The Falcons Return: The New Girl

As many of you already know, each and every year our library plays host to a pair of beautiful peregrine falcons. This year is no different and I’ve had the privilege of watching the two swoop, chatter, and generally make a racket outside my workplace’s window.  However, all is not business-as-usual with the falcons this time around.  You see, for the past twelve years the falcons have consisted of Nona and Squawker.  Each year they show back up in the early spring and the Evanston Watch Group will get a read on their leg bands to ascertain that they are the same falcons again. Only this year, only Squawker showed up with a leg band.  You know what that means, don’t you? We have a new female peregrine falcon on our hands. While we here at the library have had fun giving the new unbanded falcon a variety of tasteful monikers (“Homewrecker” and “Hussy” came immediately to mind) she’ll have an official name soon enough.  The new female, according the Watch Group, is young, just getting out of her juvenile plumage. This will be her first year laying eggs, so we’ll cheer her on as she does. Local photographer Ted Glasoe was able to catch this shot of her as she alighted from a building. I think you’ll have to agree, she’s a true beauty. Remember to watch our FalconCam for a live feed of the birds.  And if you want to do some reading up, be sure to check out the Reading List of Falcon Titles we have here at the library for your convenience.