A wooden nesting box on the top of Gruenhagen Conference Center has been home to peregrine falcons since 2011.
The pair of falcons currently nesting there, named “Julia” and “Gaylord,” produced four eggs this year—two of which hatched in early May. After a call for name suggestions from the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh community, the chicks were named “Foxy” and “Fondy”—a nod to the University’s new access campuses.
Last week, conservationist Greg Septon gave the falcon chicks a tracking band on each talon in order to keep track of where they travel in the future. This allows researchers the ability to identify the falcons by their bands and thus keep track of where they go and what they do.
Peregrine falcons are endangered in Wisconsin, but researchers like Septon work hard to manage and keep track of the population. In 2018, there were 36 nests in the state. “That’s more than we’ve had in a long time,” Septon said.
The falcons were 21 days old when they received their tracking bands. They will continue to grow and develop their feathers, and they will be ready to leave the nest in about three weeks.
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