Peregrine falcon nest found in Stony Brook State Park for the first time on record
Peregrine falcons are nesting, for the first time on record, in the gorge of Stony Brook State Park.
The birds were first noticed early this spring by Park Manager James Jeffery while he was checking trail conditions at the Steuben County park in the town of Dansville, the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation said Friday.
The species is classified as endangered in New York state.
“I first heard the 'kack-kack-kack' sound the falcons make and then was able to get a picture that was later identified as a Peregrine Falcon,” Jeffery said. “Stony Brook State Park is home to a multitude of wildlife, but this seems a little extra special since it is the first time we have known peregrine falcons have nested in our gorge.”
After Jeffery's keen observation of the peregrine falcon, next came an effort to locate a nest. Members of the Finger Lake State Park Region’s Environmental Field Team and staff from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation joined forces for the search.
The timing of the sighting was important since the pair’s presence coincided with peregrine falcon breeding season, Jeffery said. After an extensive visual search of the park’s gorge walls, an adult peregrine falcon was observed sitting on a rock ledge nest nearly 200 feet high. Subsequent observations captured photos of the pair's offspring.
Peregrine falcons are skilled aerial hunters known for diving at speeds of over 200 mph in pursuit of their avian prey, state officials said. Populations in New York state seem to be slowly on the rise, but sightings remain rare.
The peregrine falcon was listed as an endangered species by the federal government in 1973 after its population dwindled due to the effects of pollutants like DDT. Its numbers began to rebound in the ensuing decades and it was removed from the federal endangered species list in 1999.
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Peregrine falcon nests in New York are often located on human-made structures such as bridges and tall buildings.
State officials said park environmental education staff plan to be onsite to provide the public an opportunity to observe the nest at a safe distance and give more information about the birds through the end of their nesting season.
The Stony Brook pair isn't alone in taking up residence at a state park; another naturally occurring cliff-nesting pair of peregrine falcons are located in the Finger Lakes Region at Taughannock Falls State Park.
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This mating pair has been coming back to Taughannock Falls for the past three years after returning to a historic nesting site in 2020 where peregrine falcons had not been seen since 1946, according to a state press release.
The juvenile peregrines (or eyases) at Taughannock Falls have just fledged and a walk on the Gorge Trail or a visit to the Falls Overlook offers a glimpse of four juvenile and two adult peregrines.
This article originally appeared on The Evening Tribune: peregrine falcon nest discovered at stony brook state park dansville
