ALBANY - Peregrine falcons are flourishing on the cliffs, bridges and skyscrapers of New York state, four decades after pesticides eliminated the sky-diving predators from the eastern United States.
Pete Grannis, commissioner of the Department of Environmental Conservation, said 2008 was a record-setting year for peregrine falcons in the state. A new report released Thursday documents 67 territorial pairs of peregrines in the state in 2008 and 130 hatchlings from 60 breeding pairs.
Although the birds remain on New York's endangered species list, the state has the largest population in the East.
Peregrine falcons feed mainly on other birds and can dive at more than 200 miles per hour in pursuit of prey.
The number of peregrine falcons across North America collapsed after World War II - a decline attributed mainly to the widespread use of the pesticide DDT, which causes eggshell thinning.
After DDT was banned, a restoration program was begun in 1970 by the Peregrine Fund, a global organization founded by Cornell University ornithologist Tom Cade. About 6,000 captive-reared falcons were released from the mid-70s through late '80s in North America, including 169 in New York.
The first nesting pairs in New York were found on two bridges in New York City in 1983. Two years later, the first non-urban peregrine nesters were found on two Adirondack cliffs.
Now, there are about 20 pairs in New York City, 25 in the Adirondacks, a pair on every major Hudson River bridge between New York City and Albany, and a half-dozen pairs scattered across the rest of the state.
The birds were removed from the national endangered species list in 1999 but remain on the endangered list in many states including New York.
In 2006, there were about 3,300 nesting pairs in North America, compared to about 1,750 pairs when the birds were removed from the endangered list in 1999, said Michael Green, a biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The greatest numbers are in western states, including California and Arizona, which each have more than 200 nesting pairs, he said.
Wooden nest platforms have been placed at many sites for the birds, which don't build nests. Webcams allow the public to watch peregrine pairs and hatchlings at numerous urban sites, including Rochester's Kodak building; Hudson River bridges in Albany and Poughkeepsie; Buffalo's Statler Building; the state tower building in Syracuse; and the 55 Water Street office building in lower Manhattan.
Many of the falcon fledglings are banded, and several have had radio transmitters attached to provide information about their travels and survival rate after they leave the nest, said DEC research scientist Barbara Loucks.
“One bird that hatched last year in Rochester has been hanging around Nantucket all winter,” Loucks said. Photos and stories about that bird, named Quest, have been posted on a blog on the Rochester Falconcam Web site.
The Webcams will be turned on when breeding season gets under way in the spring. Peregrine falcons generally lay eggs in early April in the Northeast, and they hatch in April or May.
Although the birds remain on New York's endangered species list, the state has the largest population in the East.
Peregrine falcons feed mainly on other birds and can dive at more than 200 miles per hour in pursuit of prey.
The number of peregrine falcons across North America collapsed after World War II - a decline attributed mainly to the widespread use of the pesticide DDT, which causes eggshell thinning.
After DDT was banned, a restoration program was begun in 1970 by the Peregrine Fund, a global organization founded by Cornell University ornithologist Tom Cade. About 6,000 captive-reared falcons were released from the mid-70s through late '80s in North America, including 169 in New York.
The first nesting pairs in New York were found on two bridges in New York City in 1983. Two years later, the first non-urban peregrine nesters were found on two Adirondack cliffs.
Now, there are about 20 pairs in New York City, 25 in the Adirondacks, a pair on every major Hudson River bridge between New York City and Albany, and a half-dozen pairs scattered across the rest of the state.
The birds were removed from the national endangered species list in 1999 but remain on the endangered list in many states including New York.
In 2006, there were about 3,300 nesting pairs in North America, compared to about 1,750 pairs when the birds were removed from the endangered list in 1999, said Michael Green, a biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The greatest numbers are in western states, including California and Arizona, which each have more than 200 nesting pairs, he said.
Wooden nest platforms have been placed at many sites for the birds, which don't build nests. Webcams allow the public to watch peregrine pairs and hatchlings at numerous urban sites, including Rochester's Kodak building; Hudson River bridges in Albany and Poughkeepsie; Buffalo's Statler Building; the state tower building in Syracuse; and the 55 Water Street office building in lower Manhattan.
Many of the falcon fledglings are banded, and several have had radio transmitters attached to provide information about their travels and survival rate after they leave the nest, said DEC research scientist Barbara Loucks.
“One bird that hatched last year in Rochester has been hanging around Nantucket all winter,” Loucks said. Photos and stories about that bird, named Quest, have been posted on a blog on the Rochester Falconcam Web site.
The Webcams will be turned on when breeding season gets under way in the spring. Peregrine falcons generally lay eggs in early April in the Northeast, and they hatch in April or May.
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