All’s eggcellent atop Campanile for Berkeley’s falcons

Grinnell, in his fourth year as a father falcon, poses with the first egg produced by his mate, Annie. It arrived March 10; more eggs are expected in the days to come. (Photo courtesy of Cal Falcons) Coronavirus may be hampering business as usual, but high up in UC Berkeley's Campanile, peregrine falcon couple Annie and Grinnell - who've raised chicks on the bell tower since 2017 - are carrying out their spring routine without a hitch: mating, nesting and reproducing. The first rusty-brown speckled egg of the season appeared Tuesday night, an event captured by one of three webcams on the tower and viewed by the birds' fan base, which now stretches across 45 countries. "Congratulations! Our office, along with the rest of Berkeley, is looking forward to meeting our newest residents," tweeted one admirer, Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguin, a campus alumnus. Peregrines usually mate for life. Annie, seen here soaring above campus, and her mate, Grinnell, began hatching their young on the Campanile in 2017 and continue to make the tower their home.