Peregrine Falcons Return to Effigy Mounds National Monument
Special Evening Program on the Successful Reintroduction and Establishment of Peregrine Falcons to the Bluffs of Effigy Mounds
Peregrine Falcons have returned to Effigy Mounds! In celebration of this historic event Effigy
Mounds National Monument is hosting a special evening program on Friday, July 6, 2018 at 7:00pm. The presentation will take place in the Effigy Mounds National Monument Visitor Center located at 151 Highway 76, Harpers Ferry Iowa. Effigy Mounds Natural Resources Manager Rodney Rovang and Amy Ries of the Decorah Raptor Resource Project will present on the fascinating history and recent discovery of peregrine falcons at Effigy Mounds National Monument.
On May 18, 2018 William Smith, biologist volunteer with the Raptor Resource Project, spotted
peregrine falcons in what appeared to be a nest on the bluffs over the Mississippi River within
Effigy Mounds National Monument. This is the first ever recorded discovery of peregrines in the
park.
Effigy Mounds was the site of recovery and reintroduction efforts focused on restoring peregrines
to their native habitat. Starting in 1998 and continuing into 1999, nine birds per year for a total
of 18 were released into the wild from hacking boxes attached to the cliffs of Effigy Mounds. The
birds immediately dispersed both up and down river. In 2000 the first documented nest was confirmed in Queens Bluff, Minnesota, however, no nests were ever discovered in Effigy Mounds until now.
Peregrine falcons lived for countless generations along the cliffs of the Upper Mississippi River.
The bluffs echoed with their shrill cries and the sky was filled with their spectacular aerobatic
courtship displays. The peregrine disappeared from the cliffs along the Mississippi River in the
1960’s due to the use of DDT. The last recorded pair to nest in the area disappeared in 1964.
The reintroduction of peregrines from Effigy Mounds National Monument in 1998 and 1999 has led to their successful re-establishment in their native habitat. And now, once again, they have
found a home in the park.
Tags: peregrine falcons natural resource birds of prey
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
