Terrific article on the peregrines this morning by Keith Eddings in today’s Eagle Tribune with photos by staff photographer, Tim Jean!

Wildlife officials band peregrine falcons at Ayer Mill clock tower

LAWRENCE — Squawking, swiping and mad as hell, a female peregrine falcon was scooped from its nesting box in the Ayer Mill clock tower seven stories above the city Friday and placed upside down and head first into a cloth CVS shopping bag, where she calmed immediately.

It was a significant achievement for state wildlife biologist Tom French as she is an adult and therefore much harder to catch and band than chicks. Three of her own chicks would be next out of the box and handed off to the four biologists and technicians at the scene.