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Adult Female Peregrine
near her Cathedral Ledge nest.
Photo by Chris Martin
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During the 2000 breeding season, their first after removal from the federal
endangered species list, New Hampshire's Peregrine Falcon population began by
nesting at a record early date and finished with record-high productivity.
Eleven territories were occupied in the Granite State this year, including one
in the City of Manchester, where, for at least three weeks in April, an unmated
one-year-old female raised in New York City took up residence at a nesting box
located on the New Hampshire Tower building. Elsewhere in the state,
territorial falcon pairs produced a total of 25 chicks, equaling a state record
set in 1999. Not only did every one of ten known pairs lay eggs and hatch
chicks, but all ten managed to raise at least one offspring to fledging.
Audubon biologists, who track breeding peregrines in a cooperative effort with
state and federal agencies, have only documented 100% success in the state once
before in the past two decades-back in 1981, when New Hampshire had only a
single known territorial pair!
A record early start
What made the 2000 season's flawless productivity record even more amazing was
what various pairs had to overcome in order to succeed. Perhaps lured by an
extraordinarily mild March, most pairs nested at Extremely early dates, leaving
them at high risk of failure in spring storms. In fact, two pairs (Painted
Walls in Albany, Rattlesnake Mountain in Rumney) bested by nearly a week the
state's previous record early date (March 30) for start of incubation; the
Rattle-snake Mountain pair was incubating on March 25, and the Painted Walls
pair, located even farther north, was already on their eggs by March 23! Nine
out of ten nesting pairs in the state incubated eggs through a week-long period
of snow, sleet, and rain with temperatures near 40°F in late April.
Even first-timers succeed
Even inexperienced first-time breeders managed to prosper this year. At Holts
Ledge in Lyme, an 11-month-old female, banded as a chick at Devils Slide in
Stark in June 1999, replaced the resident adult female in April and paired with
the resident six-year-old male. This duo fledged one chick, marking the first
documented case in New Hampshire where a one-year-old peregrine successfully
produced young. Not far away, at Owls Head in Benton, an unbanded two-year-old
female also managed to successfully rear one chick in her first nesting
attempt. This was also the first nesting in the post-DDT era at this historic
falcon eyrie and former hack site.
Banding results
Audubon Senior Biologist Chris Martin carefully
holds a three-week old peregrine chick at Dixville Notch.
Photo by Chris Martin
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Working under a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service permit, Audubon biologists
partnered again with an ever-widening network of rock climbers to access
peregrine nest sites and place alphanumeric leg bands on young falcons. We
banded 24 of the 25 chicks produced this season, maintaining an outstanding
record of banding more than 95% (130 of 135) of all young peregrines produced
in the state since 1992. Professional climbing guides at the International
Mountaineering Climbing School in North Conway have been especially supportive
of these efforts, as have individuals affiliated with the Rumney Climbers
Association and Dartmouth College's Outdoor Programs. So far this year, seven
New Hampshire-banded falcons have been relocated, including a male hacked in
1987 at Owls Head that has been breeding at New York Hospital in New York City
since 1989! Most amazing, however, has been the high survivorship shown by
offspring of Devils Slide's resident female, 1/K, previously described in the
May/June 2000 issue of New Hampshire Audubon. Over the past six months, three
more of 1/K's chicks have been found; to date, seven of her 16 banded
fledglings have been relocated! As expected, color-banded birds are making up
an increasing percentage of the state's breeding peregrine population, and
Audubon hopes to be able to continue to band young and confirm the identity of
adults in the years ahead.
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Falcon chicks previously banded in N.H. and seen in 2000 |
| Site of origin | Year | Sex | Recovery location | Status |
| Owls Head, NH | 1987 | M | N.Y. Hosp., NY City, NY |
breeding since 1989 |
| Devils Slide, NH | 1996 | M | Barnet Mtn., Barnet,
VT | 3rd year at site |
| Devils Slide, NH | 1997 | M | Sawyer Mtn., Fairlee,
VT | 3rd year at site |
| Devils Slide, NH | 1998 | F | I-91 in Orleans Co.,
VT | found dead in June |
| Devils Slide, NH | 1998 | M | Cathedral Ledge,
Bartlett, NH | 1st-time breeder |
| Devils Slide, NH | 1999 | F | Holts Ledge, Lyme, NH |
1-year old breeder |
| Devils Slide, NH | 1999 | F | New Bedford, MA | at
Tufts Vet Clinic |
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Falcon chicks previously banded out of state and seen in 2000 |
| Site of origin | Year | Sex | Recovery location | Status |
| Acadia NP, ME | 1994 | F | Devils Slide, Stark, NH |
breeding for 6 years |
| Fairlee Palisades, VT | 1994 | M | Holts Ledge, Lyme,
NH | breeding for 6 years |
| Throgs Neck, NY | 1999 | F | City of Manchester, NH |
at nest box April, Oct. |
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Salute to partners
Rumney Climbers Association members
Bob and Daphne Bruemmer with
three Rattlesnake Mountain falcon chicks.
Photo by Chris Martin
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This year marks two significant anniversaries in the effort to recover
state-listed endangered peregrines in New Hampshire. The Peregrine Fund,
working with state and federal agencies, first released falcon chicks in the
Granite State 25 years ago, in 1976. The first successful cliff nesting of the
recovering population in the state (and in the entire eastern U.S.) took place
20 years ago, in 1981. In light of these milestones, this seems a particularly
appropriate time to salute the many natural resource agencies and non-profit
groups, as well as the rock climbers, program donors, seasonal staff
biologists, and, literally, hundreds of Audubon-trained volunteer observers who
have made the difference. Thanks to you all!
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