3/15 & 3/16:
Peregrine Falcons
Venue: Peregrine Falcons
Presenter: Don Endicott
Dates: Tuesday, March 15, and Wednesday, March 16
Times: 9:30-10:45 AM
Printable Handout: Click here.
Zoom Link: https://cccconfer.zoom.us/j/2972972129
Last semester we were fortunate to have a phenomenal presentation about bats by San Diego naturalist Don Endicott.
Don is back to educate--and amaze us-- with his research on peregrine falcons. Read on to learn more!
NEW MATERIAL! Thanks to Karen and Tom Reinhardt...
The cams for Peregrine Falcons can be found at:
The Anacapa Island (Channel Islands) cam is https://explore.org/livecams/falcons/peregrine-falcon-anacapa
The female laid her second egg around 8:55am (this morning).
The cam has a 12 hour rewind feature.
Explore.org has hundreds of cams providing a vast assortment topics to chose from. The number of live cams varies, based upon the season. If you can't find something you like, then you did it wrong (like going to eat at a great buffet and leaving hungry).
A Word About Don
A retired civilian research engineer and executive in the field of Navy Communications and Network Technologies in San Diego, Don discovered a second career as a volunteer naturalist. He is a National Association of Interpretation Certified Interpretive Guide and Mission Trails Regional Park Trail Guide as well as public educator for the San Diego Natural History Museum and the San Diego Humane Society as a member of Project Wildlife’s “Bat Team”. Don presents multi-media talks on Bats and Mountain Lions at regional venues such as Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Cuyamaca Rancho State Park, Mission Trails Regional Park, and Agua Caliente County Park.
Don was recognized as Anza-Borrego Desert State Park’s volunteer Naturalist of the Year in 2018. He contributes full spectrum bat echolocation call recordings to the San Diego Natural History Museum and Wildlife Acoustics, a bioacoustics company, where they have been incorporated into reference libraries for species identification. Don is presently conducting bat acoustic surveys for California State Parks/Colorado Desert District and the San Diego River Park Foundation. He is a field contributor to herpetofauna surveys and monitors nesting Peregrine Falcons for the National Park Service and US Fish & Wildlife Service. Don is co-author of 50 Best Short Hikes San Diego (Wilderness Press, 2018) with the late Jerry Schad.
The Falcon: Raptor Extraordinaire
Let’s begin our Rediscovering San Diego (and Beyond) lesson with a quiz.
Question: A “raptor” refers to which of the following:
a. Toronto professional basketball team
b. Musician who performs recurring beat/rhyming pattern and slang lyrics
c. Bird of prey
If you answered a. or c., technically you’re correct. But for this week’s lesson we are talking about birds. And not just any bird: the peregrine falcon is an amazing raptor. Don will teach you all about this species, and share with you his breath-taking photography.
This lesson provides some basic background about the peregrine falcon. To prepare for our Zoom class, review these facts, jot down any questions, and ask Don!
To begin: what’s in a name? These falcons are true to their Latin root: peregrinus or “foreign”; one who travels. The peregrine falcon is not your average traveler, though: it is one of the fastest birds on earth, with a diving speed that can reach over 200 mph. The peregrine is also one of the most widespread raptors; they survive in a vast variety of locations. We find peregrines from tundra environments to the tropics. Most recently in their evolution, they substitute their fondness for high cliffs in raw natural environments with tall urban buildings and bridges.
Three subspecies of peregrine falcons inhabit North America: the American or continental variety; the tundra or arctic falcon; and the Peale’s falcon.
Peregrine falcons are the size of large crows. The females are bigger than the males (this is called sexual dimorphism). They prey on smaller birds, including ducks, pigeons, starlings, and songbirds. In urban environments, falcons particularly enjoy pigeons. In coastal areas falcons hunt shorebirds.
They’ve been known to hunt gulls, loons, and even geese. They stalk their prey and take them by surprise; swooping down to attack with a sharp blow. The falcon actually gives its prey a big whack on the wing; this ensures that the falcon doesn’t injure its own wing during the assault (Peregrine Falcons, 2022).
The Eyes Have It
An interesting fact: you know how sometimes your eyes water when you’re facing into a strong wind? When falcons make those precipitous dives, they also face that teary eye phenomenon. But their eyes have evolved to have a third eyelid that spreads the tears and clears out any specks of debris. This serves as nature’s own falcon windshield wipers (Peregrine Falcons, 2022).
The falcons also face glare hazard when they soar and dive. A dark area of feathers under their eyes reduces glare and brings out contrast when the falcons are tracking fast moving prey in bright sunlight.
Could a diving falcon risk the equivalent of “the bends” in dealing with sudden change in air pressure? Again nature has brilliantly addressed this possibility by creating tiny bony tubes in the falcon’s nostrils, which are thought to help the bird’s lungs reduce the change in air pressure.
KQED video helps explain falcon anatomy (4 minutes)
On the Domestic Scene...
Peregrine falcons mate for life. Males attract females by circling and chasing their mates high in the air. The males feed the females. Usually peregrine falcons build nests on high cliffs or in trees. Females lay 3-4 eggs, which they incubate for 32-35 days. During this time, the males provide “nest service” and deliver meals. The female stays with newborns at first (while the male brings food), and later the female leaves her nest to hunt.
Baby falcons can fly within their first 50 days. They become sexually mature by the time they reach one year old. Adult falcons can live up to 19 years.
This KQED video focuses on falcon parenting (5 minutes)
Who preys on the predator? The peregrine falcon may sound hearty and invincible, but they can also be preyed upon by owls and larger hawks. Falcons are also a host for various parasites. And of course one of their greatest threats is… us…human beings and the environment we have created on Earth.
Relationship With Humans
Many cultures through the ages have revered and even worshipped the peregrine falcon. Historians note that the Egyptian deity Ra took the form of a man with the head of a falcon. In the Middle Ages in Western Europe, falcons were a sign of nobility and status. In North America, as early as 800 A.D. Native Indians used the bird as a symbol of celestial power, and feathers were used in funeral costumes of powerful men.
On a more sporting note, Peregrine falcons have been used in the practice of falconry for more than 3000 years. This is because they are great hunters and they have a natural impulse to hunt. They are also very trainable. They are also suitable for falconry because of their natural style of circling high in the sky as they hunt. Finally, they are an effective choice for falconry because they survive well overall, and breed in captivity.
Learn about modern falconry (accent challenging but you can click on closed caption) 4 minutes
A Close Call for Survival
Peregrine falcons have struggled for survival over the past 70+ years. Particularly due to the use of pesticides like DDT, females laid brittle eggs and fewer chicks were surviving to maturation. Scientists found high concentrations of pesticides within young falcons.
In 1973 the falcon was placed on the endangered species list.
Recovery efforts included breeding peregrine falcons in captivity. This is a challenge! The chicks are fed using a hand puppet to resemble a falcon’s head (so that the birds don’t imprint on their human handlers). Fledglings are given space to train their wings, and they are forced to learn to hunt for themselves (this is called “hacking back to the wild”). Once a captivity-bred falcon is deemed ready, it is placed in a special cage in a high place in nature, and when it has acclimated it is set free. This type of breeding in captivity has been very successful. The species was removed from the Endangered Species List in 1999.
Final Thoughts
Although these spectacular raptors seem as though they are back on track, peregrine falcons still need our protection. What can you do to help? An important step is learning about our feathered friends. Another step we can take is to be more aware of our own conservation habits so that we are respecting the earth’s resources…for all of us.
On a final "note"...
Works Cited
American Peregrine Falcons in California. (2022). Retrieved from https://wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Birds/Peregrine-Falcon
Peregrine Falcon NPS. (2022). Retrieved from https://www.nps.gov/articles/peregrine-falcon.htm
Peregrine Falcons. (2022). Retrieved from
https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/peregrine-falcon
Peregrine Falcons. (2022). Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peregrine_falcon