Red Wing Nature Notes

Can you imagine observing a bird of prey diving through the air at speeds approaching 220 mph. and plucking a duck or pigeon out of midair?  That experience might have been possible along the Mississippi river in the Red Wing area until the 1950’s or early 60’s.  During that period of time, the widespread use of the insecticide DDT caused the populations of bald eagles and Peregrine falcons to drop dramatically.  In fact by 1965, no Peregrine falcons were fledged in eastern or central United States.  Beginning in 1982, captive bred chicks were released from cliffs, towers and tall buildings where they were monitored and given assistance while learning to fly and become independent.  The chicks that fledged and survived from these hack sites were the beginning of a wild generation of Peregrine falcons.  Bob Anderson of the Raptor Resources Project was one of the leading biologists to initiate a nesting effort in the Red Wing area.

According to Chuck Bremer, manager of Red Wing Grain Elevator, this effort started in 1992 when a nesting box was lowered about ten feet from the top and attached to the side of the structure at a height of 200 feet above the ground.  For eight years, falcons were observed near the nest box but no nesting was initiated.

So in 2000, the box was removed from the side and placed directly on top of the elevator.  Immediately a pair of falcons accepted the box and started nesting.  Since that time, 21 Peregrine falcon chicks have successfully hatched.  This past Friday morning I accepted the invitation of Chuck to accompany him to the top of the elevator for an up-close observation of the falcons.

This spring there were two chicks that hatched, but because of a malfunction of a video cam it is not known if they have fledged yet.  Given the reception that Chuck and I received when we crawled out onto the very top by the mother falcon, I would guess they are still in the nesting box.  She would fly around us and come in from behind us and dive at our heads.  In fact, once she hit the top of my head with an impressive force.  Thankfully I was wearing a hardhat.

The few minutes we were on top I did manage to snap a couple photos.  However the image that will be imbedded in my mind for a long time happened as I was descending down through the trap door.  As my head reached the level of the top of the building, I glanced up for one final look and was stunned to see her hovering five feet directly overhead.  It was as if this majestic bird with wings outstretched was suspended in midair.  What an incredible moment and sight.

For regular readers of Red Wing Nature Notes, you might recall from my April 3rd post that I reported seeing two Peregrine falcons hunting overhead as I was on top of Barn bluff early one morning.  More than likely, they were the same birds that I had just encountered.

As Paul Harvey used to say “And now for the rest of the story.”  On June 6, 2010, Jacquelyn Fallon of the Midwest Peregrine Society discovered an active falcon nest on the face of Rattlesnake bluff in Wacouta.  The nest on a ledge of sandstone rock is called an eyrie is easily observed with binoculars from the white excrement staining the rock.  According to Fallon, Peregrine falcons have been seen in this area in recent years, but not until year have they nested successfully.  She indicated that both adults have been previously banded, but she was unable to read the bands to determine where they originated.  Three chicks in the eyrie/nest ledge two male and one female were banded on June 11th.  Fallon estimated that at the time of banding, the chicks were 19 to 20 days old and will probably fledge by July 1st.  Fortunately, once the chicks fledge, they will typically stay around until September when they migrate to an unknown location.
This past week Kathy and I have biked on the new Wacouta trail to an observation area near the base of the bluff to try and see the falcons.  All but one evening we were fortunate to see and hear the adults flying off and around the face of the bluff.  In fact on Wednesday evening, we observed something quite impressive.  A mature bald eagle evidently flew a little too close to the nest and immediately was greeted by an angry defensive diving female falcon eventually driving the eagle away.  I would highly recommend this outdoor adventure to anyone interested in falcons and witnessing firsthand a most incredible milestone in the recovery of a most amazing bird of the Mississippi river valley.  In light of the tragic human caused environmental disaster unfolding before our eyes in the Gulf of Mexico, it is uplifting to realize that the species Homo sapiens can have a positive influence upon their natural environment.

At this time, I would like to acknowledge and thank Chuck Bremer for the opportunity to visit the falcon nest on the Red Wing Grain Elevator and Jacquelyn Fallon for providing the photos of the falcon chicks as well as sharing information about her exciting discovery and efforts.  For further information on Peregrine falcons, I highly suggest going to the Midwest Peregrine Society website at www.midwestperegrine.org or the Raptor Resource Project at www.raptorresource.org.