Natural History Wanderings

Signs warning drone operators not to fly their robotic aircraft in the vicinity of the Campanile is a new element of annual efforts to protect UC Berkeley’s peregrine falcons as nesting time approaches.

This will be the seventh breeding season for Annie, Berkeley’s longtime female falcon, who had a particularly close encounter last year with a drone when it approached the Campanile. She flew out and took a few passes at it, and then fortunately flew away. Dozens of known drone flights have occurred near the bell tower since Annie and her former mate, Grinnell, who was found dead in downtown Berkeley last March, arrived on campus in late 2016.