A fair lady is perched on a balcony as she’s  serenaded by her beau, all while the crisp January wind blows through the trees. However, there’s something unusual about this classic scene—and it’s not just the fact that the balcony is part of a clock tower on the campus of UC Berkeley. Instead, the surprise is that these two lovebirds are actual birds, and the new man is the female’s fourth lover in two years (the previous male went missing a few weeks ago).

You may be wondering why and how a pair of peregrine falcons would nest on a bell tower in the middle of a busy college town. However, the concept is not as far-fetched as it might seem. Peregrine falcons live across most of the United States, and as humans have encroached on their territory the birds have quickly adapted to urban life. 

There are several factors that contribute to this adaptability: normally, the falcons nest on high, rocky cliffs, making city skyscrapers and other tall buildings a seamless substitute. Also, in the wild, the falcons normally feed on medium-sized birds, and cities often have sizable pigeon populations. Thus, cities’ ready opportunities for shelter and food make them the perfect places (for falcons at least) to raise families.

Following the narrative of the peregrine falcon, then, the bird showed up at Berkeley’s bell tower (colloquially known as the Campanile) in late 2016 to lay eggs on top of a bag on the tower. Berkeley staff, rather than seeking to drive the falcon out, decided to make the campus a hospitable environment for the new arrival: they added a nest box so the eggs would not roll off, and even held a naming contest for the mother-to-be and her mate, arriving at Annie for the mother and her Grinnell for her mate after Annie Montague Alexander and Joseph Grinnell, respectively the founder and first director of Berkeley’s Museum of Vertebrate Zoology. 

In that first year, the pair of birds raised two chicks named Fiat and Lux after Berkeley’s motto Fiat Lux, meaning “Let there be light.” Unfortunately, though, Lux died shortly after leaving the nest due to a collision with a window. Despite this tragedy, however, Annie and Grinnell lived a relatively peaceful life for four years, raising thirteen chicks together. Some of the chicks went and started families, with chick Lawrencium (Larry for short) becoming the first falcon ever to nest on Alcatraz Island. 

However, this peaceful time ended in 2021. In late October of that year, Grinnell was injured in a fight with another falcon and was hospitalized for almost three weeks at the Lindsay Wildlife Center, during which another male began to court Annie. After being released, Grinnell triumphantly returned, successfully chasing the other male off. Their bond would further be tested during the 2022 breeding season, when Annie went missing for about a week and Grinnell was courted by several females. While Annie would return and lay two eggs, a heartening sign that their relationship would endure, at the end of March Grinnell would be found dead on a road, presumably after being hit by a car. 

Less than a day later, a new male showed up. Admittedly, the timing was a little suspicious. Perhaps he had been waiting for a chance to shoot his shot? Regardless, Annie laid a third egg shortly after, and both falcons helped incubate the whole clutch. Public vote was opened up to decide a name for the new male, and the decided name was Alden, after the (human) Grinnell’s successor. Of the three eggs, two hatched, which were called Lindsay and Grinnell Jr. in honor of their deceased dad. Unfortunately, Lindsay would also be found dead on Berkeley’s campus later that year.

In late 2022, Alden disappeared and was replaced by Lou, named after one of the (human) Annie’s friends. Annie and Lou raised three chicks together, before Lou disappeared and was replaced yet again by the current male Archie.

Unlike his predecessors, the (human) Archie had no connection to the (human) Annie, but his name is no less fitting. Archie Williams was not only a Berkeley alumnus but also an Air Force Officer who won gold at the 1936 Olympics in the 400-meter run, fitting for a bird that is the fastest flier in the world. Also, as an added bonus, Archie Williams High School has the peregrine falcon as a mascot. It remains to be seen how this chapter will play out, but most of the public is hoping that Annie and Archie will have at least a few years of a seemingly elusive peace together.