Reporting Peregrine Falcon Sightings
Image by Sven Lachmann from Pixabay
Peregrine Falcons nest annually up on the Stawamus Chief, favouring rock cliffs to raise their young. For many years climbers have helped protect the falcons by reporting sightings to BC Parks, facilitating temporary closures to give the chicks space to grow up undisturbed. See below for details from BC Parks of how to report sightings and what to look out for. If encountered please give them space and avoid climbing near them - you may have to bail on your plans for the day:
Peregrine Falcons regularly nest on rock ledges on the Stawamus Chief. Close human disturbance can cause stress and reduce nesting success. Falcons may aggressively protect their nest by dive-bombing climbers who get too close, which poses a safety risk.
With the help of volunteers and the climbing community, BC Parks monitors falcon activity between March and July each year to locate a nest. If a nest is located, sections of climbing routes adjacent to the nest are closed until monitoring suggests all chicks have left the nest.
If you see a falcon, please report it to BC Parks Megan.kobitzsch@gov.bc.ca
Please provide as much of the following information as possible:
Date and time of observation
Number of falcons
Type of activity. For example, was the falcon perched, flying, hunting, feeding, vocalizing, copulating, defending its territory, or something else? Did the bird disappear into a crack in the rock?
Location of falcon activity, and your location when you observed the falcons (include climbing route and pitch number if known/applicable)
Contact information (email address and/or phone #) in case we need more information
Other indicators of a falcon nest site include a build up of falcon excrement or an accumulation of bird bones left behind from falcon feeding. Please report these locations as well if you see them.
Not sure what Peregrine Falcons look like?
Adults are slate to black on the back and head, and pale on the underside with bars/spots or a rufous wash on the breast, and a gleaming white throat. There is a black wedge on the front of head extending below the eye, which looks like a black helmet/hood.
Juveniles look like adults but with different colour scheme: dark brown above, with heavily streaked brown breast and underside (juveniles appear darker than adults).
Chicks are initially covered in fluffy white down, but over the course of approximately 40 days lose their down which is replaced with regular feathers and immature colouration.
In flight falcons have pointed wings, a narrow tail, and quick pigeon-like wing beats. They soar on flat wings and often appear uniformly dark in flight.
Size: Peregrine Falcons are approximately crow sized, and their bodies are about 36-58 cm long.
Voice: Usually silent but a variety of wails and cries can be heard during the breeding season. Alarm call of the adult birds is a grating kree-aak , kree-aak or ki ki ki. A call can be heard on the following website: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Peregrine_Falcon/sounds
For more information about Peregrine Falcons and photos, please see the following websites:
BC Species Explorer Information
Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) status report
Thank you for your support and assistance!