Cal Falcons

File:Cal Falcons - Grinnell in Nest Box.png

Peregrine falcons initially established a territory and nest at Sather Tower in spring of 2017.{{cite news |last1=Brice |first1=Anne |title=Peregrine falcons nest on UC Berkeley's Campanile |url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/local/article/Peregrine-falcons-nest-on-UC-Berkeley-s-11205992.php |access-date=8 April 2022 |work=San Francisco Chronicle |agency=Berkeleyside |date=8 June 2017}} Initially, the falcon pair laid their eggs on a broken sandbag on the upper balcony of Sather Tower, which was replaced by researchers with a nest box after scientists found that eggs were rolling off of the sandbag.{{cite news |last1=Brice |first1=Anne |title=Peregrine falcons nest on UC Berkeley's Campanile |url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/local/article/Peregrine-falcons-nest-on-UC-Berkeley-s-11205992.php |access-date=8 April 2022 |work=San Francisco Chronicle |agency=Berkeleyside |date=8 June 2017}} In the wild, falcons nest on rocky ledges and cliff faces, so the gravel-filled nest box was designed to mimic those conditions. A permanent wooden nest box was installed in 2018, prior to the pair's second breeding season.{{cite news |last1=Brice |first1=Anne |title=Campanile peregrine falcons coupling up again, with a new nest box |url=https://news.berkeley.edu/2018/01/31/campanile-peregrine-falcons-new-nest-box/ |access-date=8 April 2022 |work=Berkeley News |publisher=University of California, Berkeley |date=31 January 2018}} Two cameras were installed prior to the 2019 nesting season, allowing continual remote viewing of the nest area.{{cite news |title=New Webcams to Watch Baby Falcons Being Raised at UC Berkeley's Campanile |url=https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/new-webcams-to-watch-baby-falcons-raised-at-uc-berkeleys-campanile/174546/ |access-date=8 April 2022 |work=NBC Bay Area |date=13 March 2019}}

The breeding pair that established the territory in 2017 were named Annie and Grinnell as part of a crowdfunding campaign to purchase the cameras.{{cite news |last1=Brice |first1=Anne |title=Campus launches crowdfunding effort to install falcon cams on the Campanile |url=https://news.berkeley.edu/2018/10/16/campus-launches-crowdfunding-effort-to-install-falcon-cams-on-the-campanile/ |access-date=8 April 2022 |work=Berkeley News |publisher=University of California, Berkeley |date=16 October 2018}} Annie, the female, was named after Annie Montague Alexander, a naturalist who founded the University of California Museum of Paleontology and Museum of Vertebrate Zoology. Grinnell, the male, was named after Joseph Grinnell, the first director of the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology.

On October 31, 2021, Grinnell was injured in a territorial battle with another falcon.{{cite news |last1=Morris |first1=Joan |title=UC Berkeley's beloved peregrine falcon injured in turf war |url=https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/11/03/uc-berkeleys-beloved-peregrine-falcon-injured-in-turf-war/ |access-date=8 April 2022 |publisher=The Mercury New |date=3 November 2021}} He was taken to the Lindsay Wildlife Experience for evaluation and rehabilitation. Grinnell was diagnosed with several injuries, including puncture wounds, a wing injury, and a damaged beak. During the period Grinnell was in the hospital, an unknown male began to court Annie.{{cite news |last1=Solis |first1=Nathan |title=Berkeley has a birds eye view of peregrine falcons' love triangle |url=https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-11-04/berkeley-has-birds-eye-view-of-falcons-love-triangle |access-date=8 April 2022 |newspaper=LA Times |date=4 November 2021}} Grinnell was released from care on November 17, 2021 and subsequently reclaimed the territory from the unknown male.{{cite news |last1=Morris |first1=Joan |title=Annie and Grinnell share a falcon mating ritual for the first time since Grinnell was injured |url=https://www.mercurynews.com/2022/01/04/annie-and-grinnell-share-a-falcon-mating-ritual-for-the-first-time-since-grinnell-was-injured/ |access-date=8 April 2022 |publisher=The Mercury New |date=4 January 2021}} During the 2022 breeding season, Annie disappeared for a week prior to laying eggs, leading to speculation that she had been injured, killed, or driven away from the territory, as multiple unknown female birds were seen courting Grinnell.{{cite news |last1=Kell |first1=Gretchen |title=Where's Annie? Berkeley's beloved peregrine falcon is missing |url=https://www.berkeleyside.org/2022/02/28/%EF%BF%BCannie-peregrine-falcon-missing-uc-berkeley |access-date=8 April 2022 |publisher=Berkeleyside |date=28 February 2022}} After her return, Annie laid two eggs with Grinnell. On March 31, 2022, Grinnell was found dead in the road in downtown Berkeley.{{cite news |title=Cherished falcon at University of California, Berkeley dies |url=https://apnews.com/article/science-california-birds-university-of-california-178b13069ab629f4752b3782e38989d8 |access-date=8 April 2022 |publisher=AP News |date=31 March 2022}} Cause of death was not known, but he may have been hit by a car after being attacked by a rival falcon.{{cite news |last1=Kell |first1=Gretchen |title=Beloved falcon Grinnell found dead |url=https://www.berkeleyside.org/2022/03/31/beloved-falcon-grinnell-found-dead |access-date=8 April 2022 |publisher=Berkeley News |date=31 March 2022}} On April 1, 2022, Annie was courted by a new male who quickly established a pair bond with her, leading to a third egg being laid and the entire clutch being incubated by both Annie and the new male. Following a public vote, the new male was named Alden, after Alden Miller, a UC Berkeley ornithologist who succeeded Joseph Grinnell as director of the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology.{{cite news |last1=Flores |first1=Jessica |title=The 'new guy' in UC Berkeley's falcon soap opera has been given a name |url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/New-guy-no-more-UC-Berkeley-falcon-finally-17088336.php |access-date=4 May 2022 |work=San Francisco Chronicle |date=18 April 2022}}

In late 2022, Alden disappeared and was replaced by Lou, named after Louise Kellogg, who was the best friend of Annie Alexander.{{Cite web |date=2023-03-02 |title=Naming of UC Berkeley’s newest falcon mate echoes historical Cal love story |url=https://eastbaytimes.com/2023/03/02/naming-of-uc-berkeleys-newest-falcon-mate-echoes-historical-cal-love-story/ |access-date=2023-07-15 |website=East Bay Times |language=en-US}} He is nicknamed "Cheeto-feet" because of his bright orange feet.

File:Cal Falcons - Chicks.png

Between 2017 and 2021, Annie and Grinnell raised a total of thirteen chicks,{{cite news |last1=Rae |first1=Alexandra |title=UC Berkeley's Famous Peregrine Falcon, Annie, Just Faked Her Own Death |url=https://www.kqed.org/arts/13909929/uc-berkeley-peregrine-falcons-campanile-annie-grinnell-not-dead |access-date=8 April 2022 |publisher=KQED |date=2 March 2022}} twelve of which successfully fledged. One, named Lux, died shortly after leaving the nest site by hitting a window.{{cite news |last1=Brice |first1=Anne |title=Baby peregrine falcon Lux hits window on campus, dies |url=https://news.berkeley.edu/2017/07/12/peregrine-fledgling-lux-dies/ |access-date=8 April 2022 |publisher=Berkeley News |date=12 July 2017}} Prior to Grinnell's death in 2022 Annie also laid two more eggs assumed to be fathered by Grinnell. As of April 2022 Annie has also laid an additional egg of unknown parentage. The chicks, eventually named Grinnell Jr. and Lindsay, grew up, but two months after fledging, Lindsay got killed by red-shouldered hawks. Each year Cal Falcons holds an naming contest for the season's chicks largely via social media.{{cite news |title=One of the Falcon Chicks Hatched at UC Berkeley Has Been Named After Dr. Fauci |url=https://sfist.com/2021/05/20/one-of-the-falcon-chicks-hatched-at-uc-berkeley-has-been-named-after-dr-fauci/ |access-date=8 April 2022 |publisher=SFist |date=21 May 2021 |archive-date=1 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220301005258/https://sfist.com/2021/05/20/one-of-the-falcon-chicks-hatched-at-uc-berkeley-has-been-named-after-dr-fauci/ |url-status=dead }} Previous names have included Berkeley's motto (Fiat/Lux), chemical elements discovered at UC Berkeley, conservationists critical to the peregrine falcon's recovery, California state plants, falcon figures in Native American tradition, famous scientists, and Grinnell-related topics.{{cite web |title=Cal Falcons FAQ |url=https://calfalcons.berkeley.edu/falcon_faq/|website=Cal Falcons |access-date=8 April 2022}} Two of the chicks fledged from UC Berkeley, a female named Lawrencium (aka Larry) and a male named Sequoia are known to have established territories in the San Francisco Bay Area.{{cite web |last1=Seher |first1=Tori |title=Peregrine Falcons May Be Nesting on Alcatraz |url=https://www.nps.gov/articles/peregrine-falcons-may-be-nesting-on-alcatraz.htm |website=National Park Service |publisher=National Park Service |access-date=8 April 2022}} However, after Sequoia's mate succumbed to avian flu, he disappeared.{{Cite web |last=Golden |first=Kate |date=2023-04-13 |title=Avian Flu Claims Condors and A Beloved Falcon |url=https://baynature.org/2023/04/13/avian-flu-claims-at-least-6-california-condors-and-a-beloved-bay-area-peregrine-falcon/ |access-date=2023-07-15 |website=Bay Nature |language=en-US}} Lawrencium has successfully raised several broods of chicks on Alcatraz island.{{cite news |last1=Barmann |first1=Jay |title=Better Falcon News: Nesting Pair Has Two Chicks on Alcatraz, Famed Berkeley Pair Has Three Fledglings Out of the Nest |url=https://sfist.com/2020/07/31/better-falcon-news-a-nesting-pair-successfully-had-two-chicks-on-alcatraz/ |access-date=8 April 2022 |publisher=SFist |date=31 July 2020 |archive-date=25 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210725115938/https://sfist.com/2020/07/31/better-falcon-news-a-nesting-pair-successfully-had-two-chicks-on-alcatraz/ |url-status=dead }} In 2023, they had three chicks.

{{reflist}}

• [https://calfalcons.berkeley.edu Website]

Category:Birdwatching sites in the United States

Category:Ornithological equipment and methods