Mayo Clinic kicks off peregrine falcon program

(ABC 6 News) – Mayo Clinic is kicking off its 2022 Peregrine falcon program for the 35th year.

This year, there are new and improved cameras to peek inside the nest box on top of the Mayo building in Rochester.

As we get closer to peregrine nesting season in March you should see them in the box constantly and might hear them screaming.

"We released 32 young birds over two years and one of those birds happened to make its way back to Rochester and from there it just expanded. They have had 66 young chicks fledge from Mayo, so Mayo has been one of the longest partners in peregrine recovery in the Upper Midwest," said Jackie Fallon, VP Field Operations, Midwest Peregrine Society.

Mayo says peregrine falcons can live up to 20 years and our prolonged Minnesota winters don’t seem to affect their mating season.