King’s Peregrines

Raptors

A state biologist has spotted and filmed a pair of peregrines raising three chicks in a nest on Mount Si the first nest ever documented in a natural setting in King County.

While peregrines have been nesting in downtown Seattle skyscrapers for several years, this discovery is being celebrated as a sign that the birds - listed as an endangered species by the federal government in 1970 and by the state in 1980 - are making a comeback.

The pair are considered the only peregrines nesting in the wild on the west side of the central Cascades.

Federal controls on pesticide use have reversed the decline of many birds of prey. The pesticide DDT was banned 25 years ago this month. Bald eagle numbers have increased fivefold in Washington, from 105 breeding pairs in 1980 to 588 breeding pairs in 1996. Ospreys in Washington have increased from 183 pairs in 1984 to 339 in 1989.

In 1975, state biologists knew of just one pair of peregrine falcons nesting in Washington. Last year, they recorded 38 nesting pairs. , DataTimes