The 1984 breeding season opened for us in the depth of winter, on February 20. Jack Barclay, The Peregrine Fund's reintroduction coordinator, telephoned to inquire about our peregrine observations and advised us that The Peregrine Fund had placed a nesting box in the 1983 eyrie and another one on the Bronx anchorage. The boxes were partially covered and had gravel bases to provide protection from water. If the peregrines were to use a box for their second breeding season we hoped it would be the one on the Queens side because our observations would be significantly reduced if they nested on the Bronx end. Somehow we felt the peregrines wouldn't use either of the boxes, that they would pick another location on the bridge.
We had been observing the peregrines at the Throgs throughout the winter. Our most recent sighting had been just two days prior to Jack's call when we observed a pigeon kill.
For use that second season, and for the many more we anticipated, we bought a spotting telescope identical to the borrowed one we'd been using and new, improved binoculars.
In later years, our study of peregrine falcons and other raptors taught us that nesting failures far outnumber successes. One successful breeding season bodes well, but does not assure that the next one will be satisfactory. In addition to the physiological requirements the peregrine must bring to the breeding process, there are many external environmental factors which are crucial for success. Any single problem condition can ruin the nesting attempt, such as ongoing bridge maintenance, which can be disruptive if it occurs too close to the nest. . . |
