ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, June 11, 1996 TAG: 9606110051
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-3 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: LURAY
The recent birth of three peregrine falcon chicks on a remote cliff in the Shenandoah National Park is the latest promise that a species severely harmed in the 1950s by pesticides and development can be revived.
For now, the parents of the tennis ball-size chicks are protecting their Page County nest, fighting off turkey vultures and red-tailed hawks, according to park officials.
The 3-week-old chicks will remain vulnerable until they reach flying stage in mid- or late July.
The only other successful nesting attempt in recent decades occurred in 1994, said Rolf Gubler, a resources management specialist with the park.
The adult pair that produced this year's clutch laid eggs last year, but heavy rains flooded the nest.
In 1989, the National Park Service started a peregrine falcon recovery program in conjunction with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the state Department of Game and Inland Fisheries and the College of William and Mary.
Between 1989 and 1993, park staff released into the wild 37 falcons that had been bred in captivity, but how many remained in the area isn't known.
``They require a lot of territory, probably about 25 square miles,'' Gubler said.
But the repopulation effort shows signs of taking hold.
``They could come back to the entire Blue Ridge range,'' Gubler said. ``Lots of other solitary adults have been sighted, [but] this is only the second documented successful nest.''
He said the falcons have a significant role in the environment as birds of prey.
``They're so important to the food chain. If you take the predator out, you can disrupt the ecology,'' Gubler said.
- Associated Press
LENGTH: Short : 42 linesby CNB