PENNSYLVANIA GAME COMMISSION BUREAU OF WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT PROJECT ANNUAL JOB REPORT
PROJECT CODE NO.: 06715
TITLE: Peregrine Falcon Research/Management
JOB CODE NO.: 71501
TITLE: Peregrine Falcon Investigations
PERIOD COVERED: 1 July 2007 to 30 June 2008
COOPERATING AGENCIES: The Aark Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Center, Newtown; Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia; Berks County government (Court House and Services Center), Reading; Burlington County (New Jersey) Bridge Commission, Palmyra, New Jersey; Dauphin County Wildlife Rescue, Harrisburg; Delaware River Port Authority (DRPA); Delaware Valley Raptor Center, Milford; Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area; Gloucester Marine Terminal, Gloucester City, New Jersey; Gulf Tower, Pittsburgh; Make a Wish Foundation, Pittsburgh; The National Aviary, Pittsburgh; New Jersey Division of Fish, Game, and Wildlife; Packer Ave. Marine Terminal, Philadelphia; Palmyra Cove Nature Center, Palmyra, New Jersey; Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT); Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP); Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission; Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission; Philadelphia City Hall; PPL Corporation; Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education - Wildlife Division, Philadelphia; Three Rivers Avian Center, Brooks, West Virginia; Woodford Cedar Run Wildlife Refuge, Medford, New Jersey; Tri-State Bird Rescue & Research, Newark, Delaware; University of Pittsburgh; US Army Corps of Engineers; Western Pennsylvania Conservancy (WPC), Pittsburgh.
WORK LOCATION(S): Statewide
PREPARED BY: F. Arthur McMorris and Daniel W. Brauning
DATE: 15 August 2008
ABSTRACT The long-term management goal of this project is to re-establish a self-sustaining peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus) population in Pennsylvania (Brauning and Hassinger, 2001). Peregrine Coordinator Dr. Art McMorris and over 40 volunteers monitored peregrine falcon nests across the state. Eight new nests were identified, raising the total number of active nests from 16 to 24. The total number of nest sites occupied by pairs throughout the nesting season (24), the number of successful nests (15), the number of young produced (48), and the number of young fledged (43) were the highest since the beginning of the peregrine falcon recovery program. Forty of the 48 young were banded at the nest. Two of the new nests established during the 2007 nesting season were at natural cliff sites, but 1 of the 2 previously established cliff nests was abandoned, so the net number of cliff nests increased from 2 to 3. Fourteen band recoveries were obtained during the past year. The majority of these birds were identified breeding successfully, either in Pennsylvania or in other locations. The public was invited to 71501 2 attend peregrine falcon banding events at the Rachel Carson State Office Building (RCSOB) in Harrisburg and at the Gulf Tower and University of Pittsburgh Cathedral of Learning in Pittsburgh. Activities of Pennsylvania’s peregrine falcons attracted much favorable attention from the public and were well covered in the media.
OBJECTIVES
1. The long-term management goal is to reestablish a self-sustaining peregrine falcon population in Pennsylvania.
2. The recovery levels proposed in the draft Management and Recovery Plan to upgrade the peregrine falcon’s state status from endangered to threatened, outlined in the revised Pennsylvania Recovery and Management Plan for the peregrine falcon, are a self-sustaining total of 15 breeding pairs (33% of the historic population), productivity of at least 1.25 young fledged per pair, and at least half of known pairs nesting successfully, each for 3 years. State de-listing is proposed to occur only after the establishment of self-sustaining population of a total 22 pairs on natural (cliff) sites statewide (50% of the historic total) for 3 years, and reproductive success on those cliffs must exceed 2.0 birds per active nest and on buildings/bridges exceed 1.5 birds per active site to assure a stable population.
METHODS
Peregrine Coordinator Dr. Art McMorris monitored peregrine falcon nesting activity in the Philadelphia area during the 2007 nesting season and coordinated over 40 volunteers and agency personnel in monitoring nests across the state. Video cameras, linked to live Internet connections, again monitored the nest site at the Rachel Carson State Office Building (RCSOB) in Harrisburg (Department of Environmental Protection [DEP] 2007), the Gulf Tower in Pittsburgh, and the Cathedral of Learning in Pittsburgh (Western Pennsylvania Conservancy [WPC] 2007, National Aviary 2008). Young falcons at nests within driving distance of Philadelphia were banded by Art McMorris; those in the Pittsburgh area were banded by other Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC) personnel as noted below.
RESULTS
Peregrine falcons nested at 24 sites in Pennsylvania during 2007 (including bridges spanning the Delaware River on the Pennsylvania/New Jersey border). Young were produced at 17 sites and fledged successfully at 15 of the 24 sites. New nesting pairs were found at 8 sites: Allentown, Lehigh County; Columbia, Lancaster County; Reading, Berks County; Shikellamy, Union County; a cliff in Luzerne County; a power plant in Montour County; Etna, Allegheny County; and Monaca, Beaver County. Three of these 8 new nests were successful. The total number of nest sites occupied by pairs throughout the nesting season (24), the number of nests producing young (17), the number of successful nests (15) (defined as the number of nests that fledged young), and the number of young produced (48), banded (40) and fledged (43), were the highest since the beginning of the peregrine falcon recovery program.
The locations of the nest sites, results of the 2007 nesting season, summaries of the results from previous years, and breakdown by nest type are given in Tables 1, 2 and 3, and Figure 1. Banding data is presented in Table 4. Table 5 gives the data for age and origin of the breeding adults that have been identified, and Table 6 presents the details for the band recoveries obtained during the reporting period.
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Nests in Philadelphia Area, Southeast (SE) Region Six Delaware River bridges, 2 Schuylkill River bridges and several tall buildings in the Philadelphia area were monitored for peregrine falcon activity. Nesting activity was observed at 8 sites and success was confirmed at 5, with a total of 16 young. One third of the Commonwealth’s peregrine falcon nest sites are in the Philadelphia area.
Benjamin Franklin Bridge, Philadelphia County.--In 2006, activity was documented at this site for the first time in 11 years. The nest was active and successful again in 2007, and was monitored by volunteers Georgia and Barrie Ashby and several others. Two nestlings were observed when the nest was visited for banding on 29 May, but one nestling fledged prematurely, fell from the nest and died. The remaining chick (a female) was banded, and fledged successfully 2½ weeks later. On 19 June, 3 days after fledging, the fledgling was found on the bridge roadway (I-676). It was recovered by Delaware River Port Authority (DRPA) police and taken to the Woodford Cedar Run Wildlife Refuge in Medford, New Jersey, where it was evaluated and found to be uninjured and in good health. On the following day PGC personnel returned the fledgling to the nest. The fledgling was seen regularly during the following month, improving her flying skills. In mid-December the nest platform was modified to guard against the possibility of young falling from the nest in the future.
Betsy Ross Bridge, Philadelphia County and New Jersey.--For the ninth year in a row, young were produced in a nest box located on the New Jersey side of the river. Four nestlings were banded on 23 May by Kathleen Clark of the New Jersey Division of Fish, Game, and Wildlife. Three of the eyasses were transferred to the Three Rivers Avian Center, Brooks, West Virginia, for hacking at a cliff in the New River Gorge, as part of a program to re-introduce peregrine falcons to this part of their historic range and to increase the number of cliff-nesting birds.
Commodore Barry Bridge, Delaware County.--Activity at this site continues to be uncertain. A pair of peregrine falcons has been seen at the bridge during the nesting season, but no nest or young could be found by PGC personnel or volunteers monitoring from shore. However, the large size of the bridge makes it difficult to monitor adequately from shore. Bridge personnel have not found a nest or young during their routine maintenance activities, but there are large portions of the bridge that they rarely visit. Therefore, arrangements have been made so that PGC personnel can access the bridge itself to do inspections in the future.
Girard Point Bridge, Philadelphia County.--The Girard Point Bridge was one of the first peregrine falcon nesting sites in Pennsylvania, and may have been the very first, after re-introductions were begun. The site continued to be productive in 2007. A nest box is present under the lower deck of the bridge at each end of the main span, but this year the falcons instead chose to nest inside a steel box beam overhanging the river. This location was judged to be unsafe for the young falcons because it afforded little room for the young to exercise their wings prior to fledging, and provided no good perch to return to after taking their first flights. Therefore, when the nest was accessed for banding, the young were moved to the nest box at the eastern end of the main span, which was a short distance away and in clear view of the box beam. Two females and 1 male were banded on 23 May and moved to the nest box. Within a short time the parents began attending the young at their new location, and all 3 fledged about 2 weeks later. At least two fledglings continued to be seen in the area throughout the summer.
The alphanumeric color band on the nesting female was read, and she was identified as a bird that fledged from a nest in Ocean Gate, New Jersey in 2003 (Table 5). 71501 4
Pennsylvania-New Jersey Turnpike Connector Bridge, Bucks County.--This nest continues to be monitored by several dedicated volunteers led by Linda Rowan. The pair nested in the same box beam that they have used continuously since 2001, and on 23 May, PGC personnel visited the nest and banded 3 young (all females).
On 5 June, 1 of the newly fledged young was found on the ground on Radcliffe St. under the bridge, and was taken to The Aark Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Center for evaluation. The following day, another fledgling was found in a back yard on Radcliffe St., and was recovered by Cindy Ahern, a volunteer working with Tri-State Bird Rescue. Both birds were found to be uninjured and healthy. On 7 June both fledglings were returned to the top of a concrete bridge pier over land near the nest site, and both were quickly attended there by their parents. All 3 young were observed together for the next few days; at least 2 were seen together for the next month; and 1 was seen through the first week of August.
Philadelphia, Downtown, Philadelphia County.--This pair was monitored with the assistance of long-term volunteer Ed Mutzer and new volunteer Tony Croasdale. Beginning in mid-March, the pair were observed at the same bridge on the Schuylkill Expressway (I-76) over the Schuylkill River near Gray’s Ferry in Philadelphia where they successfully raised 3 young in 2005. Courtship and copulation were observed, but behavior suggesting incubation was not observed. Then, on 12 May, the adult female was found on the ground near the nest site, with a severed wing. The wound appeared to be several days old. She was taken to the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education - Wildlife Division, where she was immediately euthanized. She had been found near a large water-chilling plant for the University of Pennsylvania air-conditioning system; this structure affords high perches and a commanding view of the nest area. A possible scenario is that the bird had perched near a fan or some other machinery, which inflicted the injury.
On 14 May, 2 days after the injured female was recovered (but probably 4 days after the injury occurred), a new, unbanded female in juvenile plumage was observed perched under the bridge near the nest site. However, in spite of much searching, the male was not seen near the bridge for the rest of the nesting season, and no evidence of nesting or re-nesting was observed.
Peregrine falcons had formerly nested in a nest tray on Philadelphia City Hall tower (Brauning 2001), but beginning in 2001 the pair relocated their nest due to maintenance work, which encased the tower in scaffolding (Brauning 2002). This work has continued in an on-again off-again fashion for several years. The work was finally completed and the scaffolding was removed in mid-December 2006, raising hopes that the pair would return to the City Hall nest tray, which is a much more secure nest site than the Schuylkill Expressway bridge. However, this has not yet happened, possibly because of the presence of the new nesting pair at the Ben Franklin bridge only about 8/10 mile away from City Hall. Both of the Ben Franklin adults are very aggressive. On 1 September 2007, new scaffolding was erected on City Hall tower for yet another maintenance project.
In December 2007, personnel at 2400 Chestnut St., Philadelphia, reported seeing peregrine falcons and prey items on their rooftop, and building management contacted PGC and offered to build and install a nest box. 2400 Chestnut St., a 34-story apartment building, is the tallest building in the vicinity and immediately faces the Schuylkill River, affording commanding views and an open area for hunting over the river. It is in clear view of both the Schuylkill Expressway Bridge and City Hall tower, 71501 5 but is more than 2 miles away from the Ben Franklin Bridge. For these reasons it seems to be a much better nesting location for the Center City falcon pair, and so PGC cooperated with building personnel to construct and place a nest box. However, the box was not installed until 15 April 2008, much later than the date when peregrine falcons typically choose that season’s nest site.
Tacony-Palmyra Bridge, Philadelphia County.--A nest box was placed on top of this bridge by the Burlington County (New Jersey) Bridge Commission in the mid-1990’s and this site is managed by the New Jersey Division of Fish, Game, and Wildlife, even though the nest location is actually on the Pennsylvania side of the border. A pair of peregrine falcons was present at the site throughout the nesting season, and at one point the female appeared to be incubating, but eggs were never verified and no young were observed. Nesting was first observed at this site in 2004, but the nest has not yet been successful.
Walt Whitman Bridge, Philadelphia County and New Jersey.--For the second year in a row the resident pair of falcons nested in the nest box on top of the east (New Jersey) tower of the bridge. Four young were produced (2 males and 2 females) and were banded on 16 May by Kathleen Clark of the New Jersey Division of Fish, Game, and Wildlife. All 4 young fledged successfully.
Other nests in the SE Region Of the 24 active nest sites in Pennsylvania, 14 of them are in the SE region. In addition to the 8 in the Philadelphia area described above, there are 6 more active nests in other locations in the SE region. Three of these 6 nests were new in 2007, and one of the new nests was successful. Additionally, one inactive site is in the Region, at the Delaware Water Gap (see below).
Allentown, Lehigh County – NEW.--A nesting pair was found at a new nest at the PPL Corporation General Office (GO) building in downtown Allentown. During the 1990’s Jeff Luzenski, Senior Environmental Professional at PPL, cooperated with PGC’s “supplemental release” program by hacking captive-bred peregrine falcons from two hack boxes on the 21st floor of the GO building. During the winter of 2006-2007, Luzenski cleaned and refurbished the boxes and converted them into nest boxes. A falcon began frequenting the area in early February 2007, and in late March it was joined by a second bird, a female in juvenile plumage. The two remained at the site throughout the year and engaged in typical nesting activity, including copulation, but no eggs or young were produced.
The female was identified from her alphanumeric leg band as a bird that fledged in 2006 from a nest in Worcester, Massachusetts (Table 5). The adult male is unbanded.
Columbia, Lancaster County – NEW.--Another new nesting pair was found on the US Route 30 bridge which crosses the Susquehanna River between Columbia and Wrightsville, Lancaster County. Falcons were first reported at this location in January 2007 by local observer Eric Witmer, and the site was monitored by Mr. Witmer, Meredith Lombard, and several other volunteers. The birds exhibited nesting behavior which suggested a hatch date in early May, and so the site was visited by PGC personnel in early June for banding. The Route 30 bridge is a long bridge with separate spans for eastbound and westbound traffic. On 1 June a search of the eastbound (downstream) span, where falcon activity appeared to be centered, yielded no evidence of nesting. Upon searching the upstream span on 6 June, 3 abandoned unhatched eggs were found, 2 at one location and 1 at another location, indicating 2 failed nesting attempts during the 2007 season.
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The structure of this bridge provides only a poor substrate for a falcon nest and little protection from storm winds. To remedy the situation, PGC partnered with Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) Engineering District 8 to construct and install a nest box. The box was placed on top of one of the concrete piers on 7 January 2008, at a location frequented by the falcons and in an orientation that offered maximum protection from bad weather.
Delaware Water Gap, Northampton County.--Peregrine falcons continue to be observed at the Mount Minsi cliff, a historic nest site, but nesting has not been confirmed since 2004 and has not been successful since before the DDT era. Peregrines were observed sporadically at this location during the winter of 2006-2007 and continued until mid-April. From mid-April through mid-June, the only reports of peregrine falcons were second-hand reports of sightings on the New Jersey side of the river from an observer who could not be reached directly, despite many attempts. New Jersey wildlife officials were also unable to verify the reports.
Harrisburg, RCSOB, Dauphin County.--The Harrisburg nest has continued to be productive every year since its first success in 2000. PGC and DEP partner to manage this site. Five eggs were produced for the second year in a row, but this year 1 egg did not hatch. The 4 young (2 males and 2 females) were banded by PGC personnel on 24 May at an event attended by the public and broadcast on local TV and live Web cast (see below). The site continues to be monitored by a live video camera accessible on the Internet (DEP 2007).
During the medical inspection at the time of banding, 2 of the nestlings were found to have white patches in their mouths, possibly caused by Trichomonas infection. The young were monitored closely for the following days and did not exhibit symptoms of illness, but because of a history of fatal trichomoniasis at this site, the decision was made to administer medical treatment. On 5 June the young were re-captured and each was treated with 20 mg. Spartrix (carnidazole) orally. The young remained asymptomatic and all 4 fledged successfully 2 weeks later.
Two of the 4 fledglings were found dead before dispersal, 1 due to electrocution and the other due to an apparent window strike (Table 4).
Martin’s Creek PPL Power Plant, Martin’s Creek, Northampton County.--Peregrine falcons again bred successfully at this nest which was new in 2005. The nest box, mounted 350 feet above the ground on a 600-foot smokestack at the Martin’s Creek PPL power plant, is monitored by PPL employees John Depalma, Jack Hahn, and Jeff Luzenski. Four eggs were laid with 3 hatching. The 3 young (1 male and 2 females) were banded on 7 June. All 3 fledged successfully and were seen flying well until mid-August when they began to disperse.
Reading, Downtown, Berks County – NEW.--A new nest was discovered on a rooftop in downtown Reading. Although the building owners and managers initially gave permission to reveal the identity of the building, and its identity is therefore well known by locals, the owners have subsequently requested that the identity of the building be kept confidential.
In early March 2007, local observer Bill Uhrich reported seeing two peregrine falcons in downtown Reading exhibiting courtship behavior. Uhrich, an experienced birder who has published a book on the local avifauna, is quite confident that this pair was not present in previous seasons. PGC personnel visited the area in mid-March and searched for likely nest sites, and correctly identified the 71501 7 location of the future nest. The hack box which was used for supplemental releases during the 1990’s was still present on the roof of the Berks County Services Center, but it seemed unsuitable for a nest and indeed was not used.
Three eggs were laid and 2 hatched, and the 2 young (both males) were banded by PGC personnel on 14 June. On 27 June, at about the age that the young were expected to fledge, 1 young was found dead on the rooftop near the nest. The carcass was retrieved by WCO Dave Brockmeier and inspected by SE Regional personnel, but the cause of death could not be determined. The other eyas was believed to have fledged successfully but this was not confirmed.
Although building management were very helpful and cooperative in protecting the nesting birds and giving access for banding, they have notified PGC that access for banding will not be granted in the future.
Three Mile Island, Middletown, Dauphin County.--Nesting activity at the Three Mile Island (TMI) nuclear power station was documented by Michael Murphy of the Bureau of Radiation Protection, DEP, who works on-site. The nest is in an inaccessible location behind a concrete ventilator structure near a cornice on the #1 reactor containment building, approximately 125 feet from the ground. Two young were produced. As happens frequently at this site, one fledgling fell from the nest and was found unharmed on the ground on 4 June. The fledgling (a female) was recovered and banded by Jason DeCosky, formerly the local WCO and now Chief, Technical Services Division - Bureau of Wildlife Protection, PGC (Table 4). Both fledglings were observed flying well through at least mid-July.
The electric generators at this site are scheduled for replacement in 2009. This will be a major project involving cutting a large hole in the concrete wall of the reactor containment building to allow removal of the old generators and installation of the new ones, erection of cranes, etc. Discussions are ongoing between Dr. McMorris, engineers under the direction of project director Peter Omaggio, and other involved parties, so as to minimize disturbance to the nesting falcons. The project is scheduled to begin in late July or early August 2009 and to be completed by the end of December, thus avoiding the nesting and early post-fledging periods when the birds are most sensitive to disturbance. Possible enhancements to the nest site that may be done as part of the construction project are being discussed.
Northeast (NE) Region Nests Two established nests in the Wilkes-Barre area continued to be productive. In addition, two new nests were discovered in the NE region, and both were productive.
Luzerne County Cliff, Luzerne County – NEW.--A new nest was found at a cliff in Luzerne County at a location which is undisclosed at the landowner’s request. PGC first learned of peregrine falcons at this location via second-hand reports from an unknown hawk watcher. The reports proved to be correct, and a group of volunteers led by Bob Wasilewski together with agents of the landowner began monitoring the site. An unbanded adult female and a banded juvenile male were found to be nesting on a cliff ledge, and when the nest was inspected by PGC personnel on 30 May, 4 eggs were found. Two nestlings were documented on 10 June and continued to be observed in the following days, and a banding visit was scheduled for 26 June. However, on 19 June a helicopter was observed flying very close to the cliff face for an extended period of time, and the following day, the young and the nest structure itself (an abandoned common raven stick nest) were gone, apparently having been blown away by the prop wash. In spite of intensive searches, the young could not be found. 71501 8
On a subsequent visit the alphanumeric band of the male was photographed and read, and the male was found to be from the 2006 Martin’s Creek nest (Tables 5 and 6).
Montour PPL Power Plant, Montour County – NEW.--Another new nest was found at the PPL Montour Power Plant in Danville, Montour County. About 10 years previously a nest box had been placed in the window opening of an emissions equipment monitoring structure 470 feet above ground on the #2 stack (similar to the placement of the nest box at Martin’s Creek), but no falcons were observed using it until early in the 2007 nesting season. Early in 2007, plant employees reported seeing falcons frequenting the box. The reports were followed up by PPL Senior Environmental Professional Jeff Luzenski and PPL Naturalist Jon Beam, who confirmed the presence of peregrine falcons and documented 3 eggs in the nest box on 26 April. One egg hatched and the nestling was banded by PGC personnel on 4 June. The nestling is believed to have fledged successfully.
The breeding female was an unbanded adult, and the male was a banded juvenile. His band was read, and he was identified as one of the young from the 2006 cliff nest at Campbell’s Ledge in Luzerne County (Table 5).
The stack where the nest box is located has recently been decommissioned and replaced by one of 2 new scrubbers. PPL has given assurance that instead of demolishing the old stack, they will continue to maintain it, for the benefit of the falcons.
Pittston/Duryea, Luzerne County.--This nest, like the Wilkes-Barre nest and the new Luzerne County cliff nest, was monitored by local volunteer Bob Wasilewski. In 2002 – 2004 a pair bred successfully on the Fort Jenkins Bridge in Pittston (SR11 and the Susquehanna River North Branch), and then moved their nest to a nearby natural cliff, Campbell’s Ledge, a historic peregrine nesting site, in 2005 and 2006. The reason for the nest relocation is unknown. In 2007, the pair returned to the Fort Jenkins Bridge nest site, again for unknown reasons. Both parental birds were confirmed to be the same individuals that have nested there since 2002. On 30 May, PGC personnel banded 4 young, all males, at the nest. The 4 young fledged successfully and continued to be seen near the nest into the second week of July.
Wilkes-Barre, Luzerne County.--This pair nested in an inaccessible location on the Market St. Bridge in 2007 for the fifth year in a row. The nest was monitored by local volunteer Bob Wasilewski, and by Jeff Hartman, who was contracted by the US Army Corps of Engineers to monitor the safety of the falcons during a nearby construction project (the Wilkes-Barre Waterfront Project). Because of the inaccessibility of the nest, the young were not banded. Three young fledged from the nest in mid-July, and at least 2 were observed in the area until mid-August.
North Central (NC) Region Nests Two nests are present in the NC Region on cliffs overlooking the Susquehanna River West Branch. Both of these sites were peregrine falcon nest sites prior to the DDT era.
Montgomery Cliff, Lycoming County.--This site became the first successful cliff nest in Pennsylvania in 45 years when falcons nested and 1 young was fledged in 2003. The birds have nested at the cliff every year since then, but they often choose different ledges in successive years. Peregrines nested again in 2007 and two young were observed. However, when the nest was visited on 12 June for 71501 9 banding, the 2 nestlings, which had been seen within the last few days and were too young to fledge, could not be found. Predation by great horned owls is suspected. In 2004 a nestling disappeared shortly before banding age, and this nest has never fledged more than 1 bird per year, further suggesting predation pressure from great horned owls.
During the banding visit the old nest box was removed because it was falling apart and it had never been used.
The male that bred at this site in previous years had been identified previously (McMorris and Brauning, 2004, 2006), but his identity has not been confirmed recently and it is suspected that one or both of the original breeding adults has been replaced.
Shikellamy Cliff, Union County – NEW.--A new cliff nest was found in Shikellamy State Park at the junction of the Susquehanna River West and North Branches in Union County. A single peregrine falcon was found frequenting the cliff by local observer Allen Schweinsberg in April 2006, and it was joined by a second falcon at the end of May. However, both birds were in juvenile plumage, and no evidence of nesting was observed that year. In 2007 the pair were in residence since at least late February, and in March they were observed doing courtship displays and copulating. Behavior suggested that the pair began incubating in early April, and so the site was visited for banding on 4 June. Two nest scrapes were found on one ledge and 1 scrape on another, but no eggs or young were found.
A nest box had been placed on one of the cliff ledges by PGC during the early re-introduction period. The box is still present but the falcons have not been seen near it.
Nests in Pittsburgh Area, Southwest (SW) Region Four nests are present in the SW region. Two are well-established nests on tall buildings in downtown Pittsburgh, and the other two are new nests discovered this year on area bridges.
In cooperation with the PGC, the National Aviary under the direction of Dr. Todd Katzner has taken a leading role in the management of the 2 Pittsburgh building nests (Gulf Tower and University of Pittsburgh Cathedral of Learning), with the continued involvement of the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy (WPC). WPC maintained its Internet-linked video camera monitoring systems at the 2 sites through 2007 (WPC 2007), and the National Aviary installed new equipment and assumed responsibility for the systems in 2008 (National Aviary 2008).
Etna, 62nd St. Bridge, Allegheny County – NEW.--In mid-winter, local observer Dan Yagusic observed a peregrine falcon perched on the 62nd St. bridge which crosses the Allegheny River between Etna and Sharpsburg in the Pittsburgh area, and Mr. Yagusic has continued to monitor the site regularly. On 3 April the bird was joined by a second falcon, and both were observed to be banded. The site was visited by PGC personnel on 16 May, and 2 abandoned unhatched eggs were found. The eggs had been laid on a steel plate in a location which offered little protection from the weather, and it is suspected that the nest failure was caused by exposure during a storm. The falcons stayed at the site for the remainder of the nesting season but did not show any evidence of re-nesting.
Mr. Yagusic was able to read the bands of both parental birds. The female was hatched from a bridge nest in Virginia and hacked in the Shenandoah Mountains in 2002, and the male was from a 2004 nest in Boston, Massachusetts (Table 5). 71501 10
Because of the nest failure attributed to inadequacies in the nest site, a nest box was placed on the bridge during the winter of 2007-2008 close to the location of the failed nest. WCO Beth Fife and Doug Dunkerley arranged for the donation of materials and labor to build the box and coordinated its construction and placement on the bridge.
A second issue with this site is that PennDOT has scheduled the 62nd St. Bridge for major maintenance work. Work began in the spring of 2008 and is still in progress, causing substantial disturbance.
Monaca, East Rochester Bridge, Beaver County – NEW.--Another new nest was found in the Region; this one is on the Monaca-East Rochester Bridge which carries Pennsylvania Route 51 across the Ohio River in Beaver County. A peregrine falcon was reported at the site by Mark Vass on 9 Jan., and followed up by Scott Gregg who observed a pair on 26 February. Mr. Gregg now leads a group of volunteers who monitor the site regularly. On 31 May, PGC personnel banded 2 young (1 male and 1 female) and read the band on the nesting female, which identified it as a bird from a 2003 Chicago nest. Both nestlings fledged successfully but the male fledgling was found dead in late November in Louisville, Ohio (Tables 4 and 6).
Pittsburgh, Gulf Tower, Allegheny County.--The same pair continued to nest in a tray on the Gulf Tower in downtown Pittsburgh. The National Aviary coordinated with building personnel and local volunteers to monitor this nest. The pair was again successful in 2007, and 4 young were banded by PGC personnel on 16 May (Table 4). All 4 fledged successfully, but on 14 Nov., 1 was found in Clairton, Pennsylvania with a wing injury and died soon after admission to rehab (Tables 4, 6). The Gulf Tower has been productive since 1991 and has produced a cumulative total of 59 young, making it the most productive and the longest continuously successful site in Pennsylvania (see Table 1).
Pittsburgh, University of Pittsburgh Cathedral of Learning, Allegheny County.--The pair at the University of Pittsburgh’s Cathedral of Learning in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh nested again in the nest tray placed in 2002 by Charles Bier. This pair was monitored by a crew of local enthusiasts led by Kate St. John. The pair produced 4 young (2 males and 2 females), which were banded by PGC personnel on 31 May (Table 4). All 4 fledged successfully and were observed through the summer. One of the fledglings was found dead in Amherstburg, Ontario on 25 January 2008, an apparent road kill (Tables 4 and 6).
The 42-story Cathedral of Learning underwent a $4.8 million cleaning project in 2007 to remove 70 years’ accumulation of dirt and soot. The cleaning process involved soaking with cleaning solution and then washing with pressurized water containing powdered glass. Phil Hieber, Facilities Manager for the building and director of the project, graciously coordinated with PGC and other interested parties to arrange the work schedule so as to minimize disturbance to the falcons. As a result, no detrimental effects on the falcons were noted. The area in the vicinity of the nest tray was cleaned well after fledging, and at that time the old nest tray was removed. Under the coordination of WCO Beth Fife, a new nest tray was built and put in place in late August.
Productivity A total of 24 nest sites were occupied throughout the 2007 breeding season, and 15 of those nests were successful (63%), fledging 43 young (Tables 1 and 2). (Successful nests are defined as those 71501 11 that fledged young.) Two additional nests produced young that did not fledge successfully, for a total of 17 productive nests and 48 young produced (Tables 1 and 2). These numbers are all-time highs since the beginning of the peregrine falcon restoration program. One nest site, at the Delaware Water Gap, was abandoned (Table 1). The site was occupied by a pair in 2003 and 2004, but the pair abandoned the site early in the 2005 nesting season. This site has not yet been successful in the post-DDT era.
Overall productivity was 1.8 young fledged per pair (24 pairs total), or 2.9 young fledged per successful pair (15 successful pairs). The number of pairs and number of young produced for each nest type (bridge, building, smokestack and cliff) is shown in Table 3.
One third of the nests in Pennsylvania were new this year (8 out of 24), and only 3 of the 8 were successful (38%), fledging 4 young (0.5 per pair, 1.3 per successful pair). The low productivity figures for the new nests are to be expected: peregrine falcons are often unsuccessful or produce few young in their first nesting attempt.
Five nestlings are known to have been lost prior to fledging, and 6 young are known to have been lost after fledging, 3 prior to dispersal from the nest site, and 3 after dispersal (Tables 1, 2, 4 and 6). The actual number of young lost was undoubtedly higher than this, but losses prior to the banding visit (which is typically 22-30 days after hatching) or after fledging are very difficult to document.
Unhatched eggs were documented at 9 nests, for a total of 16 known unhatched eggs (Table 2). However, as with undetected losses of nestlings, it is most likely that there are unhatched eggs that are destroyed before the nest is visited for banding, and therefore go undetected. For example, 3 eggs were observed at the nest at the Montour power plant on 26 April, but when the nest was visited again for banding on 4 June, only 1 nestling was present, with no evidence of unhatched eggs or dead nestlings. At most sites it is not possible to see into the nest until the banding visit, so those 2 unhatched eggs would have gone undetected.
Unhatched eggs were collected for contaminant analysis whenever possible (see below).
Banding A total of 40 young were banded at 14 of the 17 productive nest sites. Details and band numbers are given in Table 4. When the young were not banded, it was either because they were lost prior to banding (Luzerne County and Montgomery cliff nests) or because the nest was inaccessible (Wilkes- Barre).
Contaminant Analysis Whenever possible, unhatched eggs that were found during the banding visit (i.e. 20-30 days after the eggs should have hatched) were collected and stored at -20 C. At the end of the season the eggs were shipped on dry ice to collaborators at the Department of Environmental & Aquatic Animal Health, Virginia Institute of Marine Science, College of William and Mary, Virginia, for contaminant analysis. To date, analyses have not been completed.
Disturbance: Construction and Maintenance Activities at Nest Sites Since 21 of the 24 nests are on man-made structures, human activities frequently present the possibility of disturbance. Some disturbance is chronic and unavoidable (e.g. vibration and traffic noise on bridges), but the falcons have shown their acceptance of that disturbance by choosing the nest site in 71501 12 the first place. PGC is in contact with personnel at all sites so that other activities (e.g. construction, bridge inspection, etc.) can be arranged so as to minimize conflicts between the birds and necessary human activities, and to protect the safety of the workmen and the birds. Major projects are detailed above in the nest site descriptions. These major projects include:
Philadelphia City Hall: scaffolding and maintenance projects on City Hall Tower. Three Mile Island: generator replacement scheduled for 2009. Montour: decommissioning of the stack on which the nest box is mounted. Wilkes-Barre: waterfront construction project adjacent to the nest. Etna 62nd St.: major bridge rehabilitation project. University of Pittsburgh Cathedral of Learning: power-washing of the entire building.
Parental Birds Parental birds at Pennsylvania nest sites have been identified wherever possible. Table 5 summarizes the band information for pairs in which at least 1 member of the pair is banded and at least some band information can be read. The 8 new breeding pairs naturally consisted of new parental birds. In addition, new breeding birds were identified at 2 established nest sites: a new breeding female at the Girard Point Bridge in Philadelphia, and a new female at the Philadelphia city nest at the Schuylkill Expressway bridge (Table 5). The latter arrived late in the nesting season after the death of the resident female and did not nest (see nest site description above and Table 5).
Complete band information has been read for 21 parental birds, but one of those was banded as an adult after she arrived at the breeding site and so her origin is unknown (Table 5). Partial band information is available for 2 of the parental birds. A partial combination was read on the male that has nested at the Pennsylvania/New Jersey Turnpike bridge since 2006: the color band is Black/Green, either *4/*R or *4/*K. Those bands were used in Philadelphia in 2003, on the Girard Point Bridge and the Walt Whitman Bridge, respectively. The nesting male at the Girard Point Bridge has a silver US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) band on his right leg but no color band on his left leg. Nearly all peregrine falcons that are banded in the East receive bands on both legs. During the 2004 season the PGC ran short of color bands, and therefore the birds banded at the Girard Point, Walt Whitman and Pennsylvania/New Jersey Turnpike bridges received only a silver USFWS band on the right leg (all 3 nests included males). The male currently nesting at the Girard Point Bridge may have fledged from one of those nests.
In total, partial or complete band information has been obtained for 22 of the 48 nesting adults, or 46%. At least 9 (i.e. 19%) are known to be unbanded.
Adult females breeding in Pennsylvania fledged from nests in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York (2 birds), Ohio, Massachusetts, Vermont, Virginia, Illinois and Wisconsin. In contrast, breeding males originated from Pennsylvania (7 birds confirmed, 2 probable), New Jersey, Massachusetts and Ohio. Of the males whose origins are known, fully 75% are definitely or probably from Pennsylvania nests, whereas only 1 of the females is from Pennsylvania. These findings are consistent with the general observation in peregrine falcons, as well as in other avian species, that females tend to disperse greater distances and over broader areas than males, with obvious consequences for the maintenance of genetic diversity.
No obvious correlation can be seen between the characteristics of the sites chosen by the adults 71501 13 for nesting as compared with the type of nest they were raised in. Indeed, one male that fledged from a nest box on a smokestack (Martin’s Creek) is now nesting at a natural site (Luzerne County cliff), and another male that fledged from a natural site (Campbell’s Ledge cliff) has selected a nest box on a smokestack for breeding (Montour) (see Table 5). However, the sample is too small for statistical analysis.
Recoveries There were 14 recoveries of peregrine falcons banded in Pennsylvania, or of birds banded elsewhere and recovered in Pennsylvania, during the past year. The 14 recoveries represent 13 birds, because 1 bird was recovered twice. Details of these recoveries are given in Table 6. Most of the 13 birds recovered were alive, either nesting or sighted as transients. Only 3 of the recoveries were of dead or injured birds.
Nine of the 13 birds recovered had fledged from Pennsylvania nests, in the years 2004 (1 bird), 2005 (1 bird), 2006 (3 birds) and 2007 (4 birds). Five of those 9 Pennsylvania birds were recovered in Pennsylvania: 1 was injured and died in rehab, 2 were sight records of free-living birds, and 3 were found breeding successfully in Pennsylvania. (One of the 9 was recovered twice: as a sight record of a transient bird and later as a nesting bird.) Of the other 4 Pennsylvania-fledged birds, 2 were found dead (1 in Ohio and 1 in Ontario) and 2 were found nesting successfully (1 in Ohio and 1 in Ontario). All 3 birds that fledged from Pennsylvania nests and were later recovered breeding in Pennsylvania were males. Of the 2 birds that fledged from Pennsylvania nests and were recovered elsewhere, 2 were males and 2 were females.
Four birds that were banded outside of Pennsylvania were recovered as nesting adults in Pennsylvania. These birds originated in New York (female), Massachusetts (male) and Virginia (2 females).
Outreach Groups were invited to attend peregrine banding events where logistics made this possible, most notably at the RCSOB (see below), the University of Pittsburgh Cathedral of Learning, and the Gulf Tower in Pittsburgh. These are popular events, drawing capacity crowds. Details of outreach activities are provided as follows.
Rachel Carson State Office Building.--The peregrine nest site was again monitored with live video Web streaming at the RCSOB in Harrisburg (DEP 2007). The Web site, with its Web cam, supporting information, email account, falcon story submission and related links, continues to be one of the most popular wildlife watching Web sites in the world.
Pittsburgh Nest Sites.--Web cameras at the nest sites at the University of Pittsburgh Cathedral of Learning and the Gulf Tower in Pittsburgh were again provided by the WPC in 2007 (WPC 2007), and, beginning in 2008, maintenance of the cameras and Web pages was assumed by the National Aviary (National Aviary 2008). These allow the public to watch live video Web streaming of nesting activity at these 2 sites.
Banding Events.--The falcon banding event at the RCSOB, for the seventh season, provided the opportunity to allow school students to observe the banding of the eyasses with their teachers. Over 150 students and teachers from various schools and environmental education centers attended the event. The 71501 14 event was also broadcast live on local TV, and worldwide by live Web cast. The National Aviary and the WPC partnered with the PGC to invite members of the public and the local media to attend the banding at the University of Pittsburgh Cathedral of Learning and the Gulf Tower in Pittsburgh.
Teacher In-Service Workshop.--DEP and the Game Commission again partnered to facilitate a spring endangered species education teacher in-service workshop at the RCSOB. On 3 April, 35 Pennsylvania teachers and environmental educators were instructed on peregrine falcon reintroduction efforts, endangered species curriculum activities, and teaching techniques to address urban habitat.
Public Presentations.--Dan Brauning and Art McMorris presented talks on peregrine falcon biology and population dynamics and the Pennsylvania Peregrine Falcon Recovery and Management Plan to various public groups during the year.
Media Coverage.--Peregrine falcons continue to capture the public’s interest and are frequently featured in the media. Banding events and other stories related to peregrine falcons at various sites in Pennsylvania were featured in numerous newspaper stories and reports on radio and TV throughout the year. PGC’s work with peregrine falcons is also publicized on the Web via blogs that are too numerous to keep track of. A partial list of print and broadcast media appearances follows.
Newspaper articles: Associated Press Beaver County Times The Daily Item (Sunbury) Easton Express-Times Johnstown Tribune-Democrat Lancaster New Era (multiple stories) Morning Call (Allentown) (multiple stories) Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (7 stories) Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (5 stories) Reading Eagle (multiple stories)
Radio Broadcasts: WYEP-FM (Pittsburgh) Allegheny Front – feature story, which was also broadcast by: WRFA-FM (Jamestown New York) WIUP-FM (Indiana Pennsylvania) WPSU-AM&FM (University Park)
TV Broadcasts: WFMZ Channel 69, Allentown WPVI Channel 6 (ABC) Philadelphia CNN WTAE Channel 4 (ABC) Pittsburgh (5 appearances) KDKA Channel 2 (CBS) Pittsburgh (2 appearances) WNEP Channel 16 Scranton – full 30-minute episode of “Pennsylvania Outdoor Life”
RECOMMENDATIONS
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1. Nest trays should be placed on any building or bridge where peregrine falcons are nesting and the nest site is judged to be insecure for nesting birds. Eyasses in bridge girders should be transferred to a suitable nest tray to increase prospects of successful fledging. Placing of nest boxes on man-made structures where falcons are not already nesting, in an attempt to lure birds there, is no longer recommended; it is preferable to let the birds seek out natural sites.
2. Maintenance and construction on bridges supporting nesting peregrines should be coordinated with wildlife biologists in the Environmental Review Division to assure minimized disturbance of nesting birds.
3. Young should be banded at nest sites wherever feasible.
4. Inspections of historic cliff and potential urban nest sites should be completed at regular intervals, in accordance with federal monitoring protocols.
LITERATURE CITED
Brauning, D. W. 2001. Peregrine Falcon Research/Management Annual Report. Pennsylvania Game Commission. Harrisburg, USA.
Brauning, D. W. 2002. Peregrine Falcon Research/Management Annual Report. Pennsylvania Game Commission. Harrisburg, USA.
Brauning, D. W., and J. D. Hassinger. 2001. Peregrine falcon recovery and management plan. Pennsylvania Game Commission. Harrisburg, USA.
Department of Environmental Protection [DEP]. 2007. Peregrine Falcon Web page.
McMorris, F. A., and D. W. Brauning. 2004. Peregrine Falcon Research/Management Annual Report. Pennsylvania Game Commission. Harrisburg, USA.
McMorris, F. A., and D. W. Brauning. 2006. Peregrine Falcon Research/Management Annual Report. Pennsylvania Game Commission. Harrisburg, USA.
Western Pennsylvania Conservancy. 2007. Western Pennsylvania Conservancy Web sites.
National Aviary. 2008. National Aviary Web sites.
Hacking summary 10 1 -3 Number of pairs 8 8 10 10 10 12 12 13 15 15 24 Number of successful nestsf 10 13 13 15 Young produced 7 12 20 18+ 18 33 35 31 34 42 48 Nestlings known lostg 5 Fledglings known lost (near nest) 1 1 1 4 4 2 1 2 4 1 3
71501 17 Table 1 (cont.). Number of young peregrine falcons produced in Pennsylvania by nest site, 1997-2007a. Number produced per yearb Locations 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 Known post-dispersal mortality 1 1 3 2 3 3 a Includes nests on the New Jersey side of Delaware River bridges. b Where no young were produced, “E” indicates eggs were documented, "S" represents a single adult bird observed through the breeding season, "SP" is a sub-adult pair present, "P" is a pair present, but no nesting attempt documented, “NP” is a pair present which nested but did not produce young, and a “?” reflects uncertainty of activity. c Nest was on the New Jersey side of the bridge. d Three of the 4 young were transferred to West Virginia cliff hacking site by NJ Div. Fish & Wildlife. e Eggs were pulled for hacking. f Successful nests are defined as those that fledged young. g Data for nestlings known lost begin in 2007.
71501 18 Table 2. Productivity by nest site, 2007. Nest Unhatched Total Known lost Nest site Typea Statusb Eggsc Young Banded Fledged Pre-fledge Post-fledge Allentown, PPL GO Bldg. Bl + NP 0 Ben Franklin Bridge Br + BP 2 1 1 1 Betsy Ross Bridge (NJ) Br + BP 4f 4 4 Columbia, Rte. 30 Bridge Br - NP 3 0 Commodore Barry Bridge Br -d P 0? Etna, 62nd St. Bridge Br - NP 2 0 Girard Point Bridge Br +e BP 3 3 3 Harrisburg, RCSOB Bl + BP 1 4 4 4 2 Luzerne County cliff Cl - BP 2 2 0 0 2 Martin’s Creek PPL plant Sm + BP 1 3 3 3 Monaca, E. Rochester Bridge Br - BP 2 2 2 1 Montgomery Cliff Cl - BP 1 0 0 1 Montour PPL Plant Sm + BP 2 1 1 1 PA/NJ Turnpike Bridge Br # BP 1 3 3 3 1 Philadelphia, Schuylkill.Exp. Br - NP 0 Pittsburgh, Gulf Tower Bl + BP 0 4 4 4 1 Pittsburgh, Pitt Cathedral Bl + BP 0 4 4 4 1 Pittston/Duryea: Pittston Br. Br - BP 4 4 4 Reading, downtown Bl # BP 1 2 2 1 1 Shikellamy Cliff Cl - NP 0 Tacony-Palmyra Bridge (NJ) Br + NP 0 Three Mile Island, Middletown Bl - BP 2 1 2 Walt Whitman Bridge (NJ) Br +e BP 4 4 4 Wilkes-Barre Br - BP 3 3 0 3 Totals 24 sites;17 BP,6 NP,1P 16 48 40 43 5 6 a Bl = building, Br = bridge, Cl = cliff, Sm = smokestack. + = nest box or tray, # = other enhancement (e.g., gravel), - = no nest site enhancement. b BP = breeding pair (produced young); NP = pair nested but did not produce young; P = pair, no evidence of nesting activity; S = single adult bird present throughout nesting season; ? = uncertain activity, No = no activity c Observed numbers of unhatched eggs or of lost young; actual numbers may be higher. Where no number is shown, eggs or young may have been lost without being detected. d Nest box is no longer present at this bridge. e Two nest boxes are present. f 3 young were transported to West Virginia for hacking. 71501 19 Table 3. Number of young peregrine falcons produced in Pennsylvania by nest type, 2007. No. successful Number of Number of Nest type No. of pairs pairs young produced young fledged Man-made structures: Bridge 13 8 25 24 Building 6 5 16 15 Smokestack 2 2 4 4 Total 21 15 45 43 Natural sites: Cliff 3 0 3 0 71501 20
Table 4. Peregrine falcon band numbers used in Pennsylvania, 2007a. Banding USFWS Color Wght. County Location Date Sex Band Bandb,c g. Taped Allegheny Gulf Tower 16 May M 2206-79706 67/X 700 - Me 2206-79707 68/X 700 - M 2206-79708 69/X 660 - F 1687-00503 A/60 920 -
Allegheny U. Pitt. Cathedral 31 May M 2206-79709 70/X 670 red M 2206-79710 71/X 620 yellow Ff 1687-00505 80/Y 850 green F 1687-00506 81/Y 880 blue
Beaver Monaca bridge 31 May Mg 2206-79711 72/X 640 red F 1687-00507 82/Y 740 blue
Berks Reading, downtown 14 June Mh 2206-80639 27/X 420 green M 2206-80640 28/X 630 yellow
Bucks PA/NJ Turnpike 23 May F 1687-10829 A/62 980 blue F 1687-10830 A/63 960 red F 1687-10831 A/64 975 white
Dauphin Harrisburg, RCSOB 24 May M 2206-80631 20/X 485 yellow Mi 2206-80633 21/X 530 green Fj 1687-10834 A/67 550 red F 1687-10835 A/68 730 blue
Dauphin TMI Middletown 4 June F 2206-70224k *4/*Y 860 -
Luzerne Pittston bridge 30 May M 2206-80634 22/X 545 white M 2206-80635 23/X 625 red M 2206-80636 24/X 675 blue M 2206-80637 25/X 650 green
Montour Montour PPL plant 4 June F 1687-10837 A/70 900 -
Northampton Martin’s Creek PPL 7 June M 2206-80638 26/X 690 red F 1687-10838 A/71 940 white F 1687-10839 A/72 920 blue
Philadelphia Ben Franklin Bridge 29 May F 1687-10836 A/69 985 -
Philadelphia Girard Point Bridge 23 May M 2206-80624 75/X 665 blue F 1687-10832 A/65 985 red F 1687-10833 A/66 910 white Table 4 (cont.). Peregrine falcon band numbers used in Pennsylvania, 2007a. County Location Banding Sex USFWS Color Wght 71501 21
Date Band Bandb,c g. Taped (New Jersey) Betsy Ross Bridge 23 May M?l 987-95679 *I/*U Ml 2206-75744 *I/*V F 987-95678 65/Y Fl 987-95680 66/Y
(New Jersey) Walt Whitman Bridge 16 May M 2206-75739 49/Y M 2206-75740 *I/*M F 987-95675 62/Y F 987-95676 63/Y a Includes nests on NJ side of Delaware River bridges. b All color bands are Black/Green. c Characters marked with an “*” are in a horizontal position, top to left. d Color of tape placed over USFWS band. “-” = no color tape used. e Found injured in Clairton, PA 11/14/07; died in rehab. f Found dead in Amhertsburg, Ontario, 1/25/08 (road kill). g Found dead in Louisville, OH, 11/28/07, apparently electrocuted. h Found dead at nest site 6/27/07. Cause of death unknown. i Found dead near nest site 25 June, apparent window strike. j Found dead at railroad line near nest 26 August, apparently electrocuted. k Band was enlarged to size 7. l Removed and hacked in West Virginia.
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Table 5. Identities of parental peregrine falcons, 2007a. Number Color Banding Age at Nest Site Parent Band Bandb Color date Banding Banding Site Allentown PPL GO bldg.c Md none none Fd 1807-76454 07/Z Bl/Gr 5/31/2006 Nestling Fallon bldg, Worcester MA Ben Franklin Bridge M none none F 1807-62116 25/E Bl/Gr 6/26/2003e Nestling LTV Steel Bldg, Cleveland, OH Etna, 62nd St. bridgec Md 2206-01259 *4/*5 Bl/Gr 6/2/2004 Nestling Fed. Reserve Bank, Boston, MA VA: bridge nest in Hopewell; hacked in Fd 0987-51249 *9/*B Bl/Gr 5/20/2002 Nestling Shenandoah Mts. Girard Point Bridge M presentf none g g Fd 1807-37492 *K/*V Bl/Rd 5/22/2003 Nestling Ocean Gate, NJ
Harrisburg, RCSOB M 2206-24690 *W/*V Bl/Rd 5/19/2003 Nestling Walt Whitman Bridge, Phila PA F 2206-24657 *4/*4 Bl/Rd 5/29/1998 Nestling Girard Pt. Bridge, Phila, PA
Luzerne County cliffc Md 2206-80632 3/Z Bl/Gr 6/15/2006 Nestling Martin’s Creek PPL plant, PA Fd none none Monaca, E. Rochester br.c Md none none Fd 1807-91956 26/B Bl/Gr 6/23/2003e Nestling 125 S. Wacker, Chicago, IL Montour PPL plantc Md 2206-80627 64/X Bl/Gr 5/25/2006 Nestling Campbell’s Ledge, PA Fd none none PA/NJ Turnpike Bridge M presentf *4/? Bl/Gr 2003? Philadelphia, PA? F 1807-63442 *S/2 Bl/Rd 5/30/2002 Nestling Castleton-on-Hudson, NY Phila., Schuylkill Expwy M none none Fh 1807-63374 *U/*7 Bl/Rd 5/25/2001 Nestling NY Presbyterian Hosp, NY, NY Pittsburgh, Gulf Tower M 2206-24689 *4/*E Bl/Gr 6/11/2002 Nestling Pitt.Cathedral, Pittsburgh, PA F 1807-44139 *6/7 Bl/Rd 5/08/1998 Breeding Gulf Tower, Pittsburgh, PA
Adult Pittsburgh, University of M 2206-35752 *T/W Bl/Rd 6/20/1998e Nestling Rhodes Bldg., Columbus, OH Pittsburgh Cathedral F 1807-77607 5/*A Bl/Gr 6/15/1999e Nestling Firstar Bldg., Milwaukee, WI
Table 5 (cont.). Identities of parental peregrine falcons, 2007a. 71501 23
Number Color Banding Age at Nest Site Parent Band Bandb Color date Banding Banding Site Pittston/Duryea: M 2206-24673 *X/L Bl/Rd 6/02/2000 Nestling Wilkes-Barre, PA Ft. Jenkins bridge F none none Readingc Md 2206-80617 3/T Bl/Gr 5/26/05 Nestling RCSOB, Harrisburg, PA Fd none none Hacked Walt Whitman Bridge M 0816-11879 U/3 Bl/Rd 6/13/1994 Trenton, NJ young F none none Hacked Wilkes-Barre M 2206-24643 *P/5 Bl/Rd 7/19/1996 Williamsport, PA young F 0987-63774 8/Y Bl/Rd 5/28/1997 Nestling Fairlee Palisades Cliff, VT a Data are shown only for pairs in which at least one bird is banded and at least some band data are known. b Characters marked with an “*” are in a horizontal position, top to left. c New breeding pair in 2007. d New parental bird in 2007. e Fledge date. f USFWS band present; band number not known. g Bird was in immature plumage 2005, indicating 2004 hatch date. Possibly from Walt Whitman bridge, Girard Point bridge or PA/NJ Turnpike connector bridge nest in 2004; these birds received USFWS band but no color band. h Female *U/*7 injured and euthanized 5/12/07; nesting failed. Was replaced 5/14/07 by new female in juvenile plumage; new female did not nest.
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Table 6. Peregrine falcon recoveries, 1 July 2007 – 30 June 2008. Banding Band Color Recovery Banding Site Date Numbers Banda Color Sex Date Recovery Site Status Hopewell VA & 5/20/02 0987-51249 *9/*B Bl/Gr F 7/28/07 62nd St. Bridge, Etna Nesting (eggs) Shenandoah Mts, VA Castleton-on-Hudson PA/NJ Turnpike Breeding 5/30/02 1807-63442 *S/2 Bl/Rd F 5/24/05c NY Bridge, PA successfully Federal Reserve Bank 62nd St. Bridge, Nesting 6/2/04 2206-01259 *4/*5 Bl/Gr M 1/31/08 Boston, MA Etna, PA (eggs) U. Pitt. Cathedral I-480 bridge, Breeding 6/8/04 1807-44198 *P/*8d Bl/Gr F 3/20/07e Pittsburgh PA Cleveland, OH successfully Breeding RCSOB, Harrisburg PA 5/26/05 2206-80617 3/T Bl/Gr M 2/11/08 Reading, PA successfully Commodore Barry Breeding Mockhorn Island VA 6/13/05 1807-02711 04/V Bl/Gr F 6/19/08 Bridge, PA successfully Burlington Lift Gulf Tower Breeding 5/22/06 2206-80611 3/K Bl/Gr M 4/5/08 Bridge, Hamilton, Pittsburgh, PA successfully Ontario E. Rochester br., Breeding RCSOB, Harrisburg PA 5/24/06 1687-10824 75/Y Bl/Gr F 5/19/08 Monaca PA successfully Martin’s Creek PPL, Alive (sight 6/15/06 2206-80632 3/Z Bl/Gr M 2/17/08f Wilkes-Barre PA Martin’s Creek PA record) Martin’s Creek PPL, Luzerne Co. Cliff Breeding 6/15/06 2206-80632 3/Z Bl/Gr M 6/13/08 f Martin’s Creek PA PA Successfully Gulf Tower Injured; died in 5/16/07 2206-79707 68/X Bl/Gr M 11/14/07 Clairton PA Pittsburgh, PA rehab. Gulf Tower Downtown Pittsburgh Alive (sight 5/16/07 1687-00503 A/60 Bl/Gr F 3/1/08 Pittsburgh, PA PA record) U. Pitt. Cathedral, Dead 5/31/07 1687-00505 80/Y Bl/Gr F 1/25/08 Amherstburg Ontario Pittsburgh PA (road kill) Dead Monaca bridge, PA 5/31/07 2206-79711 72/X Bl/Gr M 11/28/07 Louisville OH (electrocuted) Table 6 (cont.). Peregrine falcon recoveries, 1 July 2007 – 30 June 2008. a Characters marked with an “*” are in a horizontal position, top to left. 71501 25
b Hatched at nest on the Benjamin Harrison Bridge, Hopewell, VA; hacked at cliff in Shenandoah Mts., VA. c Bird arrived at nesting site and partial band reading obtained 2005; complete band reading 2006; identification achieved 2008. d Band is upside down; reads as *8/*P Gr/Bl. e Tentative band reading 3/20/07; reading confirmed and bird identified 3/18/08. f Two recoveries for this bird.
Figure 1. Peregrine falcon nest locations, 2007, showing nest sites (star), major rivers, and urban areas.