Kalamazoo is a great city to raise your children in. Even the animal kingdom thinks so.

For almost a decade, a pair of Peregrine Falcons have been using a downtown building in Kalamazoo as their nesting sight, and we have our first sightings of the pair in 2023.

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In early January, signs of "Kewpee" and "Rebecca" were seen near a nesting box sitting atop a building in downtown Kalamazoo. Each year, the pair will scope out the site of their eventual nest, to make sure it's still suitable for eggs, and chicks.

Then, in late February, or early March, the two will return, and "Rebecca" will lay her clutch of eggs.

Gail Walter, who is the falcon liaison for the Audubon Society of Kalamazoo said this past Saturday, an egg showed up in the nest in the snow. The following days, "Rebecca" laid two more eggs, and could lay a fourth by the end of the week.

The Audubon Society of Kalamazoo
The Audubon Society of Kalamazoo
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Walter said it will take about a month for the eggs to hatch, during which time, both parents will switch off, keeping the eggs warm on the nest, while the other stretches their wings and finds food.

Once the eggs hatch, the chicks will grow, and eventually take their first flight from the 15th floor of the Fifth Third Bank Building in downtown Kalamazoo.

And all of it can be seen through the lens of a live camera set up by the Audubon Society.

Members of the bird society noticed peregrine falcons regularly flying around the top of the building in 2009, and started taking note of where they were landing. It's believed the birds were making their nests directly on the building for years, which unfortunately resulted in many eggs falling, or being washed away in storms.

But in 2014, the Audubon Society of Kalamazoo installed a nesting box on the 15th floor, and since then, almost like clockwork, the pair of falcons has returned to raise a successful clutch of Peregrine Chicks.

A camera and microphones were installed in 2015, so now, members, and the community, can watch the falcons as they literally come home to roost.

Welcome home "Kewpee" and "Rebecca," and here's to another successful year for your family.

Kalamazoo's Peregrine Falcons Nesting Over The Years

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