Peregrine Falcons
The population decline of the peregrine falcon started in the 1940s and intensified in the 1960s, when the species was thought to be extinct in Belgium. The decline was mainly due to the widespread use of organochlorine pesticides in agriculture. Today, however, the falcons are back, and have even entered our cities where prey such as pigeons are plentiful!
Since 2004, a pair has nested every spring in one of the towers of the Saint Michael and Saint Gudula Cathedral, in the heart of Brussels. In town, their preferred prey is rock doves. Every year, throughout April and May, you can follow their little family as it develops, from the eggs being laid to the fledging of the young eyasses.