In a rare moment not seen in years, all the peregrine falcon chicks that hatched this spring have survived and taken flight from their parents’ nest at Harpers Ferry in West Virginia.
For the past three years, adult falcon pairs have hatched a total of 10 chicks, but several died of starvation or were killed by predators.
“We’ve finally gotten to the point we’re having chicks. And this is the first year we’ve had all three chicks hatch and fledge,” said Eric Kelley, a biologist for the National Park Service at Harpers Ferry. “We’re very excited, and it’s rewarding that this year is such a success.”
Peregrine falcons are unique because they fly at high altitudes and often dive for their prey at great speeds. They are known as the world’s fastest birds and are able to reach about 200 mph when in a “hunting dive” for prey. They eat pigeons and ducks that they sometimes catch midair.
Their population dropped in the United States in the middle of the 20th century, and they were nearly decimated because of pesticides such as DDT, which was widely used to protect crops from insects. Falcons preyed on small birds that had eaten poisoned bugs, causing female falcons to produce eggs that did not have enough calcium and eventually cracked.
The peregrine falcon population dropped by more than 70 percent in the western United States by the mid-1960s. The birds went from 350 nesting pairs to none from Maine to Georgia, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
In the 1970s, DDT was banned, and eventually a major effort to breed peregrine falcons in captivity and return them to the wild helped replenish their numbers.
By the late 1990s, they were removed from the endangered species list, but they are still protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. More than 6,000 captive-bred peregrine falcons were reintroduced in a roughly 20-year period in 34 states. Maryland and Virginia have at least 50 pairs of breeding peregrine falcons, according to wildlife experts.
At Harpers Ferry, experts have worked with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and volunteers for the past two decades to try to lure them back to the cliffs.
Three years ago, they had a breakthrough when a pair of peregrine falcons nested and bred in the 200-foot-high cliffs of Maryland Heights, on the Maryland side of the Potomac River. The pair hatched three chicks in 2021, but only one survived and fledged, a process when a bird develops feathers that allow it to fly.
Last year, an adult pair of falcons had four chicks. Three of them survived and fledged. Experts said they are not sure if this year’s three chicks are from the same male and female peregrine falcons.
Peregrine falcons are about the size of a crow, with a three-foot wing span and tapered tails that help boost their speed and aerodynamics. They often nest on rocky cliffs and mountains and have also adapted to make nests on ledges of tall buildings or bridges.
For peregrine falcon chicks, the first year of their lives is often the most precarious as they are learning to fly and hunt.
“They’re learning to survive on their own and where to go and not go and how to avoid predators,” said Kristen Maxfield, a National Park Service interpretation and education program manager at Harpers Ferry. “They’re learning how to be adults.”
Experts at Harpers Ferry said the adult falcons will continue to feed their fledglings for several months, as the young birds get stronger and practice their hunting skills. To protect the young chicks, national park officials have fenced off areas near their nest.
For the public to see the chicks, experts recommend that people bring binoculars and go to the area known as “The Point,” where the Shenandoah and Potomac rivers meet. Falcons are most active about two to three hours after daylight and before dark.