Annie the peregrine falcon lost her longtime mate Grinnell. How long did it take her to find a new mate to help her hatch two eggs? Not even a day!

Grinnell and Annie made their home atop the bell tower at the University of California, Berkeley. They had nested there since 2016. The pair raised 13 chicks.

Grinnell was found dead on the last day of March. He was likely hit by a car. Less than 24 hours later, Annie had mated with a new untagged male falcon.

That’s rare. Peregrine falcons typically mate for life. Those who lose a partner will seek a replacement—but not usually during breeding season. Normally, when a falcon loses a mate then, the nest is abandoned. Every once in a while, though, a new mate swoops in and adopts the chicks.

Peregrine falcons are the world’s fastest birds. They can reach 200 miles per hour during a hunting dive called a stoop. The American birds were declared endangered in 1970. They were eating prey poisoned by DDT and other pesticides. The chemical caused the falcons to lay thin-shelled eggs. Those fragile eggs couldn’t survive until hatching. Recovery programs brought the bird back from almost-extinction.

Falcon monitors watch the nest. They saw the new bird bring prey to the nest and sit on the eggs. Annie has even laid a third egg! Will the birds in these little eggs survive? Maybe. Maybe not. But a new mate means they have a fighting chance.

I know all the birds of the hills. — Psalm 50:11