Port falcon chicks grow up, leave nest

[Donna]

The four peregrine falcon chicks born in a nest box high atop a Port of Olympia crane this spring have flown away, but they haven’t moved far.

The two male and two female falcons have been spotted in recent weeks in a west Olympia neighborhood just several blocks northwest of their birthplace.

“They’re chirping and flying around here all the time,� said west side resident Phil Olsen.

He said he sees the birds alone or in pairs on his property, either sitting on a fence or bathing in his yard in the indentation of a granite rock he fills with fresh water daily.

“The neighbors like having them around,� Olsen said.

It’s likely that the birds, which are about 3 months old, are still in contact with their parents, a peregrine pair that has been nesting in the port crane and hatching chicks for nine years, noted state Department of Fish and Wildlife biologist Joe Buchanan.

“Oftentimes after they leave the nest, they remain in contact with the adults, learning how to fly and hunt,� Buchanan said.

Buchanan said his agency had a report about two weeks ago of the adult falcons and their offspring, perched on the dome of the Capitol Building.

Anyone living within a few miles of the nesting site has a chance this time of year to see the young birds, or hear their wailing calls.

Peregrine falcons, the world’s fastest-flying bird, were pushed to the edge of extinction in the 1970s as persistent pesticides built up in the food chain and caused a fatal thinning of their egg shells. They started to recover when DDT and similar pesticides were banned.

Twelve years ago, the peregrine falcon was removed from the federal Endangered Species List. It was removed from the state endangered list in April 2002.

The state is home to about 150 nest sites from Bellingham to Olympia, both in rural and urban areas. Not all nest sites are occupied each year.

Approximately 30 percent of the peregrine falcons that hatch each year survive to age 1, according to state Fish and Wildlife studies.

The four young birds hanging around west Olympia probably will disperse in the weeks ahead to establish their own territories, Buchanan said.

The Olympian WA

But not before Olsen and his neighbors have a chance to enjoy the birds a little more.