Downtown Cincinnati's most famous falcons are back in their comfort zone.
A pair of peregrine falcons had been nesting on a windowsill outside the Mercantile Library for several years — until last year, when construction forced them to try and nest behind an air conditioning unit on a nearby building.
Peregrine falcons — who can reach speeds up to 200 miles an hour during dives and are among nature's fastest animals — fought their way back from endangered status after almost going extinct in the 20th century. The use of the pesticide DDT and loss of habitat contributed to their steep decline.
The birds have made a comeback thanks to repopulation efforts along rural cliffsides and in cities alike. Conservationists introduced captive-bred falcons to a number of cities early in the 21st century. There have been peregrine falcons in downtown Cincinnati since at least the early 2000s.
The birds do well in dense urban environments because the tall buildings mimic the cliffs they dive from to catch their prey.
The peregrine's comeback story has drawn attention to the falcons that nest at the Mercantile. Library Collector Cedric Rose has set up a livestream so fans have been able to watch the birds over the last few years. He says they've become increasingly popular. Rose says he hopes the excitement of seeing the high-speed, majestic bird encourages people to engage with complex environmental issues.
"The natural world is such an accumulation of tiny things, and it's hard for us to put all that together," he says. "But a falcon, you see all those factors compressed into a single thing. And it gives you that emotional jolt."
It's not exactly clear why, but the Mercantile falcons' eggs didn't hatch in last year's makeshift spot, despite the birds sitting with them for weeks.
Now, they're back in their customary location, caring for their eggs in a box nonprofit Raptor, Inc. built for them a few seasons ago.
The eggs generally take about 30 days to hatch, meaning there could be hatchlings as soon as early May. Rose says the birds know how to keep the eggs a certain temperature and time how they care for them so they all hatch at roughly the same time.
He says he hopes they'll have better luck this year.
"We have four eggs this year, as opposed to three last year," he said. "Hopefully there's less stress, and whatever caused them not to hatch last year."
You can watch the falcons at the Mercantile's livestream.
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