Charles Sturt University’s favourite Orange campus resident, Migii the peregrine falcon, has marked an important milestone by leaving its nest atop a water tower for the first time yesterday morning.

Migii’s development has been monitored via webcam, although there is not sufficient equipment available to tape the bird around the clock.

The university’s many birdwatchers estimate Migii set off at about 9am yesterday morning.

Peregrine falcons mate for life, environmental management lecturer Cilla Kinross said. Watching Migii hatch and grow has given a much better insight into the role its parents took in his upbringing.

“What we’ve learned is the male does quite a lot of the feeding,” Dr Kinross said.

Two cameras installed in the nesting box have taken still images and occasional video of Migii’s childhood.

However, Dr Kinross would like to see the next generation of falcons to nest on the water tower recorded around the clock.

“It would make it a lot easier in terms of research if we could set aside half an hour at the end of the day to go over all of the footage,” she said.

University staff are hoping Migii’s parents will return next year to raise another generation of chicks.

“We’re looking for donations so we’ve set up a fund to help install better cameras because we really need to be able to go through all of it,” Dr Kinross said.

Anyone interested in contributing to the peregrine falcon fund can contact Dr Kinross on 6365 7651 or 6365 8221.