COLUMBUS, OH -Ohios 12 pairs of peregrine falcons produced 47 eggs this spring with 37 hatchlings surviving to the banding age of three weeks, according to Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife.
During the months of April and May - when falcon chicks are approximately three weeks old and eight inches tall - ODNR biologists briefly remove the young birds from their nests to examine them for general health, draw a blood sample and affix a metal identification band to each birds leg. Each band has a unique number that allows for future identification of individual falcons.
Banding is an effective tool for tracking peregrines across the country, helping us study their reproduction rates and providing information on their survival, said Dave Scott, peregrine project coordinator for the Division of Wildlife. Since our program began, banded falcons from Ohio have been observed all the way from Texas to Canada.
State wildlife biologists have identified peregrine falcon nest locations across the state, including Akron, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Cleves (SW Hamilton County), Columbus, Dayton, Ironton and Toledo.
In April, biologists recorded significant injuries to two adult male falcons. River Ace, from the Cleves nest in Hamilton County, died from his injuries and Fury, from Toledo, will be unable to fly again; both birds left active nests with mates and young nestlings in need of supplemental feeding. Biologists temporarily provided food for both nests.
Within five days at the Cleves nest, an unbanded male falcon appeared and eventually began providing food for the adult female, named Mary Ellen, and her five young. On May 21, the young at this nest fledged (made their first flight).
An unidentified male has also been spotted around the Toledo nest. Biologists expect the Toledo peregrine chicks to begin fledging in the next week.
Elsewhere around the state, three chicks are nesting on a balcony at the Chemed Center in Cincinnati. The Akron nest produced four young at the First Merit Bank. In Cleveland, there are four nestlings at the Terminal Tower site, two at the nearby Bohn Building and three young at the Cleveland Clinic. A new pair near Aberdeen in Brown County produced three eggs, but they failed to hatch.
Bridges were chosen as nesting sites by three pairs of Ohios falcons. Two of these bridge nests are in the Cleveland area: the Hilliard Road Bridge near Lakewood has four nestlings, and the nest under the I-90 Bridge that spans the Cuyahoga River produced three young. The third bridge nest, the Ironton/Russell Bridge over the Ohio River, hosts a particularly aggressive pair of falcons that produced four chicks in 2002.
Joining the Cleveland and Columbus sites, the peregrine nest in Dayton can now be viewed live on the Internet by a web camera. Daytons nesting pair, Mercury and Snowball, produced three young and can be viewed at Ohiodnr.com
While a pair of falcons can be seen in and around the Rhodes Tower nest box in Columbus, this nest was not active in 2002. Biologists believe the unidentified female is too young to produce eggs. Both the Columbus and Terminal Tower nest in Cleveland can be viewed online at Ohiodnr.com
In 1999, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service removed peregrine falcons from the federal list of endangered species. However, monitoring and recovery efforts are continuing throughout the country, and peregrine falcons remain on Ohios list of endangered species.
Ohio's Peregrine Falcon Program is funded by the ODNR Division of Wildlife's Endangered Species and Wildlife Diversity Fund. The fund is derived from contributions to the state income tax checkoff program and from the sale of wildlife conservation license plates. Ohio taxpayers can donate all or a portion of their state income tax refund to the Endangered Species and Wildlife Diversity Fund each year on Ohios income tax forms. Wildlife conservation license plates can be purchased through a deputy registrar license outlet or by calling the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles toll-free at 1-888-PLATES3 (1-888-752-8373).