Buffalo, New York - City of Wings

The Peregrine Falcon, fastest bird in the sky, came dangerously close to extinction in New York state many years ago. Despite being the fastest animal on the planet, their speed did not allow them to escape the dangers of one of mankind's devious creations. Their numbers were decimated due to pesticides ingested while eating, thereby causing their egg shells to become weak and overly fragile. Like the Bald Eagle, another raptor whose presence in New York became nearly non-existent due to pesticide ingestion, the Peregrine has staged a remarkable comeback. Once DDT and other dangerous pesticides were banned after researchers discovered what damage they were doing to the environment, this feathered and taloned avian jet has been able to reproduce naturally, and return to the skies of Western New York. With the assistance of man, and the construction of towering buildings replicating natural nesting sites for this species, the Peregrine is now a regular site in the city and some of the other suburbs that afford it the proper nesting requirements. In 2008, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, the DEC, reported that there were 67 pairs of Peregrines nesting in the state. That may not seem like very many, but for a species that virtually disappeared at one point, it is good news indeed.

The latest, well documented, instance of a successful nest within the confines of the city, comes from one of the towers located at the University of Buffalo south campus. On a precarious ledge, far above the ground, a man made nest is now home to a pair of adult falcons as well as their offspring. A camera mounted unobtrusively near the nest site, has been able to provide researchers and casual observers, a constant stream of visual evidence that this family finds the ledge, and the surrounding skies, to their liking. Anyone caring to take part in the daily activities of these birds, can do so by visiting the web site of local news talk radio station, WBEN. By going to WBEN.com, you can then click on the link that takes you to the "UB Falcon Cam". The picture refreshes every 10 seconds, giving you a relatively constant monitoring of the adult birds as they attend the hatchlings. There used to be, and could very well still be, another pair of falcons nesting on the old Statler building in the heart of downtown. However, with the closing of that facility, the falcon cam that used to be installed near the nest built on one of its ledges, has now gone dark. Due to the habit of Peregrines mating for life, and returning to the same nest site year after year, chances are that there will continue to be successful nesting at the Statler tower site until that building is no longer there.

Another location, north of Buffalo, which at one point in time provided a Peregrine nesting site, is the Grand Island bridge. The unusual thing about the birds nesting on the bridge was, they did not choose to make their home on one of the towering support columns rising hundreds of feet above the surface of the bridge, but rather in the supporting girders that comprised the underlayment of the bridge deck itself. With thousands of vehicles streaming mere feet above their heads all day long, these birds found their ideal site hundreds of feet above the rushing waters of the Niagara River, safe from the weather and from any predators that could disturb their nest.

Any city resident or visitor, who happens to catch sight of one of these crow sized raptors streaking across the sky, or diving at nearly 200 miles per hour after its prey, should feel very fortunate. It was not that long ago, that this magnificent bird was missing from our skies, and while their numbers are still minuscule in relation to other bird species found in Western New York, its mere presence tells us that Mother Nature has not given up on us yet, still willing to share one of her wonders with us if even on a limited basis.

To learn more about the Peregrine Falcon worldwide, visit Wikipedia, the on line encyclopedia. To view the Peregrines at home, be sure to visit WBEN.com and click on the "UB Falcon Cam".