Game Commission, DEP, DCNR Held Live Rachel Carson Building Peregrine Falcon Banding Event

On May 12, the Game Commission, DEP and DCNR held a live Peregrine Falcon Banding event at the Rachel Carson Building in Harrisburg.

Game Commission staff removed the four young peregrine falcons from their nest on the ledge of the 15th floor of the Rachel Carson Building, brought them into the building for a health check up and then put a band around each of their legs to identify them for future research.

“The falcons that have nested on the Rachel Carson State Office Building continue to be an environmental success story,” said DEP Secretary Patrick McDonnell. “Without the improvements to Pennsylvania’s environment, these birds would not have the track record that they do here on the Rachel Carson Building.”

Game Commission biologist Patti Barber led a team in bringing the nestlings in from the 15th floor ledge. 

Banding the falcons allows biologists and birdwatchers from all over the continent to track the birds and help us learn more about where they travel, how long they’ve lived, and whether they’ll establish new nests in other places. 

Falcons born on the ledge at the Rachel Carson building have been tracked to locations from Florida all the way to Canada. 

The peregrine falcon was removed from the federal Endangered Species List in 1999 and the Pennsylvania Threatened List in 2021 but remains federally protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the state Game and Wildlife Code.

Eighty-three falcons have now hatched since reproduction began in 2000. This makes the Rachel Carson State Office Building nest site the most prolific in the Commonwealth. 

A recording of the event is available through DEP’s Facebook page.

Learning To Fly

In the coming days, each of the falcons will be testing their wings and will ultimately take that first dive off the ledge during the process of learning to fly.

Volunteers on the street in front of the Rachel Carson Building maintain a watch on the falcons and intervene if they come down on the street or in other dangerous places

Click Here for a description of this amazing volunteer effort. If you want to volunteer, send an email to: ​​hbgfalconwatch@gmail.com. 

Visit the PA Falcon Cam webpage to watch the nest live and for lots of other information.

[Posted: May 12, 2022]  PA Environment Digest