Mt Tom Peregrine Falcons

The story of two wild peregrine falcons hatched and fledged on the Mount Tom Range in the Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts in 2015. Follow the growth of these two falcon chicks, from eggs to flying beauties. Story at New England Forests blog (www.neforests.com). Please subscribe to this New England Forests channel to receive notifications of new videos.
Also, see the 2016 update to this story on this channel at • Mt Tom Peregrine Falco...

[@sonebone3887]

Fascinating little documentary 👍 👌 thanks Loved it very much 😀 😊!

[@RichRich1955]

Thank you Rachel Carson for bringing back falcon, hawks and eagles.

[@RichRich1955]

Rachel Carson, nobody ever hear of her?

[@rrmerlin3402]

And a shout out to the Falconers, who led the charge in Captive breeding of Peregrines.

[@Yabbagabbagool]

Wonderful footage!

[@Hallands.]

This is such golden, unpretentious documentary, many thanks! 👍🏼

[@curtmorgan]

Thanks Tom French at Mount Tom for your hard work in monitoring, promoting and protecting PEFAs throughout Massachusetts. If you had "just let them be", they would not have made such a successful come-back from the brink of extinction in the northeastern USA (still with an endangered status in the northeastern USA). At last count we have 49 nesting pairs now in New York State, and we are beneficiaries of your work here in New York State. One of your female PEFAs banded in Quincy has taken up residence in Troy NY (in 2007) and with her mate has now successfully fledged 39 young. Without your work we would have never known about her peregrinations. Thanks for this video!

[@robertmclean9737]

Thank you US Fish & Wild life for restoring this Bird to it's former ranges. Cheers

[@FawadAliKhan]

Thank you for sharing the story. Great work. Best wishes from Islamabad Pakistan.

[@RussMcClay]

Outstanding presentation! I've been reading J.A. Baker's The Peregrine and this video really helped to visualize the behavior of peregrines. Thank you.

[@angemac1519]

Amazing video. It touched my heart. I love these birds. Thank you soo much for sharing xxx

[@angelamolinagaffney383]

Omg. These two parents must be first time because that is the WORST scrape for a nest! Those chicks might fall very easily if they try to play. 😣😭 Prayers for both of them!! 🙏❤️❤️

[@PeaceLuvinMom]

Thank you for sharing this wonderful story. Seeing how disturbed the parents were and hearing their cries of alarm when the chicks were being banded brought tears to my eyes, but I realize the importance of tracking the birds to learn of their habits and see where they end up.

[@groomlake51]

I race some of the quickest and fastest cars in the world and I love these birds💪🏼🇺🇸

[@andrewhansen4179]

Very nice. Well done video. One of my new favorites. I've watched Peregrine falcons in 6 different states and they always amaze me.

[@judyengland2615]

I watch these vidio many times over

[@RichRich1955]

There were some nesting on the upper part of Old Speck in the white mountains of Maine. I walked out at the top of the cliff to see if we could view the nest and were 200' away when the falcon spotted us and came quickly towards us. We ran away quickly. I suggest staying away!

[@michaelsmulkowski5088]

This is my favorite Falcon video on KZbin. Thank goodness you do not use the overused slow mo.

[@stheday1]

Great video and inspiring to see humans helping them.

[@SamtheMan0508]

Very well done! I really enjoyed it.

[@ShadowTrailMedia]

This was great! I loved the natural history details, and the young falcon washing in the waterfall was my favorite part. Please check out the video clips I shot of two falcon chicks taken during the same time last year at Sleeping Giant State Park down here in CT. It's great to know someone else was watching these amazing animals grow up at another site.

[@johnmurphy9688]

Great vid but the bag situation was horrific. Bags are way too small for these big chicks. Bigger bag next time and backpack instead of that dinky shoulder bag. Less stress on all the birds because it would go way faster.

[@gairatmatkarimov560]

loved it! great video.

[@BMW7series251]

Lovely video. Thanks.

[@groomlake51]

Amazing vid!!! Thanks!!!

[@FrankAdamski]

Very cool video. Nicely done.

[@chatGPT466]

Very responsible parents ❤️

[@walterig33]

Hi Ray. Congratulations on such a beautiful documentary. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

[@NewEnglandForests]

Thank you... I appreciate that!

[@BlackOps-Ent]

DUDE! Those are PARAGLIDERS.

[@NewEnglandForests]

Well I’ll be darned. And here I thought they were peregrines.

[@BlackOps-Ent]

@@NewEnglandForests you said hangglider.

[@edselbertrand9532]

Nice Doc...

[@saqibnawaz5139]

Nice job Mr Rick we wish u nd ur teammates a lot of success 2 bringing back lost ecological balance due2 DDT,while boosting Great Paragrene falcon nmbr

[@KittySYT]

The narrator put me to sleep... So calm. You should narrate bedtime stories. Great for people with insomnia. 🌚

[@MADMANMUSICINC]

What an amazing footage you have managed to get! Thank you so much for sharing! The Peregrine Falcon has been on of my favorite animals every since I first learned about them back when I was a teen ager. I have an opinion on the tactics used to band the chicks....it looked a bit unorganized but I know how important it is to band them and track them and I am going to strike the way they did it up to being a funding issue. Its a shame we spend so much money destroying their habitat and so little fixing it.

[@NewEnglandForests]

Thanks, your comments are appreciated. I have to admit, I too was a bit concerned at first for the falcons the day they were being banded, not having seen that done before. But having observed them for the rest of the season following the banding, I must say they didn't appear to be any worse off for it, and parents and young ones seemed to be just fine. Plus, the same adult pair nested in the same exact nest this year, so they obviously weren't discouraged by the banding. I think wildlife is often much more tolerant of some disturbances than we give them credit for, although I certainly prefer that they be able to lead their lives unaffected by us (as much as that's possible). Peregrines are increasing in numbers in Mass, and overall, it's to their benefit that we can track them through their bands, and hopefully make appropriate decisions regarding them. You might enjoy the shorter 2016 follow-up video of this pair, on this channel.

[@gregbenazar3522]

that male dose love his dead tree perch, I have seen him there many times.

[@NewEnglandForests]

Greg, any sightings there this year?

[@gregbenazar3522]

yes, a pair was present on February 26 2018

[@johanedalphonsiuswilhemina4769]

Eleven atacks i counted ti y conseed its prey. Vicious an determent. Fabulouse. My favrot falcon it is when i am in the south off Holand.

[@NewEnglandForests]

+805Raptor: Let me clarify a couple things. My filming partner and I had nothing to do with the banding, I just happened to be at the site when the state crew was there, so I filmed the banding. And while I don't like to see wildlife disturbed unnecessarily, I have to admit that the falcons all came through the event seemingly just fine. The state bands many of the young peregrines to better learn how to restore and protect their post-DDT rebounding population. The banded chicks were immediately returned to their nest ledge, but were placed a few feet farther back on the ledge than their actual nest (which was on the edge of a 100-foot drop), for their own safety. They went on to fledge and leave the site as healthy, capable falcons. I do appreciate your concerns though.

[@JeanBrewer]

Amazing video.. As I understand they need to be banded at this young age for everyone's safety. I thought they did a good job getting in and out quickly. Thanks for all you do..

[@juliusmonrow5251]

21:00 She really loves to take a bath = )

[@maximme]

can you imagine a 800 pound gorilla comes to your home to inspect your kid...its for their own good...

[@dallas5609]

I would be so terrified just like parents here. You can tell from their screaming that they don't like what's going on.

[@RichRich1955]

Imagine being a mouse and a falcon grabs you and proceeds to rip you apart alive.

[@tpmsnewenglandworld6069]

Looks a lot of nature on birds.

[@hectorheslop9397]

Is there no help for the terrible tick infestation on white albatross ?.

[@viktorbihar2788]

Did you guys know that, that falcon can go 200miles an hour???

[@groomlake51]

Pooping is a family affair

[@aquarius6271]

👍❤️

[@dalefluke6472]

Seems very stressful for the birds! How much of a toll does it take on them?

[@NewEnglandForests]

I doubt that it caused any lasting problem for them. Like any wild animal, they deal with all kinds of challenges to their survival. After the banding, they were right back to their normal routine, seemingly none the worse for the experience. While waiting for parents to return with food several times a day, the chicks (prior to fledging) led what looked like a very boring life.

[@rashie]

👍👍

[@805raptor5]

If you feel that it's absolutely necessary to band these animals then at the very least you should have put them back where you found them. Gees!!!

[@pfkisa]

What an AMAZING video. Thank you and thank you again. This is the best video of peregrine falcons I've ever come across, and I keep track of those. We happen to have a Peregrine falcon in our Santa Barbara Audubon program "Eyes in the Sky: www.eyesinthesky.org . She was shot in her shoulder at about 2 to 3 months old in Rancho Palos Verdes. She is an amazing wildlife ambassador. Thank you for providing us with an additional resource- for our volunteers and the general public we communicate with --- plus our Facebook Page: facebook.com/SantaBarbaraAudubon.EyesintheSky. I would so much like to know how long it took for you to record this, and how you managed to take video from all the different locations. It's truly amazing.

[@NewEnglandForests]

Hi Gabrielle, thanks for your comments. The filming was done from spring through summer (2015), from nesting time until the chicks were close to self-sufficient. The location really didn't allow for many vantage points within practical filming distances, but once the chicks could hop away from the nest (or fly), they sometimes came close enough to get decent footage. See the 2016 update video on this channel for more from this pair of adults.

[@Awaitedhope360]

What a sexy shower lol,really nice video...😀

[@victorpearson1418]

The nest site cliff looked like a quarry face , with shattered rock ....limestone ?

[@NewEnglandForests]

Mt Tom is part of a trap rock (basalt) ridge. The stone you saw is that trap rock, not limestone.

[@victorpearson1418]

thanks .

[@forallthatisunreal]

@@victorpearson1418 The Holyoke range, where Mt Tom is, is really interesting geography wise. These hills go directly across the applachian mountains, not maintaining the north/ south line of the App, but rather an east/ west direction which is pretty neat if you like rocks lol.

[@natevision976]

What was that @0:27 seconds in!??

[@TheWizardYeof]

Nate Vision I believe it was Skunk Cabbage

[@NewEnglandForests]

Jacob is correct, it's the flower structure of skunk cabbage {Symplocarpus foetidus), a wetland plant that appears in early spring, sometimes poking up through snow.

[@Samsgarden]

Why band them?

[@NewEnglandForests]

If you were to ask the biologists that question, I assume they would say it’s to be able to track their movements over time to learn more about the falcons and their needs. In other words, it helps us make better decisions about managing OUR actions, not those of the falcons. Banding is a widely used tool to help understand what’s happening with bird populations and migrations. Similar tracking techniques are used with many other species too.

[@dominicpiscopo7915]

THE U.S. AIR FORCE'S EMBLEM

[@hads100]

I do understand the importance of banding these chicks to protect them in the future, but I really think the method these guys are using are just way too stressful for the birds, there has to be other ways, other times of day or by distracting the adult, the guy was holding the chick upside down and was a bit rough with it right in front of the adult parents, I've seen much more professional people who really know how to handle those amazing birds.

[@ericwillman5291]

If it wasn't for falconers, and the sport of falconry, the restoration process would not have been as successful; The entire restoration process was based on falconry principles and was carried out, in large part, by falconers.

[@RichRich1955]

State wildlife officials. I don't think falconers close off cliffs where falcons are nesting.

[@johanedalphonsiuswilhemina4769]

Mt. Tom. They are disturbing that family, as everyone can see. Leave it please. Lett them be.

[@damientrehy8422]

Leave them alone ,banding is such interferance,intering because ye can

[@burgessronald3586]

Why not leave them be and try another time when there away hunting maybe seems so upsetting

[@wallacejeffery5786]

Don’t screw with those babies

[@GlobalistJuice]

Is the stress upon these birds, really worth the banding? Eh, maybe.

[@NewEnglandForests]

I can't say for sure one way or the other whether the stress is worth it. But consider these points: efforts to rebuild the peregrine population have been successful so far. The male bird shown here continues to return to the same nest site each year (with the same mate, or a replacement if she dies), which doesn't seem likely if they couldn't tolerate the disturbance. Banding is not done at this site every year. A number of things stress birds, just as any other animal. Overall, I think they accept it as just another event in their lives, and are unharmed. The knowledge gained of their habits helps biologists protect the population overall. So, my guess is that it indeed may be worthwhile. Having said that, I do wish man could avoid feeling it's necessary to manage everything in nature.

[@GlobalistJuice]

Hey thanks for the reply. What you've said does make sense, and would appear to be positive outcomes from a few moments of intrusion. I guess it's difficult for us "normies" to discern what's outright bird-heart-stopping-panic, and what's a ruffling of a few feathers. If it's successful, then I of course agree the rufflings are worth the banding. That said, after I watched this video, I searched out more on these procedures, watching Eaglet banding live-stream (Sauces CA nest). The calmness those birds displayed while placed in the gymbags, hauled down and banned was remarkable. All of it really made me think over my assumption that us bossy humans were messing-up their little lives. Best of luck to you and all these wonderful birds.

[@johnshields6852]

I don't understand why they have to band these birds, try this new amazing technique, leave them alone.

[@NewEnglandForests]

John, others have questioned this too. I just happened to be there when they showed up to do the banding, and don't have strong feelings about it either way. I really doubt that it caused any harm to the birds. Like any wild animal, they deal with all kinds of challenges to their survival. After the banding, they were right back to their normal routine, seemingly none the worse for the experience. While waiting for parents to return with food several times a day, the chicks (prior to fledging) led what looked like a very boring life. Banding allows biologists to learn more about where animals go, how far they travel, etc, so in the long run, steps can be taken to protect them and their habitats.

[@kevinbrady9536]

Why not just let them be? How arrogant are we to impose ourselves on other species?

[@kellinquinn9056]

Well we have to find out about these stuff but I do agree we should let things be!

[@sunspot6502]

We impose ourselves on other species every moment of every day. We almost wiped out the Peregrine Falcon, and many other birds, with our use of DDT. We need to constantly monitor the population so we can intervene if possible when there is a problem. This is not arrogance. It is arrogant to assume that humans can do whatever we want and not affect other species. This is attempting to clean up some of the messes we make.

[@viktorbihar2788]

Kevin Brady they are making sure they can track them as they grow to make sure they are alright, they are even know to track other animals in search to help survive. I've seen proof before.

[@viktorbihar2788]

And between 8:30-9:30 it explains.

[@viktorbihar2788]

They say, "Tom trys to tag the chicks and examine them."

[@lisadalessandro3396]

leave these creatures alone they dont need your help.!!! that stress alone could kill them. when is man going to learn NOT to interfere in EVERYTHING on this earth. The LORD CREATED this place and he will take care of it. the only thing humans have done is destroy. leave them be.

[@sotheateschea8407]

We wish them not to meet the falconer.

[@ericastier1646]

This is so wrong, and a good example of human hegemony. Just because these people think what they're doing is good they're causing massive crisis and despair to these falcon parents. It's not ok. An for what reason ? to put a id ring on the young to claim them as yours ? that's so selfish and typical of human hegemony.