[MASSBIRD] Lawrence Peregrines: new nest found!!

[CRAIG GIBSON]

Greetings all,

At the start of the courtship and breeding season in 2021, the Peregrines were seen in the local area.
Then they almost disappeared from sight, and the sightings went down to almost nothing...very curious?

This spring, same thing, many sightings of both male and female, and then the same vanishing act. So
we mapped out all sightings, flight patterns, flight lines, and flight altitudes. Slowly, the primary point of
intersection was the Casey Bridge over the Merrimack River. The middle section of the bridge is about
1/4 of a mile from the Clock Tower on a WNW heading.

With a little homework and input from Tom French, we learned more aboutMassWildlife’s NHESP monitoring
of the Gillis Bridge in Newburyport since 2017, when a pair of falcons were attempting to nest on the bridge’s
pillars. An artificial nest box built by MassWildlife and installed by MassDOT in 2018 provided a safer environment
for the raptors to lay eggs and raise chicks. Peregrine falcons historically nested on cliffs but have adapted to
using man-made structures such a buildings, bridges, and quarries.

In addition to the Gillis Bridge in Newburyport, MassDOT and MassWildlife monitor twelve other falcon nesting
locations statewide: Braga Bridge in Fall River, the Tobin Bridge in Chelsea, the Massachusetts Turnpike Bridge
over the Connecticut River in Chicopee, Calvin Coolidge Bridge in Northampton, the French King Bridge in Erving
and Gill, Chelsea Street Bridge in Chelsea, Muller Bridge in Holyoke, Basiliere Bridge in Haverhill, the I-91
Deerfield River Bridge in Deerfield, the Fore River Bridge in Quincy, and North and South End Bridges in
Springfield.

Further, we tracked down an excellent research report issued by the Center for Conservation Biology on Peregrine
Falcons increasingly using bridges for nest ledge locations. The report outlined a call broadcast protocol to survey
bridges for possible peregrine occupation. Response rates by Peregrines to this broadcast call protocol was very
impressive. We deployed the same survey method twice along the east side of the Casey Bridge and achieved
almost instant responses.

The final step to secure 100% confirmation of breeding Peregrines was to launch a kayak, and paddle under the
Casey Bridge. Last Sunday afternoon, the kayak ride produced excellent results. Then, on Friday night, one of the
chicks was observed nearby, in flight and perched on a river side railing....a great story all around with lots of help
from others!

For those with an interest, two blog entries with photos, dated June 5 and June 10, have been posted. Click on any
of the images to enlarge for more detail.

Link: http://lawrenceperegrines.com/

Enjoy,

Craig Gibson
Lawrence Peregrines
Lawrence, MA