Update on resident peregrine falcons
Greg Septon and Edwin Wilde record and band UW-Green Bay resident peregrine falcon chicks
The most recent Peregrine Falcon eggs laid in the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay nest box—located in an air shaft of the Cofrin Library—hatched on May 18, 2025. The chicks were banded on June 6, 2025 by raptor expert Greg Septon and UW-Green Bay graduate student Edwin Wilde (Master of Environmental Science & Policy). Septon, a master raptor bander and the Founder of Wisconsin Peregrine Falcon Recovery Project, visits the UWGB campus annually to band Peregrine Falcon chicks from the nest box. During the process, he records measurements, determines each chick’s sex, and attaches both metal and color bands to help identify the birds in the wild. Wilde, who is currently researching local habitat use of falcons for his thesis, had the opportunity to assist with this year’s banding efforts.
The parents of the newly hatched chicks are Ares, who was born in 2022 near Menasha, and an unbanded female. Cofrin Center for Biodiversity staff been informally calling her Aphrodite, but once she leaves for the winter, those monitoring the nest will not be able to identify her if she comes back next year.
The falcon chicks, named to thematically match their parents, have been named Athena, Zeus and Apollo and are currently exploring the rooftop of the Cofrin Library. They are in and out of the box, and will soon take their first flight. View the livestream of the nest box.
Peregrine Falcons—the fastest animal on Earth— have been calling campus home since 2011. Looking ahead to the future, when the Cofrin Library is replace by the new Cofrin Technology and Education Center (currently in construction), plans are already in motion to ensure the falcon’s residency continues. A new nesting box will be installed on Lab Sciences in fall to allow for overlap before the Cofrin Library is removed.
Learn more about the campus peregrine falcons.
Photo credit: Holly Keener
