MUNCIE, Ind. -- After years of wondering about the whereabouts of six Peregrine falcons he helped raise, a Ball State University biologist recently discovered one female is nesting in Davenport, Iowa.

Scorpio has nested in a man-made box on a high-rise business building in the community of 102,000 people located along the Mississippi River.

"In the wild there is a high death rate for young animals," said Tom Morrell, biology professor. "The fact that I've heard about one surviving and doing so well is great."

Scorpio was part of an effort in 1999 by the Ball State chapter of The Wildlife Society to release Peregrine falcons and to reestablish the then endangered species in the wild.

The bird was identified in Iowa by a numbered leg band. Local observers contacted the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service who informed them that Scorpio was raised in Muncie. Local residents then christened Scorpio after her hometown.

"From what we know, Scorpio settled in the Davenport area in 2000, possibly starting her first nest under a bridge," Morrell said. "In 2001, it was confirmed Scorpio successfully hatched two young birds under the bridge. This year, Scorpio mated and successfully hatched three of the four eggs."

Scorpio and her mate, a bird released in a reestablishment program in rural Iowa, have made Davenport their home on a 12-month basis. Peregrine falcons typically migrate to warmer climates during the fall and winter months.

"Scorpio's young ones were last seen in the city in June," Morrell said. "They were harassing window washers on tall buildings."

Leonardo, Scorpio, Rose, Dakota, Manitou and Pleiades were raised on the roof of the Delaware Building, 201 E. Jackson during June and July of 1999. The birds attracted hundreds of spectators each night to watch them soar among downtown buildings.

By September the falcons left Muncie for their winter grounds and little has been heard of them since except for the death of Pleiades, who was found injured in western New York in October 1999.

The student group's efforts were part of a national program to reintroduce the species to eastern North America. The species was nearly wiped out as a result of the agricultural use of the pesticide DDT from the 1940s through the early 1960s. Peregrine falcons were removed from the nation's endangered species list in 2001.

It took Ball State students nearly three years to raise the funds to purchase six peregrine falcon chicks and build a "hack" box on the downtown building. Cheryl Fisher, who is a biology department graduate assistant at Ball State, served as the student chapter's president at the time of the release.

"This was such a great effort by our students, who were a tremendous group of young men and women," Morrell said. "I don't think their efforts will ever be duplicated. It took a lot of hard work to put the project together and see it completed during their time as undergraduates."
 

(NOTE TO EDITORS: For more information, contact Morrell at tmorrell@bsu.eduor (765) 285-8842. His Web site is www.bsu.edu/web/temorrell.)