Chicago Peregrine Falcon Blog

This journal chronicles my adventures as a monitor for the Chicago Peregrine Falcon Program. I work for the Field Museum, the natural history museum in Chicago, Illinois. I have worked on a couple of projects, most recently as a research assistant in the Department of Zoology, Bird Division. Currently, I work as a research assistant for the Insect Division in the Department of Zoology.

In 2006, Mary Hennen, the director of the Chicago Peregrine Program and a good friend of mine, asked me if I’d like to take over monitoring the peregrine pair that nests on the Chicago Metropolitan Correctional Center in downtown Chicago. I jumped at the chance and have been infected with peregrine fever ever since (totally different than the Avian Flu, no worries).

In 2007, I started helping out with other locations since it seemed as though a number of new pairs decided to move to Chicago! But, my first loves will always be the Jailbirds, Hercules (adult female) and Max (adult male).

FOR CHICAGO AREA ONLY – INFORMATION IN CASE OF EMERGENCY: If you find a peregrine on the ground, Mary Hennen has put up some emergency contact numbers for the Chicago region. You can find some good information about what to do and the numbers HERE.

For those of you not from the Chicago region, the information on what to do when you find a downed peregrine is still valuable, even if the numbers are not. It is highly probable your own area has monitors. My suggestion would be to try wildlife rescue organizations or rehabbers, Animal Control and/or any zoo or natural history museum type place in the area.