McGREGOR — It’s official. Summer heat has arrived and this year’s crop of young peregrine falcons are testing their wings. For most baby birds, first flights are clumsy crash-landing affairs usually measured in feet and yards. But for the planet’s most dynamic winged predator, the event becomes much more dramatic.
A good example of the peregrine’s early flight potential occurred during the summer of 1999 when avian research student Dan Calvert and I attached a tiny radio transmitter to a baby falcon temporarily residing in a nest structure atop a 200-foot Mississippi River cliff face at Dubuque’s Eagle Point Park.
The falcon was returned to the nest and two days later the 41-day-old raptor left the nest. Living up to the species’ legendary reputation, the falcon fearlessly leaped from its cliff ledge and, without the slightest hesitation, and launched out across the broad 2½-mile expanse of the mighty Mississippi.
Once it arrived safely on the opposite shore, the fledgling bird spent the night on Wisconsin’s Centipede Bluff. Returning at sunrise the next morning, I was amazed to discover that the bird had already returned to its Dubuque cliff site. The 5-mile round trip maiden voyage represented a stunning example of why we earthbound humans have revered the peregrine falcon since time immemorial.
On Tuesday I received another opportunity to witness the peregrine’s amazing courage when another young peregrine conducted its first flight from a nest box located at the top of a 200-foot silo at McGregor’s riverside Agri Bunge grain facility.
After spending a half hour at the edge of the silo fanning its wings, the young bird suddenly sprang to the air as if it had been flying all its life. After the first few wobbly wing beats, the bird became increasingly confident and quickly headed downriver, disappearing behind a nearby bluff. Unable to withstand the drama a moment longer, the young bird’s anxious mama gave chase and was eventually successful in luring her baby back to the silo.
Encouraged by the performance, a second youngster took to the air a few minutes later and was also successful in returning to the silo. And although it repeatedly ran to the front of its nest box to fan its wings and vocalize with siblings, the nest’s third young occupant has opted to wait a bit longer before taking its ultimate leap of faith.
Although newly fledged peregrines are currently making their debut appearances at several Iowa locations, the historic blufflands of the Mississippi hold the corner on falcon densities. Although some nests are remote and inaccessible, others are more viewer friendly.
Of those on “Viewer Friendly” lists, none are easier to find or more comfortable to observe than the nest box at McGregor’s Agri Bunge facility. More matter how far you have to travel, it’s worth the trip. Once you’re in McGregor, get on Main Street and turn south at Strut’s Chiropractic Clinic. Follow the ascending bluff side road on Point Anne Lane to where it ends at a parking lot.
From there it’s a mere 50-yard stroll along a wheelchair accessible trail to a comfortable public viewing deck which offers excellent viewing of the river and its newest peregrine family. For those who go within the next few days, the opportunity to see and hear young and adult peregrines is all but guaranteed. This is one outdoor show you don’t want to miss. But remember — snooze and you lose.
Snatched from the very brink of extinction, the ongoing modern-day recovery of the peregrine falcon represents one of America’s greatest conservation achievements. This year, a total of 16 active peregrine territories have been documented in Iowa and several more pairs occupy nesting habitats on the Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Illinois sides of the Mississippi. That’s some good news from America’s out-of-doors and good news is something we can always stand a bit more of.
A baby peregrine falcon tests its wings while its mother (right) and a sibling look on. Minutes later the young peregrine successfully flew from its nest site located 200 feet above the ground at McGregor’s Agri Bunge grain facility. The McGregor peregrines are one of 16 falcon pairs currently nesting in Iowa.
