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San Francisco's Peregrine Falcons

Recovered from the brink of extinction, at home in the Financial District

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Category Natural Wonders, Fascinating Fauna

Dad and three juveniles on the PG&E building. Photo by brothergrimm on Flickr.

Source www.flickr.com

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It is not an uncommon sight in San Francisco’s Financial District to see pigeons disappear at lighting speed, attacked from on high by the city’s resident Peregrine Falcons.

These beautiful black and grey birds are one of the fastest animals in the world, reaching speeds up to 200 mph in a dive. Celebrated by falconers for hundreds of years, they were once abundant all over the world, but were pushed to the brink of extinction within the last fifty years.

Widespread use of DDT decimated the population by the 1970s, with just two known breeding pairs in California. In 1987, the first nest box was installed at the PG&E building in San Francisco, and Peregrines have been using the nest on and off since 2003.

Their preference to build their nests on scrapes or rocky ledges has led to problems with the birds trying to nest on bridges or on unwelcoming buildings, but that is what makes the nesting box at the top of the PG&E building an ideal nursery.

Bans on the use of DDT, combined with breeding programs have led to a resurgence of the population, and Peregrines were removed from the National Endangered Species List in 1999. As of 2010, California’s known population is estimated at about 800 individuals.

Peregrines now find homes in urban landscapes all over the world, including nests at Derby Cathedral in the UK, Brussels Cathedral in Belgium, and successful breeding programs in Canada, Virginia, and New York State.

The city’s current resident mating pair are known as Dapper Dan and Diamond Lil. In the early spring you can watch the aerial acrobatics of their mating ballet above the rooftops of the Financial District.

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Hours The best time to see the Peregrines in action is early spring, starting in February.
Website The Santa Cruz Predatory Bird Research Group: Nest Cam - San Francisco
Address 77 Beale St., San Francisco, California, United States

Sources

Rincon Hill Neighborhood Association: "Peregrine Falcon Fans Gather in Rincon Hill on Thursdays after 5pm" (April 2009): http://rinconhillneighbors.org/2009/04/peregrine-falcon-fans-gather-in-rincon-hill-on-thursdays-after-5pm/
Golden Gate Raptor Observatory: Peregrine Falcon: http://www.ggro.org/peregrine.html
The Bold Italic: http://thebolditalic.com/eucryphia/stories/75-winging-it
Wikipedia: Peregrine Falcon: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peregrine_Falcon

Map/Directions

Go to Google Maps

Look for the birds on elevated perches in the Financial District and on the Bay Bridge walkways.

Comments

wdarling September 10, 2010

Downtown Atlanta has a healthy population of peregrine falcons as well. I believe it was the Georgia Department of Natural Resources that brought in a male falcon, I think perhaps a rescue. The lucky falcon was joined by a wild female who flew in from elsewhere. They got along and started making their nests in a couple of local skyscrapers with generous balconies -- SunTrust Tower and the Marriott Marquis. Since the falcons (or their descendants) have continued to produce babies, which are gradually repopulating the Atlanta area with falcons. I live in downtown and have seen the peregrines doing their kill-drops, knocking hapless pigeons out of the sky. Meanwhile the DNR has set up webcam at the various nesting sites (I think they rotate among several) so that during baby falcon season you can look online and see mom and dad swooping in to feed the babies, see babies learning to fly, etc. This is quite appropriate given the name of Atlanta's NFL team.
Dylan August 12, 2010

It should also be noted that the link, Junkscience.com, is run by Steven J. Milloy, a Libertarian Fox News Commentator and the site is hosted by the Cato Institute. Not most neutral of standpoints. The World Health Orginization has also stated clearly that it is "very much concerned with health consequences from use of DDT."
Dylan August 12, 2010

I beg to differ: http://alturl.com/dvhhc Describes in great detail the mechanism of shell thinning caused by DDT
Anonymous August 11, 2010

DDT was not responsible for shell-thinning, that was a lie by Rachel Carlson and others. http://www.junkscience.com/ddtfaq.html