Spotting Peregrine Falcons

By Miko Ruhlen. Apr. 3, 2017. My son asked me yesterday, “Do you know which is faster a car or a Peregrine Falcon?” I hesitated. Proudly, he proclaimed that the correct answer is the falcon which can dive at speeds over 200 miles per hour; he learned this in his fourth grade class work.

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Few birds tickle our imagination as much as the mysterious Peregrine Falcon. Although they nest in the Columbia River Gorge, there are many who have never positively identified one in the wild. They are fast and one needs to have binoculars at the ready. My son once observed one with me at the Catherine Creek trail head, it was diving defensively at a Bald Eagle. What a thrill.

I spent two seasons trying to find and monitor Peregrine Falcon nests in the Gorge. It sounds glamorous tracking the fastest species on earth along forest cliffs. In reality, I spent many frustrating hours just trying to find the sneaky birds.  

In order to determine that a nesting territory was unoccupied, two or more visits of four-hour duration during specific time periods were required. Sounds easy. Not. Required? Yes. Repeatedly watching a single cliff side for four hours straight. Sometimes seeing nothing but ravens and bright spots in my eyes from staring through binoculars. Massaging my neck, strained from looking upwards. Ears strained from listening for distant calls.

Peregrines nest on ledges of cliffs similar to this one in the Gorge. A typical view from a ground survey. Can you see any falcons? If one is there, they can see you! Try staring at it for four hours straight (a minimum survey period). Don’t get distracted and let your eyes wander or you may miss it – they are fast.

Sometimes I tried alternate vantage points. Some were too close and could disturb the birds. Others so far away I needed a high-powered spotting scope. Scope and tripod in hand, I could make out chicks as white specks looking at cliffs on the other side of the Columbia River. Once, I accidentally followed the movements of another cliff-dwelling falcon, the Prairie Falcon, for an hour from a distance through binoculars.

I hate to complain because of minor inconveniences, because I love being outside. It does take a lot of patience, perseverance, and dedication to gather accurate data and to find nests of secretive birds. And what I gained by spending hours in the field at the same location repeatedly, is a new perspective. Now I don’t view these places a merely as a place to hike through soaking up forest smells and getting some cardio. Each territory is a home to the native creatures. Sometimes one that has been passed on through generations.

And the generations before me saved this magnificent bird.

Return from the Brink of Extinction

In 1970 there were no longer any peregrines known to nest in Oregon. In 1980, there were only five pairs known in the entire state of Washington. The catastrophic decline in this species in North America was primarily due to the pesticide DDT which caused eggshell thinning and breeding failure.

Due to the banning of the pesticide and habitat protections provided by the Endangered Species Act, their populations have recovered dramatically. By 2009 there were 154 peregrine breeding sites in Oregon. In 2016 biologists estimated 148 peregrine falcon nesting sites in Washington.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service removed the Peregrine Falcon from the Federal list of threatened and endangered species in 1999. Success. And it continues to receive protection under the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

Researchers and land managers worked relentlessly to reestablish populations of peregrines at historic sites in the Pacific Northwest. In addition to detailed monitoring and habitat protections, more than 120 young falcons were ‘hacked’ or re-introduced into the wild at a dozen sites in the Cascades and Eastern Washington. The first hacking site in the Columbia River Gorge was at Beacon Rock in 1982.

Yet, now that these fast falcons are thriving in the Gorge, some hikers and climbers—unaware of their history are upset at the inconvenience of losing access to their favorite recreation spots seasonally during the nesting and chick-rearing season (between February and July).

Trail Restrictions

Despite their recovery, “the State delisting of Bald Eagles and Peregrine Falcons does not directly affect seasonal closures and restrictions. Closures are in place at specific locations, because of the impact that recreation has on nesting birds,” said Stephanie Bergh, wildlife biologist for Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. Bergh also noted that, “if for some reason the birds completely change where they are nesting, then the seasonal closures and restrictions could be reevaluated.”

Land managers sometimes list Peregrine Falcon nesting habitat as a specific reason for a trail closure, for example at Cape Horn (lower sections of trail closed seasonally) or Beacon Rock (climbing access closed seasonally). Other times the reason for such a restriction may not be disclosed to the public to due to risk of poaching, or because there are multiple reasons combined in a sensitive habitat.

Trails may also be closed or re-routed for reasons that have nothing to do with wildlife such as to protect cultural resources, for public safety, fire danger, erosion, or maintenance issues. Sanctioned trail closures are rare in the Gorge; more common are unleashed dog restrictions and decommissioning of user-built trails.

User-built trails are created by someone clearing a new trail either intentionally, or by wandering off the main trail eroding a path that is followed by others. They are created without consideration for sensitive wetlands, fragile plants, or nesting birds. Rachel Pawlitz of the Columbia Gorge National Scenic Area suggests staying on the main trail, checking the trailhead for signs posted on kiosks, or reviewing websites to learn of restrictions before heading out for your hike.

Most of us are programmed to think of land in terms of property rights and how the land can serve our needs for building, farming, or recreating. But immersion into a wild habitat and observing the wildlife in detail reminds me that I am but a visitor, and I should tread lightly, and help keep Peregrine Falcons flying in the Gorge.

Can you find the Peregrine in this photo? This is one of a pair that has nested for years on this cliff, which is adjacent to a visitor center parking lot along the Oregon Coast. The pair are unusually tolerant of the public. I snapped this picture with my smartphone from the parking lot. A few individuals like this can be more tolerant of disturbance than others. But most perceive humans as a threat. Biologists determine safe distances from nests relative to the reaction of birds in each specific circumstance. Found it? It’s in the shadows just above the ledge where it nests.

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