PEREGRINE MANAGEMENT

Each year, in collaboration with the Virginia Department of Game & Inland Fisheries, the Center for Conservation Biology performs various management activities on behalf of the peregrine falcon breeding population in Virginia. The single objective of these activities is to increase the reproductive output of the population.

TOWER/NESTBOX MAINTENANCE
Since all of the known breeding pairs in Virginia occur on artificial structures it is important to insure that this network of structures remains viable. Each year a considerable amount of time is spent repairing or replacing nest boxes and inspecting towers.

BROOD TRANSLOCATION
Although every effort is made to provide a stable nest structure for known pairs, some bridge-nesting peregrines continue to have low fledging rates. Observations indicate that losses occur during initial flight attempts or when chicks are preparing to fly. Nest sites high over rivers are not very forgiving and numerous chicks have been lost to the water. Other chicks have been blown from nest structures by high winds only to be found in the roadway below. In order to improve survivorship for chicks from historically high-risk sites, some chicks have been translocated to other locations where risks are much lower. These moves have involved both fostering to other broods when the situation allows or hacking to mountain sites.