Peregrine Falcon Restoration and Monitoring Project

Gubler, Rolf; Shenandoah National Park

Project to survey for and "hack" peregrine falcons in Shenandoah National Park. Following the initiation of a peregrine reintroduction program in the 1970s, peregrines nested successfully in Virginia in 1980 for the first time since the DDT era. Over the last 31 years, the Virginia coastal populations of American peregrine falcons have made a steady recovery while the mountain populations have lagged behind. In fact, the number of mountain breeding pairs over the last 20 years, have met less than half the recovery goal set by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) for the Southern/Central Appalachians. The goal of this project is to work cooperatively with the Conservation Biology at the College of William and Mary (CCB) and the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VDGIF) to boost peregrine populations in the mountains of Virginia. The Foster Falcon Program is a peregrine (Pef) restoration partnership between the CCB, VDGIF, Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), and Shenandoah National Park (SHEN) that involves removing at-risk peregrine chicks from Virginia coastal bridge nests, relocating them to SHEN, and hacking and releasing them at a suitable cliff area in SHEN. Spring peregrine (Pef) cliff surveys are conducted at high probability cliff nesting sites throughout Shenandoah National Park from April-May.

Peregrine Falcon Restoration and Monitoring Project

See also