Each year in late Spring, Chris Nadareski, a research scientist with the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, ascends to the tops of three of the city’s bridges and attaches identifying bands on newly hatched falcon chicks.
The Metropolitan Transit Authority Bridges and Tunnels project began in 1983 as part of a New York State nesting program to rescue and bring back birds of prey that were nearly wiped out by the widespread use of the pesticide DDT decades ago.
This year there were 10 chicks hatched between three families living at the tops of the the Verrazano Narrows Bridge, the Throgs Neck Bridge and the Marine Parkway-Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge.
Two families, one on the Brooklyn tower of the Verrazano Narrows Bridge and the other at the Throgs Neck Bridge, had two males and one female.
The family from the Rockaways, living atop the Marine Parkway-Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge, had one male and three females.
The banding takes but a few minutes and helps wildlife experts keep track of the number of peregrines in the city and identify them in case they become sick or injured. This year Mr. Nadareski was assisted by Barbara Saunders of New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. The bandings took place on May 18 and May 25 when the falcon chicks were about three weeks old.
Peregrine falcons were nearly wiped out in the 1960s as a result of pesticides in their food supply, and remain on the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation endangered birds list. Urban falcons like to nest atop bridges, church steeples and high-rise buildings because they provide an excellent vantage point for hunting prey, including pigeons and small birds.
photos courtesy MTABT
MTA Bridges and Tunnels provides a nesting box for the falcons at each of the bridges but otherwise leaves the birds alone, particularly during nesting season. Falcons mate for life and generally return to the same nest to hatch their young.
To see a short video from this year’s banding, click here.
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A few days ago, we received word (and a fuzzy cell phone picture) of a hawk or falcon perched on the balcony railing of 380 Rector Place overlooking the esplanade.
photo courtesy Kenneth Shane
No doubt with lunch on its mind, this bird of prey was eyeing the local pigeon population and little house dogs out for a stroll. So keep your eyes open and your Shih Tzu close at hand!