Mississippi River Peregrine Falcons: Great News for Cliff Nesting Falcons

Tuesdays must be the lucky day to find falcons on the river cliffs. On 4/8/08 we located two adult falcons defending Pepin Heights cliff just south of Lake City, MN. On 4/15/08, I spent the entire day surveying river cliffs and was most pleased to find two adult falcons defending a small cliff just north of the town of Minneiska, MN.

It appears that falcons are now taking to smaller or secondary cliffs. However, the one constant is that all cliffs with falcons tower directly over open water. Will this change when all cliffs directly facing water are occupied?

The following is a list of cliff sites with falcons on territory.

1. West Bluff near Maiden Rock, WI: Historic eyrie with falcons back for the third time.
2. Maiden Rock: The matriarch of river cliffs. Purchased and managed by the West Wisconsin Land Trust.
3. Maassen’s Bluff: Four miles north of Alma, WI.
4. 12 Mile Bluff: On the south end of the town of Alma, WI.
5. Castle Rock: Across the river from Winona, MN.
6. Lynxville, WI cliffs: The falcons are back on Larson’s Bluff.
7. Lock and Dam 9: This is the third year for this small cliff to attract falcons. It’s interesting to note that in 2006 there was an adult male paired with an immature female. 2007 an adult male paired with an immature female. 2008 adult female, immature male.
8. Fountain City: Two adults taking to the nest box mounted to the cliff in 2006.
9. John Latsch: Adult falcons present. Bandings carried out by Raptor Center.
10. Queen’s Bluff: South of Winona, MN Bandings carried out by Raptor Center.
11. Homer cliff near Homer, MN: Two adult falcons defending
12. Great Spirit Bluff: South of Dresbach, MN.
13. Leo’s Bluff, Waukon Jnct, IA: The two adult falcons at this cliff have moved to a new cliff just upstream from Leo’s Bluff. This is the third time the falcons have moved upstream. Dan Berger jokes that this is the result of global warming.
14. Pepin Heights 1: We confirmed falcons on this cliff on 4/8/08. On 4/15/08 I saw them carry out a food transfer. The winds were too strong to attempt to read bands on the top of the cliff. I even got a creepy feeling while standing on the top of this bluff being buffeted by 30+ winds.
15. Hussen’s Bluff near Minneiska, MN: I confirmed two adult falcons on this small cliff yesterday morning. I met with the land owner who is excited about his falcons.

Cliffs that have had some falcon activity

1. Twin Bluffs: Near Nelson, WI. Two falcons were present on early visits to the cliff but on 4/8/08 no falcons were observed. This same day, two falcons were observed at the Wabasha Bridge. The owners of this cliff have asked us to install a nest box on the cliff wall.
2. Trempealeau, WI: Falcons were observed several times in 2007. We have not seen falcon activity as of this writing in 2008.
3. Brownsville, MN: There are two cliffs south of Brownville that have in past years attracted single falcons.
4. Alma Marina cliff: This is a historic cliff nest site for the peregrine falcons. Dan Berger working with Fred and Fran Hamerstrom trapped an adult female falcon below this cliff in the early 50’s. We’ve seen falcons at this cliff several times over the years however, last year and, this year, Great Horned Owls are nesting in the one prominent eyrie.
5. Goose Island cliff: We have had falcons visit this cliff off and on over the last few years. The land owner who lives near the base of this cliff will let us know if falcons are seen once again.
6. Hastings cliff: Falcons have nested in the nest box mounted to the small cliff and also on a nearby bridge. I have not heard what site the Hasting falcons are using this season.

Bob Anderson
Director, Raptor Resource Project

I know that spring means melting snow, green grass, maple sap, and the season's first bare feet. But spring also means a floodtide of birds boiling up the Mississippi River valley to parts north. It was Tuesday, March 20th, and I was headed down river to Lansing, Iowa, to help install a peregrine nestbox. Little did I know that the spring migration was in full swing.

I had planned to come downriver on the Minnesota side and go back through Wisconsin, crossing at Winona. Although I was looking for peregrines, I expected to see some bald eagles - especially on Lake Pepin, which is famous for bald eagles. I didn't expect to see more bald eagles than anything except geese, ducks, and maybe gulls.

I began seeing large numbers of eagles near the mouth of Lake Pepin. At one point, I turned into a lake overlook and started counting eagles. Without really trying, I counted 20. 'Wow!' I thought 'Lake Pepin really does have a lot of eagles!' But Lake Pepin wasn't unique. Remember when Bald Eagles were really, really rare? As I headed downriver, I saw eagles sitting on ice, eagles perched in trees, eagles soaring over cliffs, eagles locking talons, and eagles sparring. I saw eagle nests. I saw adult eagles and immature eagles. I called people on my cell phone and babbled at them about the mind-boggling number of eagles I was seeing. Between the Highway 26 turn-off from 61 and New Albion, Iowa, I'll bet I saw over 50 eagles. I started counting about 2/3 of the way through the trip and got to 30. But I didn't see any peregrines until Lansing, IA, where Bob, Dave Kester, Tom Griffin, Maggie Jones, David Litton, and myself were all meeting at the Alliant Power plant to install a new nestbox on the cliff behind the stack.

This site has an interesting history. We first attracted falcons to a nestbox on the plant's stack. After two successful seasons, we mounted a nest box on a nearby cliff and removed the stack nest box. The falcons succeeded in producing young for two seasons in the cliff nest box. Then, in 2003 and 2004, they moved to a ledge, laid eggs and hatched young, which they lost to raccoon predation. They moved back to the stack and fledged young in 2005. They moved back to the cliff and lost their young again in 2006. This spring, the plant planned work at the stack during nesting season, so we decided to place a nestbox on the cliff and close the one on the stack.

Picture #1 shows Bob with the nestbox strapped to a backpack frame (picture by Maggie). The box is quite heavy! The rest of us are gathering up ropes, bags, equipment, and etc. to bring to the bluff. It is amazing how much equipment this takes. Fortunately, the cliff is a fairly easy stroll downhill and through a small woods. The last nestbox I helped install was a roughly 145-foot pull up the side of a watertower. This was easier.

Once we reached the spot, Bob and then Dave went down to check it out. Dave found a spot and Bob sent me down to take a look as well. Okay, we had a spot! It was quickly decided that Bob and Dave would install the box, I would hang overhead and pass equipment down in such a way that they would not be showered with falling rocks (a real danger on some of these cliffs), and Tom would rope up at the top and drop stuff over the first lip. Bob rigged a pulley to make dropping the box easier and safer for everyone involved, and we went to town.

Pictures #2 and 3 show Bob standing by the nestbox and Dave helping Tom get into a harness. Although Tom didn't come down on rope, Bob and Dave prefer everyone working near the edge to be harnessed and anchored.

Bob and Dave dropped over the edge and rappelled down to the chosen spot. I rappelled down to the halfway spot, and Tom, Maggie, and David began lowering the nestbox. The overhang was covered with rocks and dirt. Almost none of them were loose enough to simply be picked up and tossed out of harms way, but most of them could be jarred loose by, say, a heavy nestbox. We had to be quite careful to avoid dropping rocks and dirt on Dave and Bob - rocks especially are very, very dangerous. Picture #4 shows me muscling the box over a little overhand at the top. Note my lovely black snowsuit - it was cold on the cliff! Picture #5 shows Bob and Dave installing the box. Three bolts were easy. The fourth was the reason we went through two batteries.

Once the install was finished, I wanted to go down and take a picture of the box. Dave and I switched ropes. Dave discovered that I had a really, really bad rope bag. Note: old army-style backpack may not be acceptable substitute for actual rope bag. Must buy new bag! I took a picture of the cliff from the box, and Dave covered the old eyrie so the falcons couldn't use it. The ledge they had been nesting on was covered with raccoon tracks.

Once those tasks were completed, we picked up and headed down to the plant. We went up the stack and covered the front of the old nestbox so the falcons couldn't nest there, either. We all hope that providing the falcons with a new home, safe from racoons and out of the construction zone, will make this a productive spot for falcons once again.

On the way home, I saw falcons at Homer Bluff, just south of Winona, MN; Castle Rock, and one falcon at Maiden Rock. The falcons at Homer Bluff were quite exciting - Doug Wood spotted them here last year, but the site wasn't productive. We are hopeful it will be this year.

All in all - what a wonderful day! Falcons, eagles, friends, and a day on the cliffs - what could be better than that? I'm really looking forward to summer!

Amy Ries