Four peregrine falcons born in the church tower on Koxplein, also good news from other Antwerp nests (Antwerp)

There was great joy when a pair of peregrine falcons hatched four eggs last year in the church tower on Koxplein. After five years without chicks, three young birds finally saw the light of day. This week they gained four new brothers or sisters.

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“A few days ago, four eggs hatched,” says peregrine falcon specialist Maarten Mortier. “At first glance the chicks appear healthy. One bird is a bit smaller than the rest. It remains to be seen whether he or she will get enough food.”

He or she, because Mortier cannot yet say anything about the gender of the very young peregrine falcons. “We will be ringing the birds in three weeks. Then we discover their sex based on the weight and length of their wings.”

Striking: one of the chicks that was born last year on Koxplein is still wandering around near its parental nest. “The teenager is now almost as big as his parents. He sometimes dares to steal food from his little brothers or sisters, although so far it hasn’t been too bad. In any case, it is a special situation.”

“Does he pose a threat to the chicks? That remains to be seen. There are peregrine falcons that help their parents feed young chicks. This has not happened here yet. We note that the older brother is not aggressive towards his younger family members for the time being.”

The fact that mom and dad peregrine falcons are still flying around in the area is less noticeable. “They have a fixed territory. As long as they don’t die and aren’t smothered by competition from other couples, they can stay for at least ten to fifteen years. They are lucky, because there is often fighting over a breeding location. This year it isn’t too bad, except at Kiel.”

Nevertheless, there is also good news to be learned from the neighborhood. “Three of the four eggs on Kiel have hatched so far. The latter may soon follow. The young are still very young. So we have to wait and see how they will fare in the coming days.”

“Two weeks ago, three birds were born at the Pilotage Service on Het Eilandje,” Mortier continues. “Everything seems to be going fine there. They grow properly and get enough food from their parents.”

Unlucky ones

That peregrine falcon chicks can sometimes be unlucky birds was evident last weekend in Mortsel. The three chicks in the nest box at the Afga-Gevaert company have died. “Perhaps due to an unfortunate set of circumstances,” says Mortier. “It is one of the best nesting places in Flanders, but the birds were not sufficiently armed against the extreme weather conditions.”

READ ALSO. For the first time in seventeen years, no new Mortsel peregrine falcons: three chicks die in two days

“The young people were just too big to be protected by their parents. Unfortunately, once the down gets wet and the wind hits it, they deteriorate very quickly.”

Fortunately, according to Mortier, there are plenty of other couples in the region. “At Umicore in Hoboken and in the port, for example. Unfortunately, it is impossible to closely monitor these nests via camera images. You have to take a seat downstairs and try to estimate what is happening from there. That’s something different,” the specialist laughs.