the unbanded female. The male had been on the corner but soon went into the box and laid down out of sight.  A few moments later the female took off to harass a red-tail hawk out of the area, after which she landed on the antenna on One Fountain.   An osprey was seen over the river just a few minutes later, but neither falcon went out to challenge it.  The banded male was on the NE corner of the courthouse from 1:45-2:15pm, seen by Elaine K.

5/15/08:  Elaine K saw a falcon on the NE corner of the courthouse at 7:15am and Elaine F saw one on the NW corner at 9am.  At 3pm, Elaine F reports: "I observed one falcon sitting in the front of the nest box and one flying in circles over the court house." She also saw what might have been a falcon harassing two turkey vultures flying over the river.

5/13/08:  From 8:30-8:45am Elaine F saw a falcon on the NE corner of the courthouse. It then took off and she observed it flying around Amway Grand.

5/12/08:  Elaine F saw a falcon on the east rail of Amway Grand at 10:15am. Elaine K saw a falcon on the NW corner of the courthouse at 12:30pm.  Peter B was in the courthouse and got a close look at a falcon flying around the building at about 2:30pm.  At 4pm, Elaine F saw two falcons at the courthouse: "Upon arriving, no falcons were in sight.  After about 5 minutes, one falcon flew in and did quite a few loops around the courthouse and nest box finally landing on the NE corner.  Shortly after, a larger falcon flew in and landed inside the nest box.  At first, it was not visible, then it moved and was visible sitting the in the middle of the nest box.  After a couple minutes, it moved out of sight."

5/9/08:  A falcon was seen on the east rail of Amway at 9:30 am by Elaine F and at 3:15pm by Mary P.  Window washers on the courthouse caused a bit more flying than we've seen recently.  As Elaine F observed between 1 and 2pm: "Spotted a falcon circling around the courthouse. I went to the top of the ramp across from the GRCC main building and watched the falcon as it flew directly overhead for about 3 or 4 minutes. It didn't seem agitated, just keeping an eye on things. It then went back to flying around the courthouse when I left. "  Elaine K saw similar behavior at 11:30am.

5/8/08:  Mary P saw a falcon on the east rail of Amway at 9:05am.

5/7/08:  Elaine F saw a falcon on the NE corner of the courthouse at 8:45am.  A falcon was seen in the same place at 4pm by Elaine K.

5/6/08:  8:45am and 11:50am: Mary P saw a falcon on the east rail of Amway Grand.  11am and noon: Elaine K saw a falcon on the NE corner of the courthouse.

5/5/08:  A falcon was seen on the east rail of Amway by Elaine K at 2:15pm and 3:30pm.

5/2/08:  Mary P reported a falcon on the NE corner of Amway Grand at 9:55am.

5/1/08:  Robbin R reported a falcon in the NE corner of the courthouse at 2pm.

4/30/08:  Elaine F saw a falcon on the NE corner of the courthouse at 8:55am and again at 3:45pm.  Marlene C saw a shift change "about 5:45 one of the birds came in from the south, perched on the NE corner of the courthouse and within the minute flew to the edge of the nest box and switched places. The smaller bird had been sitting in there. That bird flew west and came back and perched on that NE corner again. It was pretty wet; I think it went to the river! It preened and cleaned for about 10 minutes before flying off around 6:10."

4/29/08:  Elaine K saw a falcon on the NE corner of Amway at 10:35am and one on the east rail of Amway at 4:45pm.

4/25/08: Mary P reported a falcon on the NE corner of Amway Grand at 7:50am.

4/24/08:   From Elaine F: "1 to 1:15 pm, I saw a falcon on the NW corner of the courthouse on the brick section under the gridwork...Shortly after [2:25pm], I saw a falcon fly from west to east towards the courthouse where it did a few loops and ended up landing on the Fountain antenna. After about 15 minutes, it flew off towards the north past the courthouse and around the VIA where I lost sight of it."

4/23/08:  8:20am: One falcon, NE corner of Amway Grand (Mary P).  Mary A and Mary P observed the following from Crescent Park: "1:08 PM two falcons flew into the vicinity of the Kent Co. Courthouse. After a few short flights from one Courthouse roof spot to another, about 1:10 PM the larger of the two perched on the top of the Sky Box and the smaller of the two began an impressive acrobatic display around the Courthouse. Mary and I were entertained with the (presumably) male's soars, plunges, and increasingly larger circles around the downtown area. At one time Mary saw him land on one of the cell towers on the SE side of the downtown area. When we left at 1:25 PM, the larger of the two falcons was in the Sky Box facing to the east, and the smaller of the two was on a corner of the Courthouse."

4/22/08:  11am: One falcon on the antenna on One Fountain. (Elaine K)

4/21/08:  8: 50am and 10:50-11am: One falcon NE corner of the courthouse (Elaine F and Elaine K)  7:00 pm:"one falcon on the NE corner of the courthouse when I arrived. One falcon flew away from the courthouse over and around the west side of the building.... The first falcon was still sitting on the NE corner but soon flew off in the same direction as the first...About 10 minutes later, one falcon flew back to the NE corner." Elaine F 

4/19/08:  7:30am: One falcon NE corner of courthouse (Elaine F)

4/18/08: One falcon east rail of Amway at 1:05pm (Mary P). 2:10pm: One falcon flying over Fountain/Ionia area (Craig S). 6:20pm Elaine K found a falcon on the antenna on the building at One Fountain.  At 6:30pm the falcon took off from the antenna and soared around the courthouse for about two minutes then landed on the NE corner.  The falcon sitting on the eggs stood at the front of the box during this time, then settled back down.  From relative sizes, the falcon on the corner was the male, the one on the eggs, the female.  Both birds in these same positions at 7pm.  The bird on the eggs is generally not visible unless it moves around. The bird on the corner was definitely banded, but they could not be read.

4/17/08:  NE corner courthouse at 7:20am (ElaineF) and 10:45am (ElaineK).  Amway sightings - 8:20am NE corner (Mary P), 8:15pm SE corner (ElaineK).  Each sighting was of a single falcon.

4/16/08:  Elaine F sent this report "1pm - 1:15pm saw falcon circling in the area over the courthouse.  4:00 pm - falcon on the NE corner of the courthouse. It flew off once and came back and then moved down the N side of the courthouse."  3:15pm  ElaineK saw a falcon on the NE corner of the courthouse, preening. 

4/15/08: 11am: One falcon at the front of the nestbox, one on the East rail of Amway (ElaineK). 12:45pm: One falcon on the NE corner of Amway (Mary P).  1:50-2:15pm:  Elaine F saw quite a bit of flying by both falcons around the courthouse, over the GRCC ramp (directly over her head), and up to Michigan St.  When she left, one falcon was sitting on the eggs, the other on the NE corner of the courthouse.  5:25pm: Falcon at the front of the box went inside and settled down on the eggs. (ElaineK)  8:10pm:  One falcon on the NE corner of the courthouse. (ElaineK)

4/14/08:  At 11am, Elaine K saw the falcon in the nestbox shift position.  The male falcon was on the SE corner of the tall light-colored section near the middle of the courthouse.  1:15pm: Mary P reports a falcon on the east rail of Amway Grand.  2pm: Elaine F reports a falcon on the NE corner of the courthouse.  6:10pm:  Elaine K saw a falcon at the front of the nestbox.

4/12/08:  10:15am: Elaine K saw a falcon on the NE corner of the courthouse.  At 2pm, Elaine F saw a falcon fly from the NW to the courthouse. She observed a falcon on the NE corner of the courthouse at 4:30pm and again at 7:30pm.

4/11/08:  1:30pm:  Craig S saw a falcon flying east above Fulton St. It circled north and out of sight.  2pm: Mary P saw one falcon on the SE corner of Amway Grand.  3:45pm and 4:40pm: Elaine F saw first 2 falcons, then just one, on the courthouse.

4/10/08:  9:30am-10:30am:  Elaine K watched 2 falcons on various places on the courthouse, both perched and flying.  Mary P reports one falcon on the West side of McKay Tower at 1:10pm and again at 3pm.  Elaine F reports a falcon on the NE, then NW corner of the courthouse between 2:15 and 3pm.

4/9/08:  7:40am  Craig S reported seeing 2 falcons flying around Amway Grand. The male landed briefly on the West side.  11:00am, 12:30pm, 2:00pm and 3:35pm: 2 falcons on the east rail of Amway Grand (Elaine F and Elaine K).  5:30pm:  Elaine K saw two falcons on the Courthouse.

4/7/08:  Elaine F had two sightings today - 9:30am one falcon on NE corner of Amway, 1:40pm 2 falcons, NE and SE corners of Amway.  Elaine K also had two sightings - 11am one falcon on NE corner of Amway, 3pm one falcon near the middle of the East rail on Amway.

4/6/08:  Jill H saw a falcon on the NW corner of the Courthouse, under the grid, at 7:15pm.

4/5/08:  The falcons were seen twice today, by Tom M at 5:15pm and by Elaine F from 7:15pm - 7:30pm. Both times the male was on the SE corner and the female on the NE corner of Amway Grand.

4/4/08:  8:05-8:35am: A falcon on the SE corner of Amway, seen by Mary A.  Two falcons were seen near that corner by Mary A from 9:10-9:25am.  11:10am: Elaine K saw one falcon on the SW corner of the Courthouse grid, then one falcon on the SE corner of Amway. The same bird could have moved from one place to the other.  Peregrine Walk report: 6:30pm - 7:40pm  Thirteen of us met in Crescent Park this evening.  At 6:45pm, from the top of the GRCC ramp, we found a falcon on the SE corner of Amway Grand (where it had been perched most of the day).  We watched it go into a stoop to the south.  It was relocated a minute or two later on the NW corner of the Pantlind section of Amway, and it was eating.  It wasn't long before it flew back to its corner.  One more short flight around Amway was all the action we saw before most folks left.  Those of us that stayed were surprised when the falcon flew to the NE corner, fluttered briefly, and returned.  The female was well camouflaged on the NE railing and we'd just seen a mating!  A few minutes later it was repeated.  And that's where we left them at 7:40pm, one on each corner of Amway.

4/3/08:  7:40am: Elaine F reported a falcon on the SW corner of 5/3. 8am: Mary P reported two falcons near the SE corner of Amway Grand. At 8:20am, she saw one falcon fly from that corner to the north and out of sight around Amway.   2:15pm: Mary A saw a falcon on the NE corner of Amway Grand.

4/2/08:  Kathy and Morty H saw a falcon on the lower N ledge of McKay tower at 10:30am, then at 11:30am they saw a pair of falcons harassing a red-tail hawk around the State Building.  Elaine K saw a falcon fly up to the NE corner of the courthouse at 12:15pm. It stayed a minute then flew west and out of sight behind the building.  Peregrine walk report from 6:30pm to 8pm:  Katie and Craig joined Elaine K at Crescent Park.  At 6:45pm, a falcon appeared flying over/around VanAndel Institute and eventually landed on the crane west of VAI. We got an extended look but we couldn't quite read the bands on its legs from our vantage point along Michigan St..  (Although I'm not certain, this is likely the same male as in 2007.)  After long minutes on the crane, the falcon flew east over VAI and again out of sight.  We moved back to Crescent Park and Marlene joined us.  She had seen the falcon go over Spectrum Health and it soon reappeared, flying over Spectrum several times before landing up near the helopad.  The sun was full on him and we got a spectacular look.  But then he flew west again and out of sight behind the courthouse.  We moved to the top of the GRCC ramp and located a falcon on the NE corner of Amway Grand at about 7:30pm.  The falcon was still there when we left at 8pm without seeing a second peregrine.

4/1/08:  A very active falcon day!  Elaine K saw part of a territorial "battle" at 10:20am.  "Three peregrines were flying around, and at, each other over the downtown area. By the time I got parked, they were out of sight.  A minute later, two falcons flew from the east to land near the NE corner of Amway Grand.  At 10:35 am, I saw a falcon fly toward the NW corner of the courthouse, but I couldn't see where it landed." Elaine F saw a lot of flying from 1:30-2pm. She reports falcons flying around Plaza Towers, Bridgewater Place and DeVos Place during that half hour.  Gary M sent a report about 3:30pm "just saw 2 "playing tag" near the Trust Bldg/Penn Club block, and over to McKay Tower."  Sometime this afternoon Scott K saw a falcon diving on something on the top of Ledyard Bldg. before a second falcon joined it and they flew away. He also saw the pair near the SE corner of Amway Grand at 6:05pm.  Elaine K saw one falcon near the SE corner of Amway at 7:30pm.

3/31/08: Elaine F reports one soggy falcon on the North side of McKay at 8:30am and again at noon.  At about 10:20am, Mary P saw two falcons, one each on the SW and W sides of McKay Tower.

3/28/08:  According to Mary P, a falcon was on the SE corner of the CoAmerica bldg at 7:55am. Then at 8:05am "Four falcons circled the Amway tower. One went off to the north. One landed on the se corner of Amway. The other two went off to the sw."  At 8:30am, Mary saw 2 falcons perched near the SE corner of Amway.  Mary A reports "9:20 AM - One falcon on the SE corner of the Amway. Another one flew from the NE and soared between the Campau Plaza Bldg. and the JW Marriot." 11:10am, 2 falcons again near the SE corner of Amway (from Mary P).  Around noon Timothy L, from the Bridgewater Place Building, reports a falcon "...just flew by my window (on the 15th floor) a few minutes ago, heading west away from the river on the north side of the building. In the past, I have seen them hunting in this area."  4:45pm:  Elaine K found a falcon soaring high over the river. After a few minutes of lazy circling, the falcon stooped on a much larger raptor that turned out to be a red-tail hawk.  The falcon hasseled the redtail until it had flown north past Michigan St.  It took just a minute for the falcon to land on the SE corner of Amway Grand, where it remained until 5:20 pm.
 
A3/27/08:   Elaine F reports 2 falcons, NE and SE corners of Amway Grand at 9-9:15am.  Elaine K saw a falcon on the NW ledge of McKay Tower and one on the SE corner of Amway at 12:30pm and one on the middle of the McKay ledge at 3:50pm.  Mary A reports: "At 12:50 PM I saw three falcons: One was on the NE corner of the McKay Tower on a ledge just below the scalloped level; another was on the SE corner of the top of the Amway Grand Tower; and the third flew in a large circle above and just below the falcon on the SE corner of the Amway Grand. The third falcon flew away to the south while the other two falcons remained where they were until about 1:20 PM (when first the one on the Amway Grand left and then the one on the McKay Tower left). "

3/26/08:  Mary P reported two falcons, NE and SE corners of Amway Grand rail at 9:25am.  "Around noon Steve B saw one on the corner of the 5 / 3 Bank sign on the north side of the building. It was perched for about 20 minutes."
From the Peregrine Walk this evening, Elaine K, Elaine F and Diane B report the following:

6pm: one falcon on the east rail of Amway Grand and one on the "notch" on the NW corner of Plaza Towers.  The falcon on Plaza Towers flew over to the NE corner of Amway Grand.  6:30pm: We moved to the Waters Bldg parking ramp. One of the falcons flew out of sight over the lower part of Amway.  The other falcon on Amway flew off. We found a falcon eating on a corner of Devos Place just west of 5/3 and a moment later a second falcon flew from somewhere on that same building.  (The next events might be out of order as I’m not in the habit of taking notes yet!)  About 7pm: One falcon eating on the corner, a falcon on the NE corner of Amway and a third big bird soaring over the river and Amway.  It took a minute or two to be sure, but the soaring bird was a third falcon!  The other two birds soon joined the large falcon in the air.  We had a female being chased by two males.  They went south past Plaza Towers and out of sight.  A minute later, a falcon landed on the SE corner of Amway Grand.  With a spotting scope we decided that this bird was banded.  Another falcon landed on the NE corner notch of Plaza Towers. The bird on Amway flew to the NW notch of Plaza Towers.  Looking at them both at the same time we could tell that the banded bird was a male.  Over the next 15-20 minutes we watched the male take off and fly around Plaza Towers, apparently in display for the female.  He did that at least three times before we saw what might have been a mating. (Blink and you miss it!) When we finally left downtown, about 7:40pm, the male was on the NE corner of Amway Grand and the female was still on the NE corner of Plaza Towers.

3/25/08: 1:20pm  Mary A saw a falcon on the N rail of Amway Grand.  Elaine F reported a falcon preening on the North side of McKay Tower.

3/24/08: 8:10 am: Mary A sees the falcons mate on the SE corner of Amway Grand.  9:55 am: Both Mary A and Mary P see the falcons mate, this time on the SE corner of the National City bldg.  11 am:  ElaineK sees a falcon flying near the SW corner of the courthouse, and then at 11:20 am sees a falcon perched on the SE corner of the courthouse.  12:55 pm: ElaineK watches a falcon take off from the SE corner of Amway Grand and fly to the SE.  In less than ten minutes a falcon was back on the SE corner of Amway.  2pm-2:40pm: Mary P and ElaineK see a falcon on the NE corner of Amway Grand. 4:10pm:  Elaine K sees a falcon on the NE corner of the courthouse.

3/20/08:  At 2pm, Mary P saw two falcons on the east side of Amway Grand.  A little after five, Mary A got a thrill  "Just a few moments ago one of the peregrines flew from the direction of the McKay Tower, headed straight for the Campau Plaza Building, and then flew over the Campau Plaza Building.  The falcon was so close that I could see individual feathers on its breast and wings."

3/19/08:  "At 4:10 Steve B spotted one falcon perched on the southeast corner of the 5/3 bank. It was talking... Eeeee - Eeeee - Eeeee. It was there a few minutes before it swooped down and flew towards the J.W. Marriott. It flew around the hotel and came back to the Amway Grand and landed on the northeast corner. It took off right away and landed on the southeast corner of Amway where it was still perched at 4:25."

3/18/08:  ElaineK saw two falcons on the north side of McKay Tower at 10:45am.  Elaine F saw one falcon at 2pm, then two at 2:45pm on the north side of McKay Tower.

3/17/08:  Mary P and Elaine F report seeing two falcons on the west side of McKay Tower at 10:45am.  Elaine F saw one there from 11:15am to noon.

3:14/08:  At 8:50am, Mary P saw a falcon eating on the NW window ledge corner of McKay Tower.  At 12:40pm, 1:40pm and 2:40 pm ElaineK saw a falcon in the middle of the upper window ledge of McKay.  At 2:40pm, a second falcon was on the NW corner of the same ledge.

3/13/08:  Mary A reports "Two peregrines were on the railing the top of the Amway Grand this morning at 9:30 am.  Sometime after 9:30 am one left.  At 10:48 am the second flew downward (toward the top of the Pantlind part of the Amway Grand).  Later ... (around 4:00 pm) the two falcons were again on the railing.  As I send this email message, there is only one falcon, and it is on the railing near the SE corner."  ElaineF also saw two on the Amway Grand rail at 2pm.

3/12/08:  At 12:40 and at 2pm, one falcon was on the ledge above the windows on the north side of McKay, near the NW corner.  At 5:50pm, that falcon had moved up to the NW corner scallop and a second falcon (bigger, so probably the female) was on the NE corner of Amway Grand. (ElaineK)   Elaine F reports a falcon on the NE scallop of McKay at 6:40pm and a falcon on the NE corner of the 5/3 building at 7:45pm.

3/11/08:  Mary P reports two falcons on Amway Grand at both 8am and 11:50am.  At 3:50pm, ElaineK also saw two falcons, one on the east side of Amway Grand and one on the north side of McKay Tower, in the middle of the ledge above the top windows. ElaineF reported that the one on McKay was still there at 4:15pm.  The falcons were hanging around the nestbox on the Courthouse from 5-7pm, according to Courthouse maintenance men.

3/10/08:  Elaine K saw a falcon on the NW corner of the lower ledge of the McKay Tower at 10:55am.  Around noon, Elaine F saw a falcon on the SE corner of the State building.  At 12:50pm, Mary P saw one on the SE corner of the Amway Grand.  At 6pm, Elaine F saw a falcon on the east rail of Amway Grand, near the SE corner.

3/8/08:  A falcon was seen on the State Building "likely an (the?) adult male in "box # 7 from the north" having a late lunch -- likely a rock pidgeon" reported by John Will.

3/7/08:  One falcon on the Amway Grand rail at 8:40am and again at 10am.  At 11am, a smaller falcon appeared and perched nearby.  Both birds stayed until the afternoon. (Mary A and Mary P)

3/6/08:  8:45 am to noon, one falcon perched near the SE corner of Amway Grand's rail (both Marys and ElaineK).  Mating was observed there by Mary P about noon.

3/5/08:  Two falcons were visible thoughout the day on Amway Grand, according to both Mary P and Mary A.  About 3pm, Elaine F saw a falcon flying along Fulton near Veteran's Park.  It went south, then west, toward the Van Andel Arena before she lost sight of it.

3/4/08:  Falcons were again on Amway Grand this morning around 9:45am.

3/3/08:  Exciting news from Mary A "1:30pm I believe that I just witnessed the Peregrines mating...The smaller bird flew up to the larger bird, mounted it, and flicked its tail downward twice.  The smaller bird then flew in large circles three times below the other bird."  Mary P saw the pair flying east at 1:45pm near Amway Grand.  The birds were again on Amway Grand between 3:30 and 4:50pm.

2/29/08: Mary A reports falcons on Amway Grand again this afternoon and Mary P saw a falcon on the north side of McKay Tower.

2/28/08: Elaine K saw two falcons at 4:10pm. One was on the NE corner of the Courthouse, the other on the NE corner of Amway Grand.  At 5:10pm one falcon was still on the NE corner of Amway Grand.  Mary A and Mary P both report multiple sightings of the falcons on the Amway Grand rail and black grid area between 9:30am and 2:35pm.

2/27/08:  Mary A and Mary P report a continuation of the falcon activity in the vicinity of Amway Grand from 9am to at least 1pm.

2/26/08: Mary P and Mary A report lots of activity by a pair of peregrines flying around downtown.  They were seen often on the east side of the Amway Grand between 10am and 4:30pm.  (Unless otherwise noted, the references to Amway Grand mean the tall tower on the river.)

2/20/08: ElaineK had a brief glimpse of a falcon on the NE corner of the courthouse at 1:45pm.

2/15/08: From Mary P "1:50 pm. One falcon sitting on the very northeast corner of the Amway roof. Another falcon flew right up and, seemingly from my view, tapped the sitting falcon on the back with its claws and then landed to the south on the Amway roof. The sitting falcon did not budge (for about 30 seconds anyway)."  (Very exciting report as this could be an attempt at mating!)

2/13/08: Craig S reports: "I saw what appeared to be a falcon fly south, down Monroe Centre Avenueand turn left by the Civic Theater building before heading for the park just south of the GR Library. The interesting thing was that it appeared to be clutching a moderate sized black bird as it flew, probably a starling. The bird flew out of sight and was followed close behind by another bird.  It perched on the top edge of the south wall of the Civic Theatre building.  It remained there for several moments. I lost track of where it went from there."  Later in the day, ElaineK saw a falcon on the NE corner of the courthouse building.

2/8/08:  ElaineK had three falcon sightings: on the top SE corner of the State Building at 10:25am, on the NE top corner of Amway Grand at 10:30am, and on the NE corner of the Kent Cty Courthouse at 2:30pm.

2/6/08:  From Mary P: "One falcon on the southwestern wall of the McKay Tower since about 11:00 am."

2/5/08: ElaineK saw a falcon on the east rail of Amway Grand at 12:45pm.  At 2:30pm Mary P reports "...observed a falcon in pursuit of what truly appeared to be a seagull and not a pigeon in the area of Monroe and Pearl.  The other falcon (who almost daily sits on the Amway rail), joined in the chase.  They flew to the north out of my view.  Then, about 90 seconds later, one falcon returned to the southeast corner of the Amway rail."

1/28/08: At 3:45pm one falcon was seen near the NW corner of a McKay Tower ledge by ElaineK

1/23/08: From Elaine F "At 2:00pm today, I saw a falcon make a large circle from near the Amway flying east to toward the courthouse, around the Waters Building and then back and landed on the roof - Pantlind section of the Amway above Starbucks"

1/22/08: At 10:45am or so, Mary P saw a falcon eating on the east railing of Amway Grand.

1/18/08:  Mary P reports two falcons on the east railing of Amway Grand, about 8:15am

1/16/08:  Elaine K saw one falcon on the NE corner of Amway Grand at 2:35pm. Five minutes later a falcon flew from the area of Michigan and Bostwick to land on the NE corner of the Kent County courthouse but the one on Amway was gone. 

1/14/08: Mary A reports seeing two falcons fly from the top of Amway Grand to the SW and W about 11am.  Both Mary P and Elaine K saw two falcons land on the top of Amway Grand (east railing) at 2pm or so.

1/11/08: From 11am to 4:30pm a peregrine was "flying on and off the top of Amway Grand Plaza" according to Mary A.

1/10/08: Mary A and Mary P report a falcon eating on the top of Amway Grand, 9:35-9:40am.  At 2:50pm, Mary A saw a falcon on the west side of McKay Tower.

1/9/08: At 9:50am, Mary P observed 4 falcons flying in the vicinity of Amway Grand.  All four went out of sight shortly afterward.

2007 HIGHLIGHTS
A peregrine falcon pair had a successful breeding season in 2007, hatching three chicks in the nestbox on McKay Tower.  Two of the three survived to fledge - one male (Green C over Black 39) and one female (Green N over Black 62).  The juvenile falcons and the adults were often observed in the area until late July.   Adult falcons returned in mid-August, but no definite sightings of C39 or N62 have been reported.  Unlike previous years, peregrines were observed in Grand Rapids every month in 2007.  (Click the title of this section to view the entire 2007 observation log.)

2006 HIGHLIGHTS
The big news for 2006 was the installation of two nest boxes in the downtown area.  The first one, put up in March, is on the roof of the State Building. The second one, on the roof of McKay Tower, was put up in September and dedicated in memory of Art Snell. 

Peregrine falcons were seen frequently from late February through May.  No nest was observed, but a failed attempt on the State Building (not in the nestbox) was suspected.  By late May observers confirmed a different pair of peregrines were being seen downtown.  What happened to Jake and his mate is still unknown.  Falcon sightings continued to be reported regularly until late November.

2005 HIGHLIGHTS

March: The male was confirmed as the same tiercel as last year at this site: Jake, Black U/*G, born in Mississauga, ONT in 2002. The female is unbanded.

April: Both birds are seen frequently. Common locations include Immanual Lutheran Church, Van Andel Institute, State Building, McKay Tower, Commerce Building, and various spots around Calder Plaza.  A nest on the Van Andel Institute was suspected but not confirmed.

May: Observations suggest a nest on the roof of the State Building, out of public view.

June: A nest with 2 eggs was observed by a DNR biologist on the State Building.  Late in the month it was confirmed that the eggs did not hatch.  The birds were seen frequently in the area.

July-December:  Falcon sightings were sporadically reported throughout the summer, fall and early winter.  A partial band reading indicated Jake was still here in early October and probably has not migrated out of the area.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Peregrine falcons were released in Grand Rapids in the late 1980’s as part of the Midwest Peregrine Falcon Restoration project, but none of those birds came back to establish nests here.  The first peregrine falcon nest in the area was established in Grand Haven in 2000. Since then nests have been found in Muskegon in 2003 and in Port Sheldon in 2004. The first documented pair to nest in the downtown area was discovered in the summer of 2004. A pair of peregrine falcons has been observed in the downtown area since February of 2005.  Common locations include McKay Tower, the Amway Grand, Kent County Courthouse and the Trust building.
 

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