2002 - Midwest Peregrine Falcon Restoration Project

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23. SP-Manitou cliff, northeast of Little Marais, Lake County, Minnesota. A
pair of adult peregrines were here on April 17, but no birds were seen on a visit on June
12, leading us to conclude that the nest had failed. However, on July 5, Pat Redig saw
both adults and a recently fledged young falcon. He thinks the nest was on a grassy
ledge, not in the old raven nest used last year. Dave Evans checked the site on July 19
and saw two adults and two young falcons. The adult female is not banded; the male,
new to this site, has a b/g band ?/5?.
24. SP-Hat Point cliff, northeast of Grand Portage, Cook County, Minnesota.
Dave Evans visited this site on July 19 and saw three newly fledged young, two males
and one female. He did not see the adults.
[Kennedy Creek cliff, Lake County, Minnesota. No peregrines nested here this
year. Male red 7/R, here in 1998 and probably 1999, was identified this year at Palisade
Head, where he was present in 2001 and also probably in 2000.]
25. LE-North Central Life Tower, St. Paul, Ramsey County, Minnesota. Sixteenyear-old
female Meg 12R again over-wintered here and nested for the 15th year, this time
with eight-year-old four-toed male Sota 8/*E, here for the fifth year. Only three eggs
were laid, ending Meg’s string of 14 four-egg clutches. No eggs hatched. The eggs were
examined after about seven weeks of incubation by both birds and showed no embryonic
development. Perhaps Meg has reached the end of her reproductive career, after fledging
42 young in 14 successful seasons through 2001. It will be interesting to see if she
continues to hold this prime territory even if post-reproductive. Sota 8/*E was identified
on site on September 3, 2002, but Meg was not seen in an hour watch.
26. LE-Norwest Financial Center, Xerxes and I-494, Bloomington, Hennepin
County, Minnesota. For the sixth year, a pair of adults appeared in late March and nested
in the old tray, although the original pair has been replaced by new birds. The current
female b/g 9/?, paired with three-year-old male Nero V/D, fledged in 1999 at NSP
Sherco, Becker, Minnesota. Nero was probably also here last year but his band was not
read then. Four eggs were laid by April 30 but the eggs failed to hatch after almost seven
weeks of incubation. Paul Budde and Jeff Tordoff helped monitor this site.
27. LE-Blatnik Bridge, Superior, Douglas County, Wisconsin / Duluth, St. Louis
County, Minnesota. Dave Evans reports that a pair began incubation here around April
12 but gave up about May 10. The male was not banded and the female wore an upside
down band, red M over black ?.
[Bong Bridge, Duluth, St. Louis County, Minnesota. Dave Evans reports that
there was no nesting attempt here this year.]
28. LE-NSP Prairie Island, Goodhue County, Minnesota. Ken Mueller, Dan Orr
and Brad Giese of NSP and Bob Anderson report that eggs were laid here and young
hatched, but the nest failed before June 21 for unknown reasons. The adult female here is
nine-year-old 7/1, here for the sixth year. Her mate was not identified.
29. NB-City Hall, Minneapolis, Hennepin County, Minnesota. For the third year,
a female wearing only a silver band was present here, but there was no evidence that she
laid eggs this year. Again, no male appeared to be here on a regular basis, suggesting that
she was paired bigamously with the nearby male, Will 04Y, at the Multifoods Tower.