A pair of peregrine falcons have returned to their nesting box on top of Spartan Stadium for the fourth year in a row.
In the past, Michigan State University's Fisheries and Wildlife Club partnered with the state Department of Natural Resources to monitor the falcons and band their chicks.
The DNR has now ended the banding program as the falcon population has rebounded.
Maia Centilli is the Wildlife Chair for the club. They say even though the species is no longer considered endangered, there is still a great need to conserve the birds and their habitat.
The club is now working with MSU professor Jen Owen to continue monitoring the falcons through an undergraduate research project.
“Any amount of conservation and help for these birds is substantial. It's not like our box is just a blip on the huge radar, the work that we are doing is truly helping rebuild this peregrine falcon population in the state of Michigan,” Centilli said.
Once the chicks hatch, Centilli along with other students involved in the project will be closely observing the behaviors of the chicks and how they interact with each other.
Centilli says in the past, the chicks would jump out of the nest too early, and they would have to be physically put back.
To ensure safety for the chicks and to minimize human contact, they recently installed a wire catch below the perch of the box.
Centilli also says that conserving and researching a well-known species like the peregrine falcon often creates more opportunities for conservation in species that may seem “less important."
“By getting people involved in the peregrine falcons and the desire to preserve that species, it helps build a trust within the community for them to care about other projects we were wanting to do,” they said.
The Lansing Board of Water and Light has pairs of peregrine falcons at its Eckert Power Plant and Erickson Station with cameras monitoring them as well.