{"id":157529,"date":"2023-07-24T09:00:48","date_gmt":"2023-07-24T07:00:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=157529"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:26:53","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:26:53","slug":"erasmus-mc-has-a-family-of-peregrine-falcons-roosting-120-metres-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2023\/07\/24\/erasmus-mc-has-a-family-of-peregrine-falcons-roosting-120-metres-up\/","title":{"rendered":"Erasmus MC has a family of peregrine falcons roosting 120 metres up"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ever start off your day by doing laps of the office screaming? That’s the morning ritual of the peregrine family. Not only do they live at Erasmus MC, the hospital is also their base when hunting for food.<\/p>\n

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The growth of peregrine falcons is monitored each year by Bureau of Urban Nature. When the kids are teenagers, they get ringed.<\/span><\/p>

\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJos van der Geest<\/span>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Papa peregrine looks down from the blue \u2018m\u2019 in the Erasmus logo at the very top of the right-hand towers. From his bed, you might say, as peregrine falcons like to sleep on the blue letters on the thirtieth floor (120 metres up). The mother of the family is easy to spot: female peregrines are clearly larger, roughly the size of a buzzard at 40-60 centimetres. The males are about the size of a black crow. On this Wednesday morning, three of this year\u2019s four young falcons are enjoying a flying lesson, circling the building while emitting shrill cries. \u201cYou can clearly hear the young begging for their food\u201d, says ecologist Garry Bekker from the Rotterdam Urban Ecology Unit. \u201cThis is their morning routine.\u201d<\/p>\n

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A part of the peregrine falcon family is resting still on the blue letters. The father sits atop the 'm', slightly lower are two of his children.<\/span><\/p>

\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRonald van den Heerik<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Thirty years ago, peregrine falcons were almost extinct in Europe, and so the birds\u2019 breeding grounds were left strictly alone to protect the animals. By installing high nesting boxes and relocating the birds, they are now back from their long absence. Two boxes have now been installed at Erasmus MC. Before that time, a pair of peregrines had nested in the gutter of the Sophia Children\u2019s Hospital \u2013 not the safest place to raise young chicks.<\/p>\n\n\t

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