After weeks of constant monitoring, the team tracking the pair of peregrine falcons residing in the church of Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes, in Las Arenas (Getxo), has confirmed that the single chick born this spring is developing favorably. The specimen, already identified as female, has been named Urki and will begin its first flights around the tower in a few weeks.
The young bird, currently 25 days old, was ringed this Tuesday. This tagging process is part of a scientific program that has been promoted in the province for three decades. During the intervention, two specialists accessed the bell tower to transport the bird in a specially designed backpack to prevent damage or falls, a method commonly used on cliffs and rocky walls.
“"We have ringed more than a thousand falcons in these thirty years."
The young raptor now carries two identifications: an official ring from the Aranzadi Science Society, equivalent to an international “ID card,” and another colored one with an alphanumeric code —4T— that will allow it to be recognized from a distance using telescopes or photographs, without the need for recapture. The team has also collected feather remains and prey accumulated around the nest box to analyze the diet followed during these weeks. Although pigeons have been the predominant food, experts will try to identify other species consumed during rearing.
The arrival of this specimen represented an unusual event in Bizkaia. The pair of falcons, aged two and one year, managed to raise a chick in an urban environment, thanks to the nest box installed last winter in collaboration with the Getxo City Council and the company Anticimex. Thus, it became one of the first documented urban breeding sites for the species in the area.
