Walter Gachuk, a Project superintendent from Snavely Group, was repairing a damaged soffit on an old building in Cleveland (The old Forest City Trust building now known as the Forest City Apartments, a LITEC project, which will be one of the greenest buildings in the city with 75% solar power) when birds, later identified as American Kestrels, started dive bombing him to scare him off. Walt confirmed with Cleveland Metroparks that the birds were trying to defend a nest. He then contacted the local Ohio Division of Wildlife office and biologists provided guidance on how to safely inspect the location for nests. Walt and his team looked around, but did not immediately see a nest. He then noticed that the falcon pair was bringing food (insects and small rodents) to the site, which is common pair bonding behavior. This alerted him to look harder for a nest.



After a second inspection using a mirror, eggs were located further back in the damaged soffit's opening in another space that was not immediately visible. Snavely Group decided to halt repairs that would close up the damaged soffit so the adult birds could still access and care for the nest. It may take up to 60 days for the young to hatch and fledge the nest, but this group knows the wait is worth it! We (and the kestrels) thank them for their patience and extra efforts to protect Ohio's wildlife. Snavely’s commitment to a sustainable future for all is not limited to humans but for all of our beautiful wild friends. —Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife

