S.L. falcon babies learning to fly

"We take them to a nearby rooftop. This takes them out of the danger zone but gets them to a place where the adults can feed them, entertain them or entice them to learn to fly."

The first peregrine falcon was spotted in downtown Salt Lake City in 1984, hovering around the top of the old Hotel Utah (now the Joseph Smith Memorial Building). After the Division of Wildlife Resources put up a nesting box on the hotel, a falcon family moved in during the spring of 1986.

Later, the division put up an alternate nesting site on the First Security building.

A peregrine falcon pair set up housekeeping in Salt Lake City until 1990, then disappeared, apparently relocating in a quarry two miles north of Victory Road and Beck Street. The falcons returned downtown in 1994, but in 1996 — after two clutches of eggs died — they disappeared, not returning again until last spring. Over the years, downtown falcon couples have produced 16 babies. Five of these died but 11 successfully took off, either for the wild or some other urban habitat.

This year's crop of three females has attracted attention from bird watchers and interested downtown office workers.

"That's what this is about," said Walters, handing his binoculars to another downtown passer-by, "People love to watch our falcons."

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