2002 - Midwest Peregrine Falcon Restoration Project

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Tordoff maintains the Midwest peregrine database and wrote the narrative and
Tables 1 and 2 in this report. Martell prepared Tables 3 and 4 and managed printing and
circulation of the report. Castrale prepared Figures 1 through 14, based on a separate
database kept by him.
All peregrines banded in the U.S. Midwest (ND, MN, WI, MI, SD, NE, IA, IL,
IN, OH, KS, MO, KY) in 2002 wear a bicolored project band, black over green, on the
left leg. Wild-produced birds have a purple anodized USFWS band on the right leg;
hacked birds have a gold anodized USFWS band on the right leg. In Canada (SE MB,
NW ON), hacked birds receive a red band and wild-produced birds get a black band, in
addition to the usual silver USFWS band.
Many of the black/green and black/red bands have the upper or lower character
(or both) tipped to the left on its side; these we show by using a star (*) to indicate the
tipped-over letter or number, for example, *2/E or H/*4. It is essential to include the star
because all combinations are in use (H/4, *H/4, H/*4, *H/*4 for example). It is also
important to put all bands on right side up, to make them easier to read in the field. To
avoid confusion, numerals take precedence over letters; that is, numerals 1 and 0 are used
on the project color bands, letters I and O are not used.
We cannot change names of localities in the peregrine database when the names
of buildings or companies change. The original names are entered in the database in too
many places. Incomplete corrections would confuse searches for data. The same goes
for individual birds -- once named, the name sticks.
INTRODUCTION
Although the winter was mild, a cold, snowy spring in the Midwest, especially in
the northern part, resulted in some failed nests and some re-nesting by Peregrine Falcons
(Falco peregrinus). The production of fledged young was down in North Dakota,
Minnesota, and Wisconsin but remained about steady in the next tier of states south,
Nebraska east to Ohio. The known territorial pairs rose from 133 to 144, the second year
of slow growth. Production of young declined from 290 to 284. The same percentage of
territorial pairs nested this year (89% in 2001 and 2002) with somewhat reduced success
(83% this year vs. 86% in 2001) in fledging at least one young. Here is a nesting
summary for eight years by state or province (sequence here and in the main list below is
north tier of states first, west to east; second tier, etc., then SE Manitoba and NW
Ontario).