http://www.goerie.com/article/20160524/NEWS02/305249972/peregrine-falcons-find-home-inside-erie-shipyard-buildingA peregrine falcon is the F-22 of raptors.
About the size of a crow, with long pointed wings and a narrow tail, the peregrine hunts high in the sky, and when it targets a bird far below, it will dive at its prey at speeds up to 200 mph.
A family of peregrine falcons is nesting inside the cavernous assembly building at Donjon Shipbuilding & Repair, 220 E. Bayfront Parkway.
John Nekoloff, Donjon's subcontracts manager, has seen the adult falcons display their predatory, raptorial nature hunting pigeons and songbirds near the east Erie bayfront facility.
"It's like a big explosion of feathers once they hit their prey,'' Nekoloff said.
The adult peregrines are the only current known pair observed in northwestern Pennsylvania, said F. Arthur McMorris, a wildlife biologist and the Pennsylvania Game Commission's peregrine falcon coordinator.
"Normally they nest on cliff ledges because they need someplace really high to protect their nest, and they need to have a commanding view of the territory,'' said McMorris, who is based in Bala-Cynwyd, near Philadelphia.
He said the peregrines are nesting somewhere high on a ledge inside the Donjon facility.
"It's cavernous, and it's big enough that the falcons see it as a cliff ledge,'' McMorris said. "It's a big, high structure that resembles a cliff.''
Peregrine falcons are on Pennsylvania's endangered species list. Only 46 pairs were observed in the state in 2015, McMorris said.
Peregrines are not on the federal endangered species list. They are most prevalent in Alaska and western U.S. states, including Colorado and Arizona, McMorris said.
He has been keeping tabs on the Erie peregrines for the past couple of years.
Peregrines were first spotted nesting in 2011 in the 200-foot-tall smokestack near the Erie Maritime Museum, just west of the Donjon facility.
"They were seen in the late winter and early spring, and they would disappear,'' McMorris said.
"A number of people in Erie were looking for them, and they were found inside Donjon in 2013 when one of the young birds fell out of the nest and onto the ground. The bird was cared for and returned to the nest. They could have been nesting at Donjon as far back as 2011.''
McMorris said the male peregrine, based on its banding, is the same one that was identified nesting on the smokestack in 2011.
The current female peregrine is a different female than the one spotted in Erie in 2011, he said.
"We think the previous female may have died or had something happen to her,'' said Meadville resident Sarah Sargent, program manager of bird conservation for Audubon Pennsylvania.
Sargent has a Ph.D. in ecology and evolutionary biology, and has studied avian ecology. She monitored the falcons during a Donjon visit in late March.
"We saw both the female and the male, but they were not attending to a nest site at that time,'' Sargent said.
Peregrines have a white lower face and a dark forehead with dark heavy stripes that resemble sideburns. They have brown spots and bars on their chest, a slate-gray or blue back, and yellow feet.
Males tend to have stronger coloration, and females are larger, Sargent said.
Peregrines usually select a tall building or a bridge for an urban area nesting site, Sargent said.
"What's really unique about Erie is their nest is inside a building,'' she said. "It's sheltered and they aren't exposed to the wind and rain, and it's probably an appealing nature to them.''
There are no other peregrine falcon pairs currently observed in Pennsylvania known to be nesting inside a building, Sargent said.
"It's really cool that the Donjon facility personnel are so generous and thoughtful, and really care about the birds,'' she said. "They have been a great host.''
Sargent said a female peregrine will normally produce three eggs.
Erie resident Mary Birdsong, a seasonal shorebird monitor for Audubon Pennsylvania, visited the Donjon facility May 15 to monitor the raptors.
"We really didn't see where a nest might be,'' Birdsong said. "We saw one of the falcons -- we believe it was the male. We could not confirm the bands on the male.''
It's not known how many chicks are nesting inside the Donjon building.
"A few weeks ago, a worker found a piece of egg on the ground, which I identified as that of a peregrine,'' McMorris said.
"We don't know if there are more eggs, or if they have hatched.''
The clamor, bustle and noise of shipbuilding doesn't faze the nesting pair.
"We've had a nesting pair for at least the last five years,'' Nekoloff said. "They've had successful nesting.''
Nekoloff said the nest is likely high up on a ledge in the general assembly building.
"We don't know exactly where the nest is,'' he said. "We were advised not to go up there with our main lift where there may be a nest, so they won't abandon it.''
Nekoloff said the falcons "are in and out of the assembly building all day.''
"They kill a lot of pigeons and songbirds as part of their feeding,'' he said. "They hunt inside and outside the building all day.''
Peregrines hunt "whatever is locally available, and 99 percent-plus of what they hunt are birds,'' McMorris said.
"They are the fastest animal on the planet,'' he said. "By radar they have actually been clocked at 240 mph. Imagine moving at that speed with your eyes open.''
Peregrines attack and catch their prey in midair.
"They hit their prey with their feet, and usually whack the bird on their wing to disable it,'' McMorris said. "Then the peregrine will swoop down and catch it as it falls. Sometimes, if they miss, they'll keep trying. If the prey heads to the ground, the peregrine will likely give up. A good strategy for evading a peregrine is head to the ground.''
Pigeons are at the top of a peregrine's prey list in an urban setting, he said.
"Peregrines will hunt birds as small as a chimney swift, and they'll take small ducks and small gulls,'' McMorris said.
Birdsong said she will continue to periodically monitor the falcons.
"We're very excited to be able to watch the pair,'' she said. "Donjon to them is a great place to nest. It's secure and covered. For us, it's a wonderful thing to have them here. We have enough resources for them to help rebuild the population.''
RON LEONARDI can be reached at 870-1680 or by email.
