Last updated: August 12, 2024
Article
View From the Aerie: Peregrine Falcon Watch in 2024
NPS photo by Brady Richards
My name is Sara, and I am here with the SCA (Student Conservation Association) to assist with the Peregrine Falcon Watch program.
Starting June 17th, join a Park Ranger and myself in the parking lot of the Precipice trailhead with scopes available to view the birds. Programming will be running Monday through Wednesday, and Fridays, 9:00 am to Noon. Due to issues regarding the public access to closed trails, the Precipice parking lot is temporarily closed. To join us for programming, please park in the right lane of park loop road and walk up to the parking lot.It is exciting to share that two eyases (unfledged falcon chicks) have been reported peering over the cliffside where the Precipice trail closures are located. One of the eyases has been discovered out of the nest on the cliffside below the original nesting site. We are keeping a close eye on these birds to see if the parent falcons will still tend to this chick despite its new location. A reminder, these trails are closed for good reason! Peregrine Falcons are extremely territorial and studies have shown that these birds of prey are likely to abandon their aeries (nests of large birds of prey) when there is regular disruption. Help keep our Peregrines safe and respect these trail closures.
NPS photo by Molly Mays
June 12, 2024
After the fog cleared in the morning, judging by size, we saw the female falcon sitting in view. Peregrines show reversed sexual dimorphism, that is, the female is larger than the male. This difference varies, but the female is anywhere between 25-33% larger than the male counterpart. Her bright white chest was easy to spot against the rocky cliffs that day; a rarity, as their camouflage often makes them difficult to see. She sat on her perch for the entirety of our stay, preening and keeping an eye on her territory.June 14, 2024
The pair of falcons were both spotted flying overhead and along the cliffside. We soon realized one of the parents was swooping to their nest site to drop food. One of the chicks came into view to eat its meal. Many of its juvenile feathers are coming in with some leftover tufts along its back, downy fluff on its head, and very fluffy legs. After its meal, it stretched its wings and legs moving down to the far-right cliff edge of its nesting site. We spotted the second chick on the cliffside below, still moving around, but we did not see the parents drop food for it during our time there. We received an update over the weekend that the lower chick is still being fed despite its new location. As long as it continues to find shelter from the elements on its new ledge, we are hoping for the best.June 17, 2024
The morning was overcast and very windy, so we did not have much activity. We heard a parent’s call when we first arrived, but there was no sign of them for the remainder of the morning. As for the chicks, the lower chick peered out to stretch its wings for a few minutes. We did get to witness it preening and get some of its last remaining down stuck in its beak. It even gave its head a good scratch with its talon! While their adult feathers are almost fully grown in, there are a few ways to distinguish the adults from the eyases. At this stage their size is just as large as their parents. But, as juvenile falcons, they have a grayish/blue beak, green talons, and orange/brown chest feathers. This is in contrast to the adults' bright yellow beaks, yellow talons, and bright white chests.
June 18, 2024
We had a great view of one of the adults perched in view for most of the morning. Both parents flew around the nest site as well. As for the chicks, the weather is getting warmer, and they were definitely finding cover in the shade today to avoid the heat. We got to see the lower chick stretching its wings out once again, running up and down its ledge. But, for the most part it has been trying to keep itself cool by hiding away in the sparse greenery nearby.
June 19, 2024
It a hot day! The chicks were hiding away in the shade once again. Earlier in the morning we did see the chick below the scrape site making attempts to flap and run across its ledge. It’s predicted they will be taking flight soon. Peregrine Falcon chicks will often be spotted flapping their wings at this stage just as we’ve seen. This helps them to strengthen their wing muscles and better prepare them for flight. We didn’t get too much activity until the end of our program when we had both parent falcons in flight, moving from perch to perch to exchange food. They were hard to keep track of with our scopes as they circled the cliff side, but we had a great show!
June 21, 2024
We weren’t sure what kind of activity we would see Friday, but we were in for quite the territorial display. The female of the pair was perched in her favorite tree once again for most of the morning. We watched her feathers getting ruffled as she braced against the wind. She preened and kept a close eye out from her high perch. She flew around briefly, and we could hear her calls. We were unable to spot the chicks at the nesting site at all today, which we believe is an indication that they have fledged and are somewhere else along the cliffside. The female Peregrine confirmed that she is still here to protect her chicks when she sped overhead to chase off a pair of Bald Eagles! Her protection continued as she chased off a juvenile Bald Eagle more than once, as it was brave enough to attempt flying directly over the mountainside. I’m excited to check in again next week, hopefully with more reports of the chick's first flights.
Can you spot the differences mentioned above between the adult (left) and juvenile (right)?
Left image
Adult peregrine falcon flying overhead
Credit: Emma Forthofer/Friends of Acadia
Right image
Fledgling peregrine falcon flying overhead
Credit: Will Greene/Friends of Acadia
June 24, 2024
After the rainy weekend, this morning brought sunshine and falcons! We started off with an adult in its favorite tree perch. After scouring the cliffside with our scopes, listening to their calls, and the good eyes of Ranger Molly, a juvenile was spotted! Far from the original scrape site, we watched it stretch its legs, flap its wings, and preen some of those last remaining down feathers. To our excitement, we witnessed the adult return and drop what looked like a fully feathered bird for the chick. The Peregrine parents will actually pre-pluck their prey before feeding to their young. But, as they get older and closer to independence, the parents begin leaving the feathers for the chicks to pluck themselves. This seemed to be the case! Although, the chick pulled its meal further back on its rock out of our view.After this, we thought our day's excitement was through, but soon, all four falcons were soaring through the sky! Both juveniles and adults flew circles around the cliff side. This family flight was quite the sight as we witnessed a flying game of following the leader, speedy dipping side to side in what appeared to be pursuit of a high-flying insect, and a clumsy landing atop the upper ledges of the cliffside. Off and on for the next 15-20 minutes, we attempted to follow the juveniles as they would fly, perch, and fly again before finally settling in to rest. Learning the ins and outs of flight must be tiring!
June 25, 2024
The whole family was in flight multiple times today! We were greeted by their calls and silhouettes high above. We did a lot of chasing with the scopes as the juveniles were practicing their flight throughout most of the morning, changing their landing spot each time. On two separate occasions, we witnessed food transfers between adult and juvenile falcons! This is when the adults bring in freshly caught prey and the juvenile is able to grab its meal from the adult while both are still in flight. When an adult would come in with prey, both juveniles would chase after them trying to get the next meal before its sibling. It is very typical of the falcons to chase their parents every chance they get. It's a great way to practice their pursuit and race to get their next meal. We saw some playfulness between the two juveniles as we watched them chase each other around the cliff sides, practice their defenses and agility by twisting and aiming their talons at each other, and even begin practicing their stoop (folding in their wings to high-speed dive, typically used when hunting for prey).June 26 & 27, 2024
While I was not stationed with the falcons the past few days, there is still a lot to share about these resilient birds. Some may be familiar with the use of the chemical DDT which was widely used as a pesticide throughout the 1940s & 1950s. It became prohibited in the United States when its harmful effects on surrounding ecosystems were realized, such as the thinning eggshells of birds like Bald Eagles and Peregrine Falcons. After 1956, the Peregrine Falcon had become extirpated (locally extinct) in Acadia and along most of the East coast. Acadia National Park has many historic nesting sites and rocky cliff habitats typical of the Peregrines which made this location an important site for their restoration projects. This included the reintroduction of the species through artificial nest boxes called “hack boxes” where chicks were raised and released starting in the 1980s. It was not until 1991 that Acadia had their first successful Peregrine Falcon nest in 35 years. Read more about their now 30+ years of successful nesting in Acadia.
NPS photo by Sara York
June 28, 2024
The two juveniles were active today practicing their flight again. We saw them soaring so high up above us they were only visible as small specks.These flights are a great way for the juveniles to practice their flight maneuvers and defense strategies. We saw some of the latter as they chased each other around the cliffside and made attempt after attempt to dive at each other and spin to show their talons. With both in flight today, we got a much better view of the juvenile sizes which varied greatly. The peregrine falcon’s reverse sexual dimorphism (female is larger than the male) could be seen today when observing the juveniles in flight. It appears we have a young male and young female! Something special that we observed near the end of our falcon watch today after the siblings became tired of chasing each other through the sky is them landing directly beside each other on the same rock perch. Seemingly only inches from one another, they sat at the very top of the cliffside and looked out over their surroundings together.July 1, 2024
The juveniles were once again showing off their flying skills when we first arrived this morning. They even grabbed onto each other's talons, practicing their courtship behaviors. We saw a lot of tail chasing today as they continue to develop their agility. We even saw one make a clumsy attempt to chase after a songbird (with no luck, but it’s still early for them to be hunting on their own). We also saw one grab onto the flimsy top branches of a tree, flop around with the branch in its talons, and then fly off after unsuccessfully flapping sideways for a few seconds. This is another typical behavior seen in fledglings as they begin practicing their precision by aiming for branches and other objects. These siblings love to chase each other around the cliffside! That was what we saw the most of today, alongside them receiving food from an adult and chasing off a juvenile Bald Eagle together! As we got ready to pack up our scopes, the siblings perched side by side once again. They seem to enjoy perching beside one another to look out at Acadia National Park.July 2, 2024
Today was forecasted as the hottest day this week which had the falcons hiding away for most of our program. We heard their calls as they searched for shady perches and we found a view of a juvenile tucked beneath some vegetation. The falcons' granite gray back feathers and dense brown streaking of their underparts camouflages them well amongst the shadows of the cliffside. Nearing the end of our program, we had a great display of flight as the juveniles chased a parent. We also saw the juveniles go after a turkey vulture! The vultures do not pose a threat to the birds, but the juveniles love the practice of chasing them. The juveniles chased each other as well, attempting to grab one another's tail feathers. This included some speedy maneuvers overhead and off into the distance. Peregrine Falcons are known for their high speeds reached during their stoop which we discussed last week to be their dive used for hunting prey. Their typical flight speed ranges 25-35mph (like the driving speed on our Park Loop road!) and up to 70 mph during their pursuit of prey. As for their stoop, from over 3000ft in the air, their dive can reach speeds up to 240 mph!July 3, 2024
Another really hot day kept the falcons in hiding for most of our program. The siblings were spotted flying over the mountain top later in the day. One returned with a meal, most likely received from a parent out of sight. We tried our best to set the scopes on them, but they flew and perched for over 20 minutes before finally settling into the shade.We received some questions about the Peregrine’s eyesight which is another phenomenal trait of these birds! Their eyesight is eight times better than that of our human eyes. This gives them the ability to see small prey from over a mile away. They also have a third eyelid called a nictitating membrane. This is a protective layer that acts like goggles for when they are flying at their high speeds.
NPS photo by Sara York
July 5, 2024
It was a foggy start this morning. The juveniles were sighted briefly before disappearing into the dense fog cover overhead. Near the end of our program, following their typical lunch time schedule, we witnessed a juvenile get food and perch to eat. Soon after, they chased each other around almost directly above our heads! This was before they continued further East. They seem to be becoming even more adventurous as their flying gets stronger and stronger. Soon enough we’ll be seeing signs of more hunting practice too!While waiting for the Peregrines today, we talked more about the differences between juveniles and adults, their history, and how exactly a Falcon makes its nest. I’ve mentioned their scrape site before and it is much like how it sounds. Peregrine Falcons do not construct a traditional nest by gathering sticks like other birds. Up on the cliffside, they find their preferred spot, simply scrape their feet to make a slight depression, and lay their eggs! In some cases, they have been known to use abandoned nests of other birds but they will not make any additions or changes to it. Their scrape is where they will lay their eggs, incubate, and raise the chicks until they fledge and begin to fly to other locations on the cliffside. A group of our young falcon fans brought along a toy Peregrine and constructed their own scrape with us in the parking lot today!
July 8, 2024
It was another hot day up on the cliffs. We did not get a lot of activity which we believe is due to the juveniles becoming more adventurous and leaving their territory more frequently.
Eventually, we did hear their calls. They must have been hiding in the shade as they flew right from the cliffside. Both juveniles were spotted soaring along the ridgeline of trees and up into the sky. They perched briefly but did not sit still for long before taking flight once again. One had perched by the adults’ historic cache site. This is where food is stored to be eaten later If Peregrines catch in abundance, they will cache the food to be used when they are unable to hunt as easily.We witnessed a dive and chase of a songbird in the distance that was quickly taken below our view beneath the tree line.
We are unsure if this was an adult in pursuit, or one of the juveniles learning how to hunt.
July 9, 2024
There was very little activity today with a sighting of a Peregrine briefly near the tree line, and not again until a few minutes before packing up the program. We spotted an adult that perched for a few minutes before flying off again. As they get older, they will begin flying further and further from their original territory. Peregrine Falcons are migratory birds, so they are able to fly long distances. Their name “Peregrine” means “wanderer” after the wide extent of their migration patterns. Some peregrines may travel over 20,000 miles in a year! And where are they flying to and from? Well, these birds are found on every continent but Antarctica! Where they can find high cliffs and perch spots, they’ll make it their home. This includes structures in cities such as tall buildings and bridges. They have plenty of pigeons to eat and they love those high viewpoints.
NPS photo by Sara York
July 10, 2024
The heat has been keeping the falcons tucked away in the shade, but we were lucky to get sight of an adult perched in a large pine tree up on the cliffs. We heard the calls of the juvenile on and off throughout the morning as they begged for food. From our observation of the adult sitting and not tending to the juveniles nagging, means the time has come to begin withholding frequent feeding to encourage the young to hunt more for themselves.
Shortly after the Juvenile cried to the adult, it gave up, and began stooping after a bird, confirming our observations! It soared right over the parking lot and off into the distance to continue its hunt for food. While it had been searching for the adult on the cliffside, it did land on a few perches briefly.
NPS photo by Sara York
July 12, 2024
What an exciting and active morning for our Peregrine Falcon Watch Program today! For over an hour, we observed the juveniles in flight. They chased each other, swooping and twisting, all around the cliffside. They seemed to be partnered up as they both worked on trying to catch a meal. We witnessed numerous attempts to hunt small songbirds. They’re definitely still learning! We saw more direct pursuits than attempts to stoop at their prey, which left them empty handed (or empty taloned). This included flying over very close to our heads and all around the surrounding treetops. They tag teamed chasing off a few Turkey Vultures and the Red-Shouldered Hawk that flies through occasionally. The siblings continue to enjoy each other's company too. On multiple occasions they would land at the same perch. They joined each other at the cache site, likely to pick at scraps left from previous meals, took turns drinking water from yesterday's rain along the upper rungs of the Precipice trail, and landed on high rock ledges together.July 15, 2024
The hot weather continues to keep the Peregrines hiding away in the shade. We caught sight of an adult flying by, which we could identify by its bright yellow talons. We definitely heard more than we saw today from the Peregrines. Lots of calling rang out across the cliffside. Eventually, we saw a Juvenile in pursuit of an adult. We did not see any transfer of food, but as the adult took off flying North far into the distance, the Juvenile followed.
NPS photo by Sara York
July 16, 2024
A quiet morning turned into over an hour of flight and activity today. We witnessed the whole family of four Peregrines in flight together on multiple occasions. This would bring a chorus of calls from the juveniles as they chased after the adults. They then continued chasing each other around the landscape. We were able to get our scopes on them a few times, but they were ready to move and wouldn’t perch for very long. One of the adults perched for a while, preening its feathers within the shade of a rocky outcrop. Meanwhile, the juveniles showed off their flying skills, spiraling through the air, chasing each other with great speed, and diving at other birds (like the gull passing by). The falcons flew out of sight over the cliffs, and one returned with something to eat. It is still unclear how much the adults are feeding the juveniles at this time- or if the juveniles have been successful in catching their own food. The siblings joined each other on perches again today, some on the upper edges of the rocky cliffs, others tucked away in the shade. While flying, and when perched very near to each other, you can oftentimes see the size difference between the male and female as we have discussed their reversed sexual dimorphism.
July 17, 2024
Today was our first day without a Falcon sighting this season. As we have discussed, they are working towards their independence, and could be off hunting further away before returning to these cliffsides. It was another extremely hot day which can cause them to be less active. They will avoid the hot sun and keep hidden in the shade. We will have to keep our ears listening for calls, and our eyes up on the sky next week in hopes of catching another glimpse!
July 22, 2024
With the cool air this morning, the juveniles were very active for over an hour. We watched them fly and perch, and fly and perch all morning. Neither wanted to sit still for long. A few times one would fly directly to where its sibling was perched, knocking the other bird back into flight. We witnessed one shimmy into a large crack in the rock to find some shade, some twists and flips while flying through the air, and the pursuit of an adult who brought a meal back for them. The juveniles spent a lot of time swooping through the treetops as they presumably are still working on their hunting skills. Eventually, one perched for a while longer to preen and find a cozier spot further back out of sight in the shade.The other juvenile was spotted following an adult falcon off into the distance. This is a common behavior for juveniles as they get older. Instead of waiting for the adult to return directly to them to drop food, they begin venturing out and following the adult while it is in pursuit of prey. Sometimes, the adult will even catch a bird and re-release it for their offspring to practice catching on their own.
July 24, 2024
There was no programming yesterday due to rain, but upon our arrival today we heard calls signifying that they were somewhere along the cliffside. Later on, three falcons were spotted, an adult and the two juveniles in hot pursuit of their next meal. While the juveniles chased each other below the treeline, loudly calling and most likely contesting who would get to eat the food brought in by the adult, the adult Peregrine perched in view. Its bright white chest was visible even with the naked eye against the gray of the cliffside. Soon, it took off to look for more food and perch elsewhere. Meanwhile, the two juveniles eventually came to settle on a rock beside each other for the majority of the remaining time for the program. When one of the falcons receives food, they can sometimes be observed hunched over with their wings outstretched partially or fully. This is known as mantling. Myself and other visitors have witnessed this behavior, used to shield their food from competition, be it other raptors or in this case, their siblings.
NPS photo by Sara York
July 26, 2024
We witnessed a lot of activity today with falcons in sight for almost the entire program. A juvenile was spotted flying from perch to perch before heading out to most likely look for food (or a parent that would feed it). Soon after this, both juveniles and an adult took to soaring around the cliffs. The juveniles called and called, leading us to believe they were in pursuit of the adult and looking for their next meal. We had a juvenile and adult perch while the other sibling flew off into the distance once again. Later on in the day, we witnessed lots of juvenile play as they chased each other around the sky. On many occasions they flew directly overhead! They even teamed up to chase after an Osprey that happened to be passing by. This brought the juveniles off into the distance.
We sighted a Bald eagle soaring to the left of the cliffside but it quickly turned off to the opposite direction. Soon after that, we ended the program while watching an adult land and on the cliffs. We watched as it moved a few times to different spots before settling in the shade of a rocky outcrop where it preened.
July 31, 2024
On our drive to the trail head, we saw what we believed to be a peregrine flying past one of the overlooks while we were still on the road! Once we arrived, only minutes later a juvenile flew in from overhead and perched on the cliffside. The second juvenile joined soon after where they spent the majority of the morning chasing each other around and perching together. Surely a nuisance for the unsuspecting gulls, the juveniles practiced their flying and defense chasing after them. We witnessed them grabbing each other's tail feathers, diving and swooping after one another, and spiraling through the air overhead. There was no sight of the adults today, another sign that they are encouraging the juveniles to hunt more for themselves.
We are nearing the end of our program and they will soon be moving on from this territory that they have grown up in. I hope you have learned something during your reading and most importantly gained an appreciation for these magnificent birds! We would not be able to see them here today if it weren’t for the park’s recovery efforts and our respect for their nesting habitat. I am so appreciative of Acadia National Park, our staff, and the opportunity to work with this program. I am already excited to read about next year's falcon watch! If you’d like to hear more from me, check out our upcoming Hawk Watch program that I will be updating throughout the fall.