Peregrine falcons nest high atop the Milorganite building. Two young were hatched in spring of 2008, then banded by a representative from the Midwest Peregrine Society www.midwestperegrine.org.

By the 1960’s the Peregrine Falcon had become an endangered species due to the widespread use of DDT, which was later banned in the 1970’s. Efforts to repopulate the Peregrine have included the introduction of birds raised in captivity to urban landscapes where tall buildings, close proximity to water, and sources of pigeons and starlings for food approximate the bird’s preferred natural habitat.

Grass mowing is delayed at South Shore water reclamation facility to allow migrating, ground-nesting birds to fledge their young before nests are disturbed. The tall grasses attract nesting boblinks and meadowlarks in the late spring. Providing nesting habitat has become increasingly important for migrating bird species as open space along the Lake Michigan shoreline – a prime migration route for many bird species.