Saturday, May 13, 2000

Falcons hatch brood - at last

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Babies born in power station nest

By Allen Howard
The Cincinnati Enquirer

        NORTH BEND — Four little falcons squawked and squealed as they were banded and samples of their blood taken Friday at Cinergy's Miami Fort station.

Young falcons rest after being banded and having blood samples taken Friday in North Bend. (Cinergy photo) | ZOOM |

        The three females and one male were born Easter Sunday. They are the first peregrine falcons born in the area this year, said officials of the Wildlife Division of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.

        “We have to band them so that if they leave this area, the band will identify where they are from,” said Rick Jasper, a wildlife management supervisor. “We test their blood to determine genetic diversity.”

        Mr. Jasper said several subspecies of falcons are in the area and they check the blood to see whether interbreeding has occurred.

        The baby falcons were cradled in a plywood nesting box filled with pea gravel. The box was attached to the outside of an exhaust stack about 400 feet from the ground. The nest was built by employees at the plant to attract the falcons.

        Jeff Sullivan, support team leader at the plant, said the nest was built in 1993. The nest remained empty until 1997 when employees spotted a male and a female falcon nesting. But no eggs were laid.

        In February 1998, a female falcon was observed incubating two eggs. They never developed.

        “I think it was too late in the year for the eggs to hatch,” said Kathy Meinke, a spokeswoman for Cinergy.

        Ms. Meinke said the falcon pair returned in 1999 and produced four eggs, but again none hatched. The male falcon was identified from a band on its leg as River Ace, born in Evansville, Ind. The female, named Echo, also had been released in Evansville.

        This year they returned once more and again produced four eggs. Employees installed a camera just inside the stack to watch the eggs' development.

        The baby falcons were taken from the nest Friday and brought inside the stack for the banding and blood work.

        Biologist Dave Scott, who banded and tested the falcons, said he was able to determine which were females and which males by their size.

        “The females are usually larger,” Mr. Scott said. “The males do most of the hunting and I think that is the reason they are usually smaller and can move faster.”

        He said peregrine falcons have been clocked at 200 miles per hour during a dive.

        The parent falcons showed a little anxiety when team member Art Nimeskern installed a plywood platform outside the nest.

        “We are putting the platform so that the young birds will have walking space to test their wings after they are put back into the nest,” Mr. Nimeskern said.

        The birds flew by Mr. Nimeskern's head several times as Preble County Wildlife technicians Mike Whide and Allan Gerhart held onto his legs inside the stack.

        Ms. Meinke said the baby falcons will be named at a later date. She said bird nests have been built at Cinergy's Zimmer station in Moscow and at the East Bend station in Rabbit Hash, Ky.

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