Peregrine Falcon Project

Written by Diego Armando Segura Pineda, ’27

Read the article from The Daily Princetonian!

Overview 

Since the fall of 2024, this project has provide a nest site for a local pair of falcons which have been visiting Princeton’s campus for a few years, and is aiming to be placed on top of a university building in the eastern portion of its campus.

Currently, the goal is to situate the nest box on top of Briger Hall, the home of the School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS). The Princeton Conservation Society (PCS) has been central to the coordination of force, purchase of materials, coordination of community work days, monitoring, and promotion of the nest box. 

Introduction

What is the Peregrine Falcon?

The Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) is a predatory raptor found across the contiguous United States and in the majority of the Northern Hemisphere; it is also the fastest animal in the world (aside from people in planes, of course!). The falcon, however, has historically been devastated by human activity: most famously, the use of pesticides such as DDT crippled both falcon and other raptor populations by thinning the birds’ eggshells, incapacitating them before hatching.

Historically occurring throughout much of the East Coast, it is suspected that the Eastern subspecies (population) of the Peregrine Falcon was eliminated (alongside other raptors like the Bald Eagle), and lost. Despite many parts of the East Coast losing the charismatic raptor, however, efforts began following a ban of DDT to re-introduce the species via captive breeding and release programs. Most critical to these plans has been the use of nest boxes not only to provide nesting habitat for the falcon, but also to monitor the strength of reintroduced populations following release. 

Why conserve birds of prey? 

Like the Bald Eagle—another highly successful reintroduction to the East Coast that has nature lovers along the Delaware River greatly enthused—the Peregrine Falcon represents a significant player in our local culture. In Palmyra, NJ, a falcon nest box on the Tacony-Palmyra Bridge remains the crown jewel of local outreach by the Palmyra Cove Nature Park.¹ The falcons travel up and down the river, having been spotted as far north as Delanco and south of the Tacony-Palmyra. These swift birds have even arrived in Princeton, where students, locals, and professors eagerly observe them roosting on Fine Hall and in the general Washington Road vicinity (Figure 1). 

Peregrine Falcon posing on Fine Hall, Princeton, NJ. © JamEs ParRis, 22 Dec. 2022, Macaulay Library ²

Ecologically, the Peregrine Falcon, as a bird of prey, serves an essential role as a high-trophic species, regulating feral Rock Pigeon (Columba livia), migratory shorebird (Scolopax minor, Gallinago delicata, Calidris sp., Tringa sp., etc.) and waterfowl (Anas sp., Bucephala albeola, etc.) populations in our region. 

Why a nest box?

Currently, the falcon population is increasing, with programs across New Jersey having successfully brought the species to urban areas atop towers and bridges via nest boxes. In the early 2000’s, the falcon was confirmed to have begun breeding again in the wild, along cliff faces in Northern New Jersey—marking a successful step towards an entirely self-sustaining population.³  

Despite being able to nest atop cliff faces and high rise buildings, more security is provided to the birds when nest boxes are provided, making individuals more inclined to nest in a particular location due to the favorability of a nest box over a flat, exposed surface. Nest boxes also provide a reliable location for falcon spotting, monitoring, and banding, which scientists may use to monitor the birds’ health, reaction to environmental pollutants, or identity. 

A pair of Peregrine Falcons perched on Fine Hall, Princeton, NJ. © Jean Bickal, 17 Dec. 2017, Macaulay Library ⁵

What does a nest box look like?

“Dogloo” Nest Site 

Personal communication with staff at the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection¹⁰ clued us into the preferred method for a nest box—a doghouse (a “Dogloo” (Figure 3a))!¹¹ This is a type of outdoor doghouse that is waterproof, sloped, and anecdotally described as durable and maintenance-free. The structure would be drilled into a rubber base and surrounded by a double layer of ¾” plywood that the Dogloo is screwed into (Figure 3b).

With the weight of the structure and the weight of the added pea gravel, the NJDEP has not seen a need to drill the structure into the roof of the building, unlike some alternatives like a wooden nest box. The box can then be placed in a corner of the building (Figure 3c). Overall, they comment that the structure is preferred both by the falcons and by conservation staff to ensure a more hands-off approach to hosting Peregrines. 

The proposed “Dogloo” nest box type as seen at time of installation.

Value to the Princeton community and beyond

Despite a nest box serving to provide habitat for the Peregrine Falcons, this project also serves to help us! While having the falcons on campus serves as an incredible opportunity to see these birds on a more consistent basis, we also get the chance to learn and be inspired by them in a variety of ways. The falcons might serve to inspire art or thought, and more importantly serve as a beacon of conservation in practice, introducing new people to conservation practices when they might not have otherwise!

These birds can also be incredibly entertaining, and we can watch them bring back food, feed their chicks, and sleep throughout their breeding cycle. This gives our community a chance to bond over our rare local wildlife, and can be enjoyed beyond our immediate community as well! Local schools, the town itself, and others can tune in to watch the birds as they do their daily business.

Current focus

Currently, the obstacles that face this project are 1) funding and 2) getting construction materials. A major amount of progress has been made since this project’s conception, from working with Princeton University administration, Public Safety, the NJ Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP), Office of Information and Technology, Facilities, and more. The assistance of an array of courteous and helpful University members has converted this project from a dream to a plan, and without them this would not be possible.

Works Cited

1. FALCON CAM, Palmyra Cove Nature Park, https://www.palmyracove.org/falcon-cam
2. Photograph of Peregrine Falcon, JamEs ParRis, 22 December 2022, Princeton, NJ, https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/515957151 
3. Wildlife Populations-Peregrine Falcon, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Division of Science and Research, https://dep.nj.gov/dsr/environmental-trends/peregine-falcon/ 
4. Collision Monitoring, Princeton Better for Birds Project, Princeton University, https://birds.scholar.princeton.edu/monitoring 
5. Peregrine Falcons on Fine Hall, Jean Bickal, 17 December 2017, Princeton, NJ, https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/78447811 
6. Another Snake Delivered To The Kestrel Box – April 23, 2019, Cornell Lab Bird Cams, YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiP13cEdRvg 
7. Personal communication via email with Brian Mutch, The Peregrine Fund. 
8. Peregrine Falcon Nest Box, Schwegler, https://www.schwegler-natur.de/portfolio_1408366639/schwegler-wanderfalkennistkasten/?lang=en 
9. Nesting: Peregrine Nest Box Dimensions, Outside My Window, https://www.birdsoutsidemywindow.org/peregrine-faqs/peregrine-nest-box-dimensions/ 
10. Personal communication with Clark, Kathy and Roach, Melissa. August 2025.
11. Petmate Dogloo XT 25870 Dog House, Smoky Mountain Farmers Cooperative, https://www.smfc.coop/2808981/product/petmate-25870. Accessed August 21, 2025.
12. Dixon, Nick and Shawyer, Colin. Peregrine Falcons provision of artificial nest sites on built structures, RSPD, https://www.lbp.org.uk/downloads/Publications/Management/peregrine_nest-box_advice.pdf 
13. Attracting and Managing the Peregrine Falcon at Electricity Generating Facilities, EPRI, 2004, https://www.raptorresource.org/raptorresource/pdf/ManagingUtilityPEFA.pdf