Three new peregrine falcon nests discovered in Kentucky

  FRANKFORT, Ky. —  Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources biologists confirmed three new peregrine falcon nests this year, bringing the statewide total to 11 known active nests. A Louisville nest was discovered in late May, while a new nest was documented in Covington June 10. A third nest was discovered in mid-March in Boone County.

Peregrine falcons were removed from the federal endangered species list a decade ago, but are still protected under the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act. There were no known nests in Kentucky when the department began restoration efforts 16 years ago.

“They were essentially gone east of the Mississippi River, mostly due to DDT,” said department bird biologist Kate Heyden. “These nests bring us up in the double digits for the first time since our first falcon nest in 1997. Thus, this is the most nests that have been documented in Kentucky since re-establishment. Hopefully we’ll keep finding more and more.”

The Dow Chemical Company in Louisville alerted department biologists in late May to a nesting site at a company building. Kentucky Fish and Wildlife biologists were later notified that four falcon chicks had recently left the nest. One fledged successfully while the other three were not yet able to sustain flight.

“They left the nest before they were ready,” Heyden explained. “This happens fairly commonly, and as long as the birds fledge to a safe location, they’re usually OK. But in this case they ended up in active manufacturing areas of the plant, and that wasn’t safe for them.”

Heyden worked with department wildlife technician Jim Barnard to construct and place a nesting box in a safer location, the roof of the building where the parents had nested. After the three chicks were given a full health assessment by Raptor Rehabilitation of Kentucky, they were banded and placed in the box at night for the parents to find the next morning.

Peregrine falcons historically nested on cliffs and don’t build nests with leaves and branches like most birds. The Louisville pair simply laid their eggs in debris located in an air intake duct at the plant. Heyden and Barnard placed gravel in the newly constructed nest box to mimic a falcon nesting site.

“I was there at sunrise the day after the release, and it was amazing,” remembered Heyden. “Those parents immediately noticed the nest box and began flying around it. They circled it for about thirty minutes before they seemed to recognize the chicks as their own and began bringing them food.”

Kentucky Fish and Wildlife biologists learned of the Covington nesting site last week.

“We basically followed up on a rumor,” Heyden said. “We’d had sightings in that area, so we checked it out and it turns out this pair may have been there last year. Sometimes these birds go unnoticed for a while before we get word they’re there.”

Heyden said she hopes to soon get permission to put up a nesting box for this new pair of falcons. The Covington nest brings that city’s nesting site total to two, while Louisville has three known nesting pairs. The other nests occur along the Ohio River.

The Boone County nest was documented at the Duke Energy East Bend Station near Rabbit Hash. A nesting box was installed at the site in 2007 and a pair of falcons successfully nested in the box this year. Biologists confirmed that both falcons were wild-hatched in Kentucky.

One falcon at each of the new Louisville and Covington nesting sites was banded previously, which will allow biologists to find out where the birds originated by reading their bands through a spotting scope.

“I’m anxious and excited to find out where these birds came from,” said Heyden. “I can confidently say that those birds were also wild-hatched because of the color of their bands. The population is increasing naturally now and that’s what we want.”