Peregrine Falcon Field Notes-January 29, 2007, The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota

By Jackie Fallon

January 29, 2007
This Field Notes section is something new to The Raptor Center’s Web site, so I am going to start with the Who, What, Where, When, and Whys to bring you up to speed.

Who: My name is Jackie Fallon, a clinic and flight volunteer for The Raptor Center and a zookeeper at the Minnesota Zoo in Apple Valley. I have been involved with The Raptor Center since 1989, primarily focused in the clinic, flight, and education departments. During the early years of my volunteer career at TRC, I became fascinated with peregrine falcons and the restoration project in Minnesota. I took every opportunity I could to participate in the care, releases, and monitoring of the species under the leadership of Dr. Pat Redig and Harrison “Bud” Tordoff.

Jackie Fallon and Harrison "Bud" Tordoff band a peregrine falcon chick.

In 2006, I was asked to take over the responsibility for monitoring the majority of the nesting sites in Minnesota, and I was off! Last year was very exciting, nerve wracking, and challenging for me, but also so very rewarding.

What: The project I am working on involves monitoring peregrine falcons in the Midwestern United States -- from their near eradication in the 1950-1960s to their de-listing in 1999 and the post-de-listing recovery stage. I am involved with identification of all breeding adults, determining nesting success, determining banding dates, banding and collecting biological samples from any chicks produced, and working very closely with the building managers and the public. For more information on the entire Midwestern population, please go to www.midwestperegrine.org.

Where: I monitor more than 40 of the nesting sites in Minnesota. Bob Anderson, a falconer and falcon breeder in Iowa, monitors the other sites in the state. These sites range from natural cliffs on Lake Superior and the Mississippi River to many buildings and bridges in the urban area.

When: I am usually busiest from mid-February through early September. This is when I spend time identifying breeding birds at any known nesting site, trying to determine nesting success, scheduling any banding of the young chicks, and monitoring their success once they fledge from the site. During the remainder of the year, I am also looking at nesting sites, writing reports, answering questions, ordering equipment, and getting ready for the next peregrine field season. It seems that when you are finished with one nesting season, another season is going to start very soon!

Why: Why not? Even though the peregrine falcon is not on the endangered species list anymore, it still needs to go through a period of monitoring to ensure that there is continued survival. Also, this “sub-population” of peregrine falcons in the lower 48 states has been recognized as one of the most heavily studied and monitored population in the world. Nearly 85 percent of our population is banded, which tells us many things about the individual as well as the regional population. This information is valuable, not only to peregrine falcons, but other raptor populations and wildlife recovery programs. This project is truly a community effort of success!