A pair of peregrine falcons has chosen the tower of Las Mercedes church, in Las Arenas, to settle and reproduce. In response to this situation, the Getxo City Council has installed a monitored nest box that will allow live tracking of the entire process, from incubation to the hatching of the chicks.
The specimens, known as Mercedes and Tony, have been in the area for about a year and have already laid two eggs, which are currently in the incubation phase. Their hatching is expected throughout this week, after having prepared the nest by digging the sand and forming the bowl where they rest.
This is a pioneering case, as it is the first time a pair of peregrine falcons has nested in an urban environment in the municipality and also one of the first records of this type in Euskadi.
The initiative is part of the municipal program to promote biodiversity and move towards a more sustainable city model. The project has the collaboration of the company Anticimex, the Peregrine Falcon Research Group of Bizkaia, and the parish itself. The installation is designed to observe the behavior of these birds in real time.
In addition to its educational interest, the presence of this falcon species contributes to the natural control of other more abundant birds in the municipality, such as pigeons or starlings, whose proliferation can generate hygiene and health problems. The initiative has already sparked the interest of residents and ornithology enthusiasts, who come to observe the pair during their trips to the nest. Soon, citizens will be able to follow the evolution of the eggs and the growth of the chicks live through the municipality's website.
