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'Remarkable powers of healing' The peregrine falcon has waged a fierce fight off the endangered list By PAUL FATTIG Mail Tribune The fastest bird in the world appears to be making a slow comeback in the region. For the second consecutive year, a pair of peregrine falcons are nesting in an aerie at a remote mountain site in Jackson County. The site had not been used for decades, according to veteran bird watchers who requested that its location not be divulged for fear of harming the birds. Peregrines will 'wander' along California coast at speeds up to 200 mph By BILL VARBLE Mail Tribune With their angular wings and long tails, falcons are built for pure speed. A peregrine falcon can approach 200 mph in dives. They are considered rare but regular in Jackson County and may be seen at any time. Six were listed in the Audubon Society's Christmas bird count Dec. 16. "There are more on the coast than inland," says John Kemper of the Jackson County checklist committee, which records bird species regionally. "The largest concentration is on the Northern California coast." The peregrine's name comes from a Latin word for "wanderer." It may be one of the world's most widespread birds, although it is uncommon in most of its range. (The falcon most spotted is the small American kestrel, often seen hovering or perched on wires.) Peregrines are open-country birds that catch their prey (doves, ducks, songbirds) in power-dives from above or simply in a life-or-death drama in which speed usually wins. They prefer to nest on a cliff ledge, returning to the same one year after year. Some have nested on city skyscraper ledges and dined on pigeons. After a courtship of aerial displays and ritual feeding, peregrines form a monogamous bond. The female lays three or four eggs that hatch in about a month, and the young fledge in 35 to 42 days. Peregrine pairs often hunt cooperatively, with the female, who is larger than the male, diving first. She also eats first. Peregrines in the Grand Canyon eat bats. Young peregrines sometimes prey on dragonflies as they develop their skills. Many, but not all, American peregrines migrate to Central and South America in winter, where they lead solitary lives until the spring, then pair up with the same birds again and start the cycle over. The peregrine was extinct in the United States east of the Mississippi by 1964 and was in danger of being extinct in all of North America. It has made a remarkable comeback since DDT was outlawed in 1972. The pesticide accumulates in increasing amounts as it moves up the food chain. Falcons are top predators. The peregrine was removed from the endangered species list in 1999 but faces an uncertain future because of a host of threats. Pesticides such as DDT are still used widely in Latin America. And there are two illegal trades in the birds: taxidermy in Europe and China, and the smuggling of birds into the Middle East, where they are prized among the wealthy for use in falconry. American falconers, in contrast, helped in the struggle to re-establish breeding populations of peregrines in North America. Reach reporter Bill Varble at 776-4478 or e-mail [email protected] That site and other active nests across the state are indicative of a recovering peregrine population, they report. But they caution the recovery has yet to fully fledge, despite the bird's removal from the federal endangered species list in 1999. It had been listed as endangered in the early 1970s because of eggshell thinning caused by pesticides and chemicals. "We are finding them now where we hadn't seen them before," said Matt Broyles, a wildlife biologist in the U.S. Bureau of Land Management's Medford District. In his dozen years with the district, he has been keeping tabs on the fast falcons. "We think some of these sites are new sites, or at least not occupied for a long, long time," he added. "That suggests the population is on the increase." Statewide, there are now more than 90 nesting sites, compared to only one in 1981, according to interagency surveys. Peregrine populations are monitored through an interagency effort in Oregon. The falcon remains on the Forest Service's sensitive species list. "We have had an increase in the number of active sites for peregrines in the past five to 10 years," said Sarah Madsen, the Forest Service's threatened and endangered species program manager for Oregon and Washington. "Part of that is because of the fact we're looking more, but there is some recovering occurring." Evidence of a recovering peregrine population demonstrates that humans can have a positive impact on an endangered species, said Dominick DellaSala, an ecologist and director of the World Wildlife Fund's Klamath-Siskiyou program. "It is a symbol of nature's remarkable powers of healing, if given enough time and respect," he said, although stressing the swift bird of prey has yet to outdistance toxic pollutants that once put it on the endangered species list. For many bird lovers, the peregrine, which has been clocked at nearly 200 mph, is also the symbol of nature's perfection. "They are drop-dead beautiful, not very common to see and the way they hunt is amazing," Madsen said. "They are incredibly acrobatic, the epitome of fast aerial predators," Broyles added. "They can take large birds - ducks, pigeons - out of the air. They are the ultimate aerial predator." He once witnessed an aerial handoff of prey by a pair of peregrines. The male flew in with the prey, prompting the female to fly up to meet him. "They flew straight up together, facing each other and made the exchange," he said. "It was pretty spectacular." As is the sight of a peregrine taking its prey in flight, added Ashland resident Pepper Trail. Hailing from upstate New York, Trail first witnessed a peregrine take a prey while visiting a national wildlife refuge with his father. He was about 10 or 12. They noticed a pheasant feeding in a nearby grainfield used to feed fowl. "My dad spotted this peregrine perched in a tree a long ways away and pointed it out to me," he said. "The peregrine launched itself and came in low and unbelievably fast." The pheasant made a strategic blunder - it attempted to fly away. "That peregrine came in about a foot off the ground," Trail said. "The pheasant looked like it exploded in a cloud of feathers. "The peregrine continued zooming past, went up in the air to slow itself down, circled around, then came back to land by the pheasant which was very dead," he said. "It was really amazing." Now an ornithologist, Trail, who has studied birds around the world, continues to keep an eye on peregrines. Although some peregrines appear to stay in the region year round, particularly those who occupy lower elevation sites, others migrate as far as South America, experts believe. "It's definitely true that populations across the country have come back dramatically from a very low point," Trail said. "But they still face problems. Eggshell thinning is just one of the manifestations of pesticide use. There are deformities, other problems. Those compounds are still in the ecosystem." It was delisted at the urging of former Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt, who cited population increases in some areas. The delisting was premature because the peregrine population continues to battle the residual affects of DDT, DellaSala said. The powerful pesticide was banned from use in the United States in the early 1970s. But residual levels of the chemical, which has a half-life in the soil of 57 years, continues to harm the falcons, he said. Studies showed that after the falcons ate prey containing DDT, their eggshells became thin because of a calcium deficiency caused by the chemical. As a result, the eggs would break before the chicks could hatch. "There is somewhat of a rebound in Oregon, but only 20 percent of the historic aeries are occupied," DellaSala said. "There are still a lot of unoccupied sites out there." Research has shown there is a greater problem with thin eggshells in Southern Oregon than in the Portland area, he said. He is concerned the agencies are no longer conducting adequate monitoring of the bird. "We've been helping the population recover, but we do need to be vigilant," he said. "These pesticides work their way up the food chain. And humans are at the top of that chain." Noting there are several nesting sites in the BLM's Medford District that are close to heavily used recreation areas, Broyles cautioned people to avoid disturbing the birds, particularly this time of year. A nesting pair may abandon its chicks if disturbed, he said. "If you are close enough to get a good photograph in breeding season, then you are way too close," he said. Although they are delisted, the falcons remain protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and other laws, he said. Reach reporter Paul Fattig at 776-4496 or e-mail him at [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.