Birds of a feather flock together?
The saying is true for Conor and Norah, the two peregrine falcon chicks who recently hatched in a nesting box atop the university’s North Quad residential and academic complex.
Names for the newly hatched falcon chicks were chosen by U-M staff members actively involved with the management of the nesting box. They identified one male (Conor) and one female (Norah).
The pair was banded May 20 by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Banding helps the DNR identify the falcons’ pedigree after they fly away to their new homes.
Once safely banded, the chicks were placed back in the nesting box to be cared for by their parents, who could not be identified.
One unhatched egg, which the DNR collected from the nest, was unviable. According to the DNR, unhatched eggs can be collected for a couple of reasons, and DNR biologists will evaluate the egg to determine why it did not hatch, if time and resources are available.
In years past, the university has hosted online naming contests for falcon chicks hatched on campus.
In 2021, the university community came together in a social media campaign to name the single peregrine falcon chick Big Flappo Jr. That chick was named after one of U-M’s unofficial campus mascots, a fan-favorite red-tailed hawk named Big Flappo, whose presence in Ann Arbor over the years has made it a minor celebrity.
The DNR has advised the public that if they come across a chick on the ground — which happens from time to time when they are learning to fly — to contact the DNR southeast Michigan peregrine falcon nest coordinator at 989-313-0283.
The DNR would have a certified rehabilitator collect the chick, rehabilitate it if needed, then reintroduce it back to the North Quad nesting box so it can continue to learn life skills from its parents.
The peregrine falcon is no longer listed on the federal endangered-species list, but it remains an endangered species in Michigan. A male falcon is about the size of a crow, and females are slightly larger.
