Peregrine Falcons Return to Cliff Face Nesting in Hartford County

     The Peregrine Falcon is an endangered species success story. The ban on the pesticide DDT, a captive breeding program and attentive monitoring has brought the falcon back from the brink of extinction.  In fact, success has been so great, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has removed the species from the Federal list of threatened and endangered species in 1999.  

     In Connecticut, the population continues to grow with ten active nesting pairs present in 2010, fledging nineteen chicks (Connecticut Wildlife Magazine; September/October 2010).

     This spring, I had the good fortune of finding a new Peregrine Falcon nest site. The nest is located in the town of Newington, on a cliff at the Balf Quarry. As you can see in the photograph below, the female has chosen a perfect bed of greenery to place her eggs. During this inaugural breeding season, the nest has produced a total of two chicks. 

Photo courtesy of Steve Grant

     Looking back, it is hard to believe that on the first day I discovered the falcons at the quarry, I was trudging about in knee deep snow and freezing temperatures. Today, I stand above the nest, peering down on two downy young and a very proud mom. Through it all, it has been a long and incredible experience.  

     The Newington location represents the second known nest site in Hartford County. The other nest, sits high upon the Travelers Tower in downtown Hartford. Still, the site in Newington represents more than just another nest location, it signifies the return of natural cliff face nesting to Hartford County.

     Exactly one hundred and fifty years ago, the first nesting of Peregrine Falcon in New England was confirmed at Talcott Mt., Hartford, on May 25, 1861. The Talcott Mountain site was deserted in 1942 because of the shooting of both adults and young by a game warden (Connecticut Birds; Zeranski/Baptist 1990). This was the last time a Peregrine Falcon attempted to nest on a natural cliff face in Hartford County.

     Dr. William Wood (1822-1885), a physician and highly regarded ornithologist from East Windsor wrote an article about the 1861 nest for The Hartford Times. Jean H. Klein, author of A Century of Birding in the South Windsor Meadows (2009) recalls the article in her book;

Writing about the Peregrine Falcon, he notes that “they are occasionally shot here (the South Windsor Meadows), within the past five years I have known three killed. There is a pair that breed on an inaccessible cliff on Talcott Mountain; and have occupied the same place for a great number of years.” He first began watching this pair in 1850, and even though it was known that he had offered a “liberal reward,” the nest was not found until 1861. It was 20 feet from the summit. The parent bird was shot and the four young taken. He kept them alive at his home and when Professor Spencer F. Baird, Assistant Secretary of the Smithsonian, visited him at East Windsor Hill he gave two of them to him in the fall of 1862. He afterwards learned that they died the next spring. He concludes his article which appeared in The American Naturalist in 1869; “It is now generally accepted that Duck Hawks nest in cliffs, never in trees.

     Despite numbers showing recent success, many Peregrine Falcons still face uncertain futures. People continue to pose the greatest threat to this raptor. Habitat destruction and nest disturbance are today’s two biggest conservation issues. A proposal to develop portions of the Cedar Hill Ridge may very well threaten the Newington nest.

     I would to thank Steve Broker of Cheshire, secretary of the Connecticut Ornithological Association, for providing me with historical information regarding natural cliff face nesting of Peregrine Falcons in Connecticut.  He has even informed me that one of the falcons taken from the 1861 Talcott Mountain nest was just rediscovered during an exhibit renovation at the Smithsonian Institute.

A Woodcock Nest

     The other day, while cleaning out the flower beds in our yard, my wife casually mentioned to me in passing that she just flushed a robin-sized bird from a brushy area. She said it looked like it was sitting on a nest. My first reaction to this was, yeah right, a bird sitting on a nest. As I walked to the compost pile, I thought about what she had just said; bird, ground, nest. Then it hit me, Woodcock!

     I ran back to my wife and asked her to show me the exact place where she flushed the bird. After some very careful searching, I was able to locate a faint, shallow depression in the brush with one beautiful egg in it. This shallow depression and egg was the first American Woodcock nest I had ever found, or seen for that matter!      

     American Woodcocks build their nests on the ground in open woods or brushy fields. Not much is known about woodcock nest building, but the one discovered in my yard looks as if a small bowl was formed with material used from the site.

     As you can see from the photographs, the eggs are a gorgeous shade of brownish orange, with small spots and slightly larger blotches.

     According to Birds of North America Online, the rate of laying eggs has not been definitively studied, but it is presumed to be one a day. I would agree with that presumption based on what was found at the nest on three consecutive days. On the day the nest was discovered, there was only one egg detected. The second day, the day I took the photos, the female had dropped a second egg into the nest. On the third day, a third egg was laid. During this sequence of laying eggs, the female was not observed on or near the nest in the afternoon or early evening. However, my wife does confirm the bird was present throughout the morning, leading us to believe an egg is placed sometime then.

     Here are some American Woodcock nesting facts I have gleaned from the pages of A Guide To The Nests, Eggs, and Nestlings of North American Birds. Baicich and Harrison.

Eggs: Usually 4, occasionally 3-5. Incubation: By female only, 20-21 days. Nestling Period: Young tended by female alone, led from nest soon after hatching, grows rapidly, can fly a little at 15 days. At 25 days well grown and fly well.  

     As difficult as it is to see an American Woodcock, it is even more remarkable to observe and photograph its nest and eggs. This is one birding memory that is sure to last a lifetime.

Hartford County Osprey Nests

      If you’re pressed for time and looking for a quick place to go birding, the Wethersfield Cove is the perfect choice. Located along the Connecticut River and just seconds off of Interstate 91, the cove offers a safe atmosphere, a drive up viewing area, and of course, great birds.

     Birders who visit the Wethersfield Cove are often treated to year-round sightings of Bald Eagles, an excellent chance to find white-winged gulls and waterfowl. Last year however, the cove became known for something else, a place where Ospreys nest.  

     Osprey sightings at the cove during spring migration are frequent and expected at this time of the year. But as last spring’s sightings drew closer to summer, I began to suspect that there was more to these observations that just another passing migrant. I decided to find out exactly what was going on. 

      The next morning, I once again caught sight of the Osprey, this time with a fish in its talons heading fast toward the river.  I jumped out of my car and followed a road under Interstate 91 to the riverbank. It was here where I discovered the fish-toting raptor and its recipient sitting on her nest!

     When the last Atlas of Breeding Birds of Connecticut was published in 1994, there were just a few confirmed nesting pairs along the coast, all found east of the Connecticut River. Today, the Osprey is thriving throughout the entire coastline, thanks in part to artificial nesting platforms and to dedicated people who have a strong interest in the species conservation. Ospreys have even taken to some inland sites, like Wethersfield.

     When Ospreys do decide nest inland, they will often take advantage of an open area with some sort of tall structure such as power/lighting poles.

Willow Brook Park Nest

     At this time, there are two known active Osprey nests in Hartford County. The first nest that was discovered is located in the town of New Britain, seven miles from the Connecticut River. It is placed high upon a sports stadium light tower at Willow Brook Park. This area features good feeding opportunities at nearby Shuttle Meadow Reservoir and Crescent Lake, safety from ground predators and a wide, stable platform to accommodate a large nest.  

     The Wethersfield nest site is in a little bit more of a precarious position. It is located just north of the cove outflow, on an old out-of-use oil delivery platform. Five of the nine wooden support poles that hold the platform up have broken due to old age, flooding and ice. This nest is not likely to survive many more years unless something is done to strengthen the supports.  In 2010, the Wethersfield nest fledged two young.

Wethersfield Cove Nest
Photo courtesy of Jim Woodworth

     With Ospreys becoming more successful away from coastal areas, it may be time to strongly consider erecting a couple new platforms, inland along the Connecticut River. In fact, the Great Meadows Conservation Trust has already looked into placing a platform onto one their properties.  To learn more about this excellent organization, see here:      http://www.gmct.org/

     Finding the nest last year and watching the young Osprey develop is nearly indescribable. It almost seems miraculous! Let’s hope they continue to prosper.