©LISA ROMANIUK
Peregrine falcon beneath the high level I-80 bridge in CVNP
Ohio Division of Wildlife staff and volunteers have confirmed they are monitoring at least 25 pairs of peregrine falcons this year across Ohio. CVNP is fortunate to have one of the pair.
Spring 2008
A pair of peregrine falcons was observed nesting beneath the high level I-80 Bridge in Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
Spring 2009
The breeding pair returned in 2009 and began laying eggs in late March with a hatching date expected by May 5. Incubation lasts for a period of about 34 days. On May 12, falcon observers reported that the nest failed. However, the pair moved to a different location beneath the bridge and laid a second clutch of eggs. On June 11, the pair was observed bringing food to the nest, so it appears there was a successful hatch.
Falcon observers have identified the birds by their leg bands. The male is “Rocky” and the female is “Lara”. Rocky is a falcon from the Rocky River area and Lara is a bird out of Canada.
Summer 2009
In the first week of July four chicks hatched!
See photos of the parents and chicks on the .
The peregrine falcon's scientific name is Falco peregrinus, which means "falcon wanderer.” It is about the size and weight of a crow and normally grows to 15 inches in length with a 40-inch wingspan. The speed of a peregrine falcon has been said to reach 175 miles per hour or more.
Adults have long, pointed, dark blue-gray wings and backs, barred with black, and pale undersides. Their faces are white with a black stripe on each cheek, and they have large, dark eyes. Females are larger and more powerful than males.
Peregrine falcons usually begin breeding at about two years old. The nest itself is little more than a shallow scrape, shaped by the birds in soil or accumulated debris. The nest holds three or four eggs (slightly smaller than those laid by chickens) that are mottled with a dark, reddish-brown pigment. Both adults incubate the eggs, and eggs hatch in about 33 days.
A young falcon in the nest is called a nestling or an eyas (pronounced I-es). It is covered by white down when hatched, which is replaced by feathers in three to five weeks. Both the adult male and female help care for the nestlings. Nestlings eat an incredible amount of food. They double their weight in only six days and at three weeks will be ten times birth size.
Around forty days, young peregrines begin flying but they are still dependent on their parents for up to four weeks. The young falcons leave the area where they hatched by the end of summer to disperse and establish a territory of their own, elsewhere.
Although they have a high mortality rate, peregrines have been known to live as long as 15 years.
Peregrine falcons are on the Ohio state list of threatened birds.
Visit the Ohio Department of Natural Resources website to learn more about these birds.
