Good year for Ohio peregrine falcons
63 chicks leave nests, two short of the record
By Bob Downing
Beacon Journal staff writer
Published on Wednesday, Aug 26, 2009
Ohio's peregrine falcons had a very good year, but not a record one for producing chicks.
It appears that 63 young falcons fledged, or left the nest on their own, from 19 nests in 2009, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources estimates.
That included three chicks in downtown Akron, three in downtown Canton and four on the Ohio Turnpike bridge over the Cuyahoga Valley in Boston Township.
That marks the first successful mating by Rocky and Lara, the adult birds on the bridge in northern Summit County.
They failed to produce eggs in 2008.
Their nest produced two males that got banded while on the ground learning to fly and two unbanded females that died after being hit by vehicles on the bridge, said David Scott of the Ohio Division of Wildlife.
The Akron birds (Bandit and Chesapeake) and the Canton birds (Maverick and Priscilla) are old pros at the mating game.
Biologists were able to band 59 young falcons from 18 successful nests in 2009. Difficult access to some nests prevented banding all of the young.
About 75 percent of eggs hatch and 90 percent of the chicks fledge, but only 50 percent of the fledglings make it to 1 year old, Scott said.
State officials monitored 28 territorial pairs of peregrine falcons in 2009 in Ohio. Eggs were produced at a minimum of 24 sites.
The 19 successful nests included five in the Cleveland area, two in Toledo and single nests in Aberdeen, Cincinnati, Columbus, Dayton, Eastlake, Ironton, Lima, Oregon and Youngstown.
The failed nests were in Cleveland, Cleves, Lakewood, Shaker Heights and Wrightsville.
Two new pairs of adult birds were monitored, although they did not nest at the Ohio State football stadium and on a water tower in Warren.
In 2008, a record 65 peregrine falcon chicks fledged from 21 nests in Ohio.
The falcon, a crow-size bird that can dive as fast as 200 mph, was a federally endangered species until 1999. Last year, Ohio changed its status from endangered to threatened to reflect its improving numbers.
Bob Downing can be reached at 330-996-3745 or
bdowning@thebeaconjournal.com.
Ohio's peregrine falcons had a very good year, but not a record one for producing chicks.
It appears that 63 young falcons fledged, or left the nest on their own, from 19 nests in 2009, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources estimates.
That included three chicks in downtown Akron, three in downtown Canton and four on the Ohio Turnpike bridge over the Cuyahoga Valley in Boston Township.
That marks the first successful mating by Rocky and Lara, the adult birds on the bridge in northern Summit County.
They failed to produce eggs in 2008.
Their nest produced two males that got banded while on the ground learning to fly and two unbanded females that died after being hit by vehicles on the bridge, said David Scott of the Ohio Division of Wildlife.
The Akron birds (Bandit and Chesapeake) and the Canton birds (Maverick and Priscilla) are old pros at the mating game.
Biologists were able to band 59 young falcons from 18 successful nests in 2009. Difficult access to some nests prevented banding all of the young.
About 75 percent of eggs hatch and 90 percent of the chicks fledge, but only 50 percent of the fledglings make it to 1 year old, Scott said.
State officials monitored 28 territorial pairs of peregrine falcons in 2009 in Ohio. Eggs were produced at a minimum of 24 sites.
The 19 successful nests included five in the Cleveland area, two in Toledo and single nests in Aberdeen, Cincinnati, Columbus, Dayton, Eastlake, Ironton, Lima, Oregon and Youngstown.
The failed nests were in Cleveland, Cleves, Lakewood, Shaker Heights and Wrightsville.
Two new pairs of adult birds were monitored, although they did not nest at the Ohio State football stadium and on a water tower in Warren.
In 2008, a record 65 peregrine falcon chicks fledged from 21 nests in Ohio.
The falcon, a crow-size bird that can dive as fast as 200 mph, was a federally endangered species until 1999. Last year, Ohio changed its status from endangered to threatened to reflect its improving numbers.
