Malec said that Grinnell’s homecoming “depends on his healing” and whether he can hunt and provide for himself and Annie, but that peregrines “have a strong territorial drive and have been known to go back to their nesting territory after rehab.” At age 8, Grinnell also is in the prime of his breeding years, she added.
The falcons that attacked Grinnell likely were not Annie and Grinnell’s offspring, she said. Since 2017, the pair has produced 13 chicks — four females and nine males; one, Lux, died as a fledgling after she struck a window.
“We know the male (in the skirmish) is not banded, so it is not one of (Grinnell and Annie’s) offspring,” said Malec. “We haven’t gotten a good look at the legs of the (attacking) female yet. But Annie has had only a couple of female offspring, and we know where one is, and it isn’t her, and the other is quite large, and this female is smaller than Annie — just a guess it’s not an offspring.”
As for Annie, Malec said that the pair of falcons that attacked Grinnell were at the tower again yesterday, and that Annie was seen chasing them around. Many of the falcons’ activities on and near the tower can be glimpsed via three webcams, but Malec said observations also are being made from the ground.
“I would say that Annie is in danger,” said Malec. “Since it’s a pair of peregrines, … she is in even more danger than if challenged by only one peregrine.”
This morning, Annie was “interacting with one of (the peregrines) on the west ledge” of the tower, she said.
Peregrine pairs do stay together for life, but Malec explained that if one dies or is unable to return after injury to its territory, “the remaining falcon is very likely to find a new mate. New mates have appeared on territory sometimes within days of the death of a breeding peregrine. We know there are floaters — non-breeding adults waiting around for a territory — nearby.”
Even if Grinnell returns to the Campanile nesting territory, “there could be a battle for the territory, and the one best able to defend itself would likely be the one to breed,” she said.
“This is not easy to talk about, and not at all easy to report to Annie and Grinnell’s fans,” Malec said in a Cal Falcons Facebook post on Sunday. “We are all hoping for the best.”
Lynn Schofield, a member of Cal Falcons and a staff biologist at the Institute for Bird Populations, said “it hurts to know Grinnell has been injured, but good to know that there is a whole world of peregrine falcons out there living as wild animals.
“Considering that the species was almost lost from the U.S. not all that long ago, the fact that we not only have Annie and Grinnell nesting in Cal’s backyard, but that they have competition, really speaks to the comeback the species has made. The recovery of the peregrine falcon has gone further than preserving a handful of individuals, but it has succeeded to the point that we are now seeing dynamic interactions between an entire population of the species.”
Malec suggests that fans of UC Berkeley’s falcons who want to help consider supporting Lindsay Wildlife Experience and also urged them to follow Cal Falcons on social media and not call Lindsay for updates about Grinnell, as its team is “busy treating and caring for other animals. We promise to update you with new information.”
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