As predictable as the ages, spring still manages to startle us with its boldness. The morning sun arrives earlier each day, warming the earth that for so long has been cold and wet.
And with spring come the riotous birds. The lengthening light triggers a bird's urge to sing, and the breeding cycle begins anew — with song and courtship, then pair-bonding and nesting. All over the Bay Area, their nests, big and small, can be seen by the careful observer:
# Peregrine falcons: Only two pairs of peregrine falcons nested in the Bay Area in 1970, as the magnificent raptor was almost eliminated by the use of DDT following World War II. The peregrine falcon is now one of the greatest success stories of the conservation movement, with an estimated 25 to 30 pairs breeding in the Bay Area, according to biologist Glenn R. Stewart of the Santa Cruz Predatory Bird Research Group.
Seen canoodling in early March, San Jose's two favorite falcons — Clara and Estaban — are now protecting their four eggs atop San Jose City Hall. This is the fourth year that Clara has laid eggs here.
The chicks are likely to hatch from their brown speckled casings at the end of Easter week, Stewart predicts. One of last year's offspring, Hiko, is believed to be starting his own family with mate Haya. Their nest is on a ledge on an old unused railway that sits next to Oakland's Fruitvale Bridge.
A third nest is in downtown San Francisco; a fourth is in Alameda. Others have been reported at Mount Diablo and the Marin cliffs near the Golden Gate Bridge.
"It is a heartening tale of conservation success," says Stewart of the population recovery. "Now that they have rebounded, we receive up to one million hits per week at our Web site from people who watch the birds and comment on a related online discuss group."
For more information, go to San Jose Peregrine Falcon Alliance at
www.sanjoseperegrines.org. Want to watch the City Hall falcons? You can see them via two webcams: the City of San Jose Web site at
http://sanjose.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?publish_id=91 and the Santa Cruz Predatory Bird Research Group Web site at
www.scpbrg.org. A video of the March 9 egg-laying at the City Hall nest is at
www.youtube.com/SanJosePFA.
