Groningse Slechtvalken prefereren kraaiennest boven nestkast

Peregrine Falcons prefer crow’s nest to nestbox. In 1998 a pair of Peregrine Falcons bred in the Dutch Province of Groningen (one chick fledged). This was the first successful breeding attempt for many decades. Probably the same pair was successful again in 1999 (two young). The birds used a crow’s nest on a power pylon just as they did in 1998. They ignored a nestbox on a high building nearby. The crow’s nest turned out to be badly placed; when it rained, water could flow along the construction of the pylon into the nest. When the nest was checked on 7 May two of the four young were dead, probably because of heavy rainfall. The nest was moved 50 centimetres and a metal grid was placed under the nest. The two surviving young were ringed on 19 May, aged 18 and 19 days. Both were females. They left the nest shortly before 13 June. The adults took an abundance of prey to the nest (table 1), which was caught along the nearby Wadden Sea shore. Waders are the main prey. At inland territories pigeons and Starlings form the bulk of the kills.