Peregrine falcons boston

In fact, Peregrines have bounced back particularly well in cities, including Boston, New York and Chicago. David Paulsen: Little bit of a steep climb He proudly points to a wooden box built into a window opening. To me it looks like a standard chicken coop. But Paulsen sees it a bit differently. Complete with insulated walls and a gravel-lined floor, since this is where numerous Peregrine pairs have raised and fledged 99 chicks.

Paulsen: Probably the most productive site in all of New England. Which is good news, since Peregrine Falcons were once wiped out along the Eastern seaboard.

Paulsen: Blue Jays, cuckoo, woodcock…got some waxwing here. And he says nest boxes — which protect the eggs and chicks — have been crucial to the remarkable recovery of these birds.

Paulsen: They can handle the day-to-day noise, construction. Just a few decades ago, there were none. Once fully developed, these falcons are the fastest animal on the planet, diving over miles per hour. They nest and perch on skyscrapers, bridges and quarries, preying on sparrows, pigeons and even small ducks. These birds have now exceeded pre-DDT population levels in Massachusetts from about 14 nesting pairs to around 46 today, according to Paulson. Peregrine falcons aren't the only animals that have made a comeback in recent years.

The state's endangered bald eagles and northern red-bellied cooters those are turtles have gone from being almost extinct locally, to much more stable populations. Conservation programs have helped the northern red-bellied cooter come back from around in Massachusetts in the '80s, to more than 4, now. For young peregrine falcons, city life isn't necessarily easy.

Their weak wings may cause them to get stuck on ledges or on the ground. But the falcons have loyal birdwatchers, like Medford resident Ursula Goodine, who help when needed. She and her husband made it a hobby to track peregrine falcons when the birds' population levels were still low. Paulson says protecting peregrines doesn't just maintain local biodiversity, but offers a glimpse of our native environment.

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