REINTRODUCTION OF PEREGRINE FALCONS IN THE BITTERROOT    By DAVE LOCKMAN

These days it’s relatively easy to spot Peregrine Falcons in the Bitterroot, if you know where and when to look, have some patience and decent optics, and are willing to do a little hiking. But a little more than 30 years ago, Peregrines were absent from the Bitterroot, the rest of Montana and most of the USA as well. Thinning egg shells resulting from widespread use of DDT and other insecticides had resulted in high rates of reproductive failure in many raptor species, which decimated populations of Peregrine Falcons, Bald Eagles and others in most of North America. Peregrines were listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in 1973. Bans on the use of those insecticides coupled with the release of captive-bred Peregrines led to the reestablishment of sustainable Peregrine Falcon populations throughout much of their historic range, and is one of the shining success stories of the ESA.

The reintroduction of Peregrine Falcons in the Bitterroot was championed by now-retired Bitterroot National Forest (BNF) Wildlife Biologist and long-time Bitterroot Audubon Board member and Secretary John Ormiston, in partnership with the Peregrine Fund, Patagonia, Inc. and the Liz Claibourne/Art Ortenberg Foundation. Captive-bred, juvenile Peregrines were hacked (released from an enclosure after several weeks of feeding) from select cliff-top locations in the Bitterroot from 1989 through 1993. These releases were wildly successful in restoring a Peregrine population to the Bitterroot. Adult birds presumably originating from the reintroductions established territories in many of the Bitterroot canyons, and monitoring by BNF biologists, local birders and personnel from the Montana Peregrine Institute have documented occupied Peregrine territories in at least 19 Bitterroot locations, with several others suspected but not confirmed.

Current BNF Wildlife Biologist Dave Lockman has coordinated and participated in local Peregrine Falcon monitoring efforts for 25 years. At Bitterroot Audubon’s January meeting, Lockman will present a slide show describing the spectacularly successful reintroduction of Peregrine Falcons in the Bitterroot and the rest of Montana, the monitoring efforts that have documented the growth in Peregrine numbers and distribution, some basic biology and identification of this iconic species, and suggestions on where and how to find them. He is counting on John Ormiston to add color commentary and humorous stories about the reintroduction effort. 

Lockman graduated from the University of Montana with a degree in Wildlife Biology back before personal computers were a thing. He started working for the U.S. Forest Service seasonally while still attending UM, and performed a variety of jobs including marking and cruising timber sales, measuring vegetation on stand exam plots, lighting prescribed burns, fighting wildfires, counting fish in mountain streams by snorkeling and electrofishing (not at the same time) and measuring wildlife habitat on four National Forests in Montana, Idaho and Oregon. He came to the BNF in 1991 as a Wildlife Biologist, and has worked out of the Stevensville Ranger Station since 1993. He became interested in birds while taking Dr. Phil Wright’s Ornithology class at UM, and has been developing his birding skills ever since, with uneven success. He is a former Bitterroot Audubon Board member, Vice President and President. In addition to monitoring Peregrines, Lockman runs the BNF’s two MAPS bird banding stations near Lake Como, is the compiler for the Stevensville Christmas Bird Count, and runs two Breeding Bird Survey routes. Fortunately, he is a morning person.

Come join Bitterroot Audubon Society for this fascinating program about saving the “World’s Fastest Animal”(according to NOVA) right here in the Bitterroot Monday, January 21^st, 7:00 P.M. at the North Valley Library in Stevensville, 208 Main Street. You will learn about the Peregrines’ past, their present status and you might be motivated to help with monitoring their future progress as a citizen Scientist. The public is invited. For further information contact Kay at 360-8664.