Sometimes it is hard to believe that any bird might begin its breeding season in Vermont in March.  For many raptors, this is the case, however.  These birds have a long breeding season and therefore need to get a jump on things so that their young can become proficient hunters before the cold sets in again in the fall. 

Bald Eagles typically begin the process of returning to nests and setting up territories in late February, and Peregrine Falcons start defending their nesting cliffs and reinforcing their pair bonds in late March.  This year things seem to be on a bit of an early track with most of the eagles in the lower Connecticut River area already incubating eggs, and many peregrines present at their breeding sites.

Audubon Vermont and the Vermont Fish & Wildilfe Department work together to monitor and protect these two iconic raptors during the breeding season.  By April, we will be sending more than 60 community scientists out to nesting sites to determine which sites are occupied by breeding pairs and document where these pairs are in the nesting process: defending the territory, choosing, building or maintaining a nest site, and/or incubating eggs.  As the season progresses, these volunteers will keep tabs on how each pair's breeding season progresses: whether or not a pair nests, if so, whether or not it is successful, and if so, how many young fledge from the nest site.

Both species have made remarkable comebacks after being nearly extinct in the middle of the last century.  Vermont hosts more than 56 pairs of Peregrine Falcons and 36 pairs of Bald Eagles. Peregrines were removed from the state list of Endangered and Threatened Species in 2005. Eagles are still listed as Endangered in Vermont, but have been proposed to be downlisted to Threatened status.  

While these birds have been highly successful, it has not been with out our help.  It is important to give these birds the space they need to successfully complete their breeding cycles.  Please respect cliff closures at peregrine sites and keep your distance from eagle nest trees.  For more information on each of these species, visit: https://vt.audubon.org/conservation/science.