King’s Daughters annual home to peregrine falcons Those who passed through various hallways at King’s Daughters recently took notice to some feathered visitors. Through the glass windows, patients and employees alike pointed and watched as peregrine falcons made the building and courtyard area their temporary home. For several years, two falcons have returned each summer to a protected area. This year, a family of five took up residence near at the top of the medical center. The entrance to the courtyard on the first floor is currently closed to protect patients, team members and the birds. “We just try not to bother them,” said Tom Heck, executive director of support services at King’s Daughters. Before the Heart and Vascular Center opened in 2006, the falcons called another part of the hospital home — near the Lexington Avenue side. Security dispatcher Jim Evans has worked at KDMC for more than 10 years and has a bird’s eye view of the falcons via a security camera placed atop of the medical center. “Team members have been experiencing nature right here at work,” said Evans who has been monitoring the falcons’ daily activity. The falcons are believed to be the same species as those that nest near the Ironton-Russell Bridge. Wildlife experts tag those juveniles each year to help with research and track their lifespan. According to the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, peregrine falcons were removed from the federal endangered species list in 1999, but remain listed as endangered in Kentucky.
Posted on: Wed, 13 Aug 2014 17:23:41 +0000
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