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Abstracts for scientific meetings are posted below for
presentations given relating to MRF's research on Peregrine Falcons.
Additional publications will be listed here as they are published.
Raptor Research Foundation
- October 2005 - Green Bay, Wisconsin
Genetic origin of
Peregrine Falcons (Falco peregrinus) breeding in eastern Canada
Presented by David
Bird; co-authors Marcel Gahbauer and David Bird
Project partners: Avian Science and Conservation Centre, Ontario
Ministry of Natural Resources
ABSTRACT:
Between
1975 and 1996, over 1500 captive bred Peregrine Falcons were introduced
by hacking into nest sites in southern Canada. All the captive breeders
originated from wild nests south of the treeline, considered to be
within the range of the anatum subspecies. Some of the
released falcons returned to breed in southern Canada, while others bred
in the eastern US. Conversely, many of the peregrine falcons
breeding in Canada originated from releases and wild sites in the US,
where several subspecies were used in captive breeding programs. This
is most evident in southern Ontario, where Peregrine Falcons resumed
breeding in 1995 after an absence of over thirty years. From 1995
through 2004, 30 breeding adults were observed, of which nine were of
Canadian origin, 12 of American origin, and nine were unbanded birds of
unknown origin. However, of the Canadian birds, four had at least one
parent originating from the US breeding program. This paper reviews our
knowledge of the origin of Peregrine Falcons that breed in Ontario and
elsewhere in Canada, based on band recoveries.
Raptor
Research Foundation - November 2004 - Bakersfield, California
Nest site
characteristics and productivity of urban Peregrine Falcons (Falco
peregrinus) in southern Ontario
Presented by Marcel
Gahbauer; co-author David Bird
Project partner: Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources
ABSTRACT: In
1995, two Peregrine Falcon pairs nested in southern Ontario, marking the
first successful breeding in the region in over thirty years. Since
then, 18 sites have been used, including a one-year high of 10 active
nests in 2004. From 1995 to 2004, 217 eggs were documented at 63
nesting attempts. The overall hatching rate was 65.9%, with higher success
at southwest, south, or southeast facing nests (76.8%, n=28) than at
others (56.8%, n=35). Two-thirds of nesting attempts were at sites with
full overhead cover; hatching success at these averaged 76.6% versus 44.4%
at sites with partial or zero cover. Of all chicks hatched (n=143),
95.8% survived to fledging, and 78.3% survived to independence. To
supplement natural productivity, 49 juveniles were hack released at 15
sites between 1999 and 2004. Government
biologists and/or experienced volunteers monitored all nests and releases.
Fledglings were rescued whenever injured, or at risk of injury from ground
predators and/or traffic. Only 8.2% of hack released peregrines were
rescued, compared to 41.6% of wild hatched juveniles. Of young
hatched
between 1995 and 2003, the fate, one year post-fledging, is known for
43.7% (n=119) of wild hatched and 42.2% (n=45) of hack released birds.
First year mortality was 63.5% for wild hatched individuals and 68.4% for
hack released birds. Of the survivors, 15 wild hatched individuals
have produced 101 offspring, while the only breeding hack released bird
has produced five. Two of the breeders displaced one of their parents from
their natal sites, two took over existing Ontario territories, five
established new territories in southern Ontario, and the remaining seven
nested in Michigan, Ohio, or New York. These results from Ontario
suggest that a broader review of the eastern Peregrine Falcon population
could reveal important patterns to better guide future management efforts.
Hawk
Migration Association of North America - March 2003 - Corpus Christi,
Texas
Patterns in the
migratory movements of North American Peregrine Falcons
Presented by Marcel
Gahbauer; co-authors David Bird, Geoffrey Holroyd
Project partners: McGill University, Canadian Peregrine Foundation,
Canadian Wildlife Service
ABSTRACT: Satellite
telemetry has previously been used to document the movements of Peregrine
Falcons (Falco peregrinus) from breeding grounds in western North
America, winter territories in Mexico, and migratory stopovers along the
Atlantic Coast. This study is the first to focus primarily on the
movements of urban Peregrine Falcons, and to be targeted mostly at
juveniles. Between 1997 and 2002, 27 Peregrine Falcons from Alberta,
Ontario, Quebec, New York, and Pennsylvania were fitted with satellite
transmitters during the summer months. Nine individuals died or were
otherwise lost from communication before the end of summer. Among
the others, nine undertook long-distance migrations of 2000 km or more,
six migrated shorter distances, two moved to locations within 100 km of
their origins, and one did not disperse at all. Time of dispersal,
in number of days post-fledging, was longer for urban juveniles than for
those from rural sites. Similarly, captive-bred juveniles dispersed
more slowly than those raised in the wild. Among urban peregrines,
captive-bred individuals showed a much greater migratory tendency.
Regardless of origin, almost all moved to a coastal location for the
winter. Migratory paths were varied, but many individuals frequented
Florida and the east coast of Mexico. For six birds, both fall and
spring migrations were recorded; all returned to within 50 km of their
points of origin. Those which wintered in North America or Mexico
returned by similar routes, while those which migrated further south
crossed long distances of open water in the fall, but followed terrestrial
routes in the spring.
Argos
Animal Tracking Symposium - March 2003 - Annapolis, Maryland
Peregrine
Falcons: insights gained throughs satellite telemetry
Presented by Marcel
Gahbauer; co-authors David Bird and Geoffrey Holroyd
Project partners: McGill University, Canadian Peregrine Foundation,
Canadian Wildlife Service
ABSTRACT: Previous
researchers have used satellite telemetry to document the migration of
Peregrine Falcons (Falco peregrinus) between northern breeding
territories and wintering grounds in Central and South America. The
present study is focused primarily on the dispersal and migration of
juvenile Peregrine Falcons from urban environments. Seventeen such
individuals have been tracked since 1998, in addition to five juveniles
from rural sites and five adults. Birds were fitted with a PTT at or
near their nest sites in Alberta (n = 6), Ontario (n = 14), Quebec (n =
2), New York (n = 1), and Pennsylvania (n = 4). Nine individuals
died or were otherwise lost from communication within three months, and an
additional three falcons died later while still wearing the PTT.
In several cases, the site of death could be located using the telemetry
data, allowing the cause of mortality to be determined; factors identified
include vehicle collisions, predation, and electrocution. Of the 18
individuals tracked for three months or longer, nine undertook
long-distance migrations of 2000 km or more, six migrated shorter
distances, two moved to locations within 100 km of their origins, and one
did not disperse at all. Among the migrants, some departed directly
from their original territory, while others first dispersed locally before
undertaking longer journeys. Time of post-fledging dispersal was
later for urban juveniles than for those from rural sites. Satellite
telemetry has proven to be effective at describing both the spatial and
temporal patterns of Peregrine Falcon movements.
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