PEABODY — A pair of rare peregrine falcons have moved into their new home at Peabody City Hall.
Known as the fastest birds in the world, the couple’s arrival has created quite a stir among building staff, according to Community Development Director Curt Bellavance, who said he was unaware of the birds’ presence until his department received a call last week from the state’s Division of Fish and Wildlife.
Currently designated a “species of special concern” by the Commonwealth, Peabody’s perigrines make up one of just 42 known pairs in the entire state.
“Since the peregrine falcon is pretty rare, they reported back to the division on Friday that they had seen something here at City Hall,” Bellavance said. “The state reached out to our conservation department later that day to say ‘hey, we’d like to talk to you about this.’”
Because the birds were suspected to be mating, he said the division wanted to move quickly.
To ensure the health and safety of the expected newborns, experts requested to build a nesting box for the young family on top of City Hall with a view of the community’s downtown.
“Since some folks had basically seen the birds mating, they said it was critical to get the nesting box up there right away because that helps protect the eggs from predators,” Bellavance said. “It was funny because the falcons kind of watched the whole process. They’re very curious birds, and they were definitely checking out what we were doing.”
Nearly wiped out by the introduction of the chemical pesticide DDT in the 1940s, peregrine falcons were considered all but extinct in Massachusetts for decades before wildlife experts attempted to reintroduce the species to the area in the 1990s.
“They’re still monitoring them. One of them already has a bracelet on it, and they know which one that is, so when they have their babies, they’ll try and track them by putting bracelets on them as well,” Bellavance said.
Peregrines help keep the pigeon population in check, he noted, adding that City Hall staff was happy to finally discover the culprits behind several odd occurrences in recent weeks.
“You can hear the birds screeching and we didn’t know what that was, and some people had seen dead birds on the ground (and wondered) what happened,” Bellavance said. “Now they know ‘alright, we have these falcons feasting on some of the birds we have around.’”
After a particularly difficult year, Mayor Ted Bettencourt said he was pleased to receive the news that City Hall had become home to the falcons, adding that it made sense to him that the pair chose to settle in Peabody.
“Peabody is a very wonderful location to live in and raise a family,” said Bettencourt, who emphasized there is no truth to a rumor that the city will change its mascot to the Peabody falcons. “We have the lowest taxes around, we’re among the lowest water rates in the state, we just built a brand new middle school. I’m not surprised they decided to call Peabody home.”
However, the father of four did have one piece of advice for the young parents parents-to-be.
“Enjoy the younger years,” he said. “When they become teenagers, it’s awful.”
Elyse Carmosino can be reached at [email protected].