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Volunteer Stories

Birds

Volunteer Observers Shine

Mary Malec is a member of an informal group of downtown San Francisco Peregrine Falcon observers known as the “Canyoneers.” Early one morning during the 2008 nesting season, she climbed to a hiding place near the rocky nest crag where this pair of Peregrine Falcons were nesting. She was high on the slope of Mount Diablo. Sitting motionless, Mary waited until the male, known to falcon-watchers as the “tiercel,” landed so that she could attempt to read his leg band. Finally, he stretched out his leg briefly while she watched and through her powerful spotting scope read the numbers “3” over a sideways “6.”

After thousands of hours watching nesting falcons on the SCPBRG “Falcon Nest Camera” Mary’s volunteer observations during a day off from work provided a valuable “datapoint.” By reading the band, she was able to identify the tiercel as a 12 year-old falcon that was banded by the UC Santa Cruz Predatory Bird Research Group in 1996 after being taken at three weeks of age from a nest on a Southern California bridge and then released safely in Santa Barbara County.

We have found that bridge nest sites sometimes pose a threat to young falcons. During their first clumsy flights, they often land in the water below the bridge or in freeway traffic. SCPBRG moves young falcons from such sites to safe release locations.

Mary gained the satisfaction of helping to document the successful Peregrine Falcon population recovery in California. We were able to show that a young falcon, almost certainly doomed at a dangerous nest site, survived to independence. And, after 12 years of life he was discovered as a breeder hundreds of miles from the “hack” site where UC Santa Cruz student biologists had spent weeks observing his transition to wild independence.

These birds, and their remarkable story of recovery, continue to inspire people of all ages and from all walks of life to learn more about avian species and conserving nature. It is a poignant message for people around the globe because the Peregrine Falcon may be found nesting on cliffs above seabird colonies on every continent and major landmass in the world, except Antarctica.

Glenn R. Stewart