Boston plays host to rare peregrine falcons

[Donna]

19 hours ago  •  Amy Barra, Special to The Citizen(0) Comments
I just spent an entire month in Cambridge, Mass. looking at urban ecology for a grad school course. Coming from a very rural background, I was not expecting to find a very diverse ecosystem in this highly urbanized area. I was surprised to find pockets of biodiversity, culture and green spaces throughout the Boston area. Throughout the month I thought about how the man-made landscape may help, not hinder, certain species of plants or animals. I was surprised to find that the city of Boston helps one of my favorite endangered species: the peregrine falcon.

On one of our first days in the city, one of our resource people mentioned that she had sometimes seen peregrines in downtown Boston, near Faneuil Hall. I began an online search for information on the peregrines, but couldn’t find too much, other than old newspaper articles. So I called up Tom French, from the Massachusetts Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program. I was surprised that these Boston falcons could trace some of their heritage back to Cornell.

In the '60s and '70s, peregrine falcons and other birds of prey had their populations decimated by the pesticide DDT. A Cornell professor, Tom Cade, started a peregrine falcon breeding program at the Hawk Barn at the edge of Sapsucker Woods Sanctuary. Tom Cade, The Peregrine Fund and other groups released more than 6,000 peregrine falcons in 37 states, and Massachusetts was one of those states.

The original nesting pair of peregrine falcons settled in North Boston; the male was directly from the release program started by Cornell, and his mate was banded in Toronto. There has been a pair of falcons living in this area since 1985. You can often hear them calling above the busy tourist areas, and people seldom realize that a rare endangered species is right above their head.

There are also nesting pairs of peregrine falcons in the Back Bay area, Cambridge, West Roxbury, Quincy and near Fenway. Many of these predators actually share Boston’s biggest resource in the eyes of the falcons: Logan Airport. Logan Airport is big falcon feasting area. The open area near the water is a perfect place for birds to hang out and eat, and peregrine falcons prey almost exclusively on other birds. Usually peregrine falcons will not share hunting areas, but Tom French says that three different pairs have been recorded hunting here.

In natural areas, peregrine falcons nest on cliff faces; they do not build nests, but rather create a scrape in the gravel. In Boston and other urban areas, the falcons have utilized bridge trusses, window ledges and nest boxes that have been built for them by different associations and organizations.

So next time you’re in a city landscape, don’t despair over the loss of habitat — maybe that concrete jungle has more biodiversity than you think. And if you’re in Boston, be sure to look up more. Maybe you can spot an endangered species soaring over Fenway.

THE PUB