Peregrines—and a Photographer—Bunk Out at Chicago Man’s Apartment

A flower-box nest provides the perfect opportunity for some close-up shots of a plucky falcon family.

Getting an in at a high-rise condo building is never easy—but it’s even harder if you’re a bird. The pair of Peregrine Falcons seen here fought an uphill battle to make their home on this 28th floor Chicago balcony, but they ultimately prevailed (with a little help from a tenant on the inside), and this spring successfully raised four chicks.

It all started four years ago, when the birds began dropping by the building’s balconies early each spring. In April 2014, the couple got pretty cozy on Dacey Arashiba’s terrace. Arashiba, an I.T. consultant, was delighted, but his neighbors, put off by the birds’ loud noises and poop, complained. “My building manager told me the birds had to go. Maintenance staff shooed them off the balcony,” Arashiba says. “And that was it. For a while.”

But in June, the birds came back. A week later, the pair had laid three eggs in Arashiba’s flowerbox (“I am an occasional, lazy gardener and hadn't replenished the dirt in a few years,” he admits.)

Now on the offensive, Arashiba called Mary Hennen, director of the Chicago Peregrine Program, who told him that falcons are federally protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (and had previously been on the state and federal endangered species lists). It’s highly illegal to harass them (building management complied).

one of the little things that makes me so proud to live in chicago. srsly. we are some good peeps.
i see peregrines quite often. they have totally flourished on our artificial cliffs, as wise people knew they would. dont remember how long ago they were released downtown, many years ago. dont remember how many, but i dont think more than a dozen. but it went off like clockwork.
they moved right up the lakefront.

eta that i tried to link to the pics, but it wouldnt let me. anybody smarter than me who can do that, please.
they are amazing.

https://www.audubon.org/news/peregrines-and-photographer-bunk-out-chicago-mans-apartment?utm_source=engagement&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=2015-09-24_email_wingspan_btntest