Taughannock Peregrines

The Peregrine Falcon eyrie at Taughannock Gorge is both a local and national treasure—and one of the most famous falcon nests in the world. It was first found in 1909 by legendary bird artist (and Ithaca native) Louis Agassiz Fuertes, who later served as the first president of the Cayuga Bird Club from its founding in 1913 to his untimely death in 1927.

The Peregrines nested in Taughannock Gorge until 1946. As widespread use of DDT began after World War II, Peregrine Falcons eventually became extinct east of the Mississippi, with only small populations remaining out west, and a larger arctic population also in decline. After the 1972 banning of DDT, a reintroduction effort was made at Taughannock Gorge in 1975, but the effort failed. Reintroduction efforts were more successful elsewhere, particularly in coastal and urban areas, and the species has since rebounded. In 2020, the Peregrines came back on their own to Taughannock Gorge, and have successfully raised a brood of young Peregrines each Spring since.