|
|
|
 |
| . |
Peregrine FalconFaster Than A Speeding Bullet?![[falcon]](images/falcona.gif)
Wisconsin Status: Endangered What bird wears a black cap, has sideburns, a blue beak, yellow feet and can fly over 200 miles per hour? This sounds like a bird from a crazy detective or superhero cartoon, but it actually describes a cunning and powerful bird that can strike and capture other birds in mid-air! This bird is called the peregrine (pair-a-grin) falcon, and it is endangered in Wisconsin. Today, there are only seven nesting pairs (as of 1997) that can be found around Wisconsin. They nest in areas with tall structures such as smokestacks and power plants on the lower part of the Mississippi River in Wisconsin, around the Door County peninsula, and tall skyscrapers in cities like Madison and Milwaukee. Peregrine falcons can be found worldwide, in every continent except for Antarctica.These falcons usually nest on ledges. Males impress the females in a courtship show of aerobatics and "wichew" calls from mid-air. Pairs return year after year to use the same nesting ledge, called an eyrie. They prepare a saucer-shaped depression in loose soil, sand or grass called a scrape, in which to lay 2-4 eggs. No "nest" is built or used. Believe it or not, one ledge on an island off Wales in the United Kingdom, has been used since the year 1243!
Peregrines are about the size of a crow. They have markings which look like a black cap on the head with a black streak leading down the cheek from the eye. They have a white chin and light brown breast barred with small brown "v"-shaped marks. Take a close look at the picture to see these markings. If you are lucky enough to get close, you'll see that the peregrine's eyes are dark brown with a yellow eye ring, and they have a slate-blue hooked beak. Watch for the yellow legs and strong feet, used to scoop small or medium-sized birds right out of the air for a meal. In flight you'll notice their pointed wings. Native to Wisconsin, peregrines originally nested along the bluffs of the Mississippi, St. Croix and Wisconsin rivers, and along the Door peninsula. Pesticides have caused a decline in this bird's population numbers. In Wisconsin during the mid-1950's at least 24 eyries were being used by peregrines, then their population dropped rapidly. It took biologists 20 years to discover that the highly toxic insecticide DDT was the cause. DDT was sprayed on plants to rid them of harmful insects. Insects and birds were both affected by DDT but not mammals. DDT was passed through these animals in the food chain and the poison eventually reached the peregrine falcon. This concentration of chemicals in the peregrine's system caused females to lay eggs with very thin shells which didn't survive or were crushed when incubated. Some birds' behavior even changed due to the chemicals and they stopped feeding and caring for their young. Because of this toxic contaminant, many chicks never hatched. By the early 1970s, there were no nesting pairs of peregrines in the Eastern United States. In 1971, Wisconsin realized the seriousness of this chemical threat and became one of the first states to ban the use of DDT. The federal government banned DDT the next year. Chemical residue remained in the environment so recovery of the birds has been slow in the United States. Also, many countries in Central and South America where peregrines spend their winters still use DDT which continues to cause problems for these birds. Biologists bred falcons in captivity to help restore their numbers in hopes of setting peregrines free into the wild to repopulate areas they once lived in. This type of project involves much more than just turning
Peregrine falcons were placed on the Wisconsin Endangered Species List in 1975. Their population growth started out slow, with several eggs being eaten by owls or other predators. Today, Wisconsin has several locations where biologists have hacked chicks and they have successfully bred. In 1997, seven sites were active with eggs being laid. Today, there are many more active breeding sites as seen in the list below. Nest sites are located on buildings, smokestacks and cliffs on the lake Michigan shore, along the Mississippi River and other suitable sites. Look below and find out which site is closest to where you live. Maybe you will see them soaring in the sky nearby. Lakefront Nest Sites
Inland Nest Sites
Mississippi River SitesMany nesting sites can be found along the Mississippi in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa on the rocky cliffs overlooking the river valley. For a complete list, visit The Raptor Resource Project Web site. (Leaves EEK) For live web cam images of nest sites, check out the We Energies Nest Sites (Leaves EEK!) or the Wiscosnin Public Service Nest Web site (Leaves EEK!). |
| . | 
|
  |
|
|
![[falcon photo]](images/falcon.gif)
a bunch of birds loose on a cliff though. The birds are "hacked," a technique by which chicks are provided with food and shelter at a release site (such as a cliff or tall building), until they become familiar with it and old enough to leave the nest to hunt on their own. When they fledge, biologists hope they will find a mate and return to nest the following year. Hacking is not easy though, sometimes chicks die from predation from great horned owls or raccoons. Many states have had success though, including Wisconsin.