The falcons have landed in Allentown.
In support of the effort to re-establish peregrine falcons in Pennsylvania, the Lehigh Valley Peregrine Project has placed three young falcons in a hack box on a parapet atop the Pennsylvania Power & Light Co. building in Allentown.
The young birds of prey arrived Monday (6/12) from the Raptor Resource Project, a nonprofit organization in Minnesota dedicated to bringing back the species, which was once on the brink of extinction.
"The falcons will stay in the hack box until they are mature enough to fly in about a week," said Jeff Luzenski, PP&L's coordinator for the falcon project. "PP&L volunteers and licensed falconers will provide food for them until they become self-sufficient."
The Pennsylvania Game Commission has recorded the weight of each bird and attached metal identification bands around their legs.
One band contains a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service identification number unique to each bird. The other is a two-color band with a separate identification number in larger print, which can be read through binoculars so the birds can be tracked without being captured.
"Peregrine means 'wanderer;' they may travel hundreds of miles after they leave the hack box," explained Dan Brauning, Game Commission wildlife biologist. "Banding is important to identify them and make sure they are doing well. Banding does not hurt the birds or interfere with them in any way."
Two more young falcons will be brought to PP&L later this month. They, too, will be banded and fed daily until they are able to fend for themselves.
"PP&L has a three-year commitment to this project, and will raise a minimum of three falcons per year," Luzenski said. "We are very hopeful that some of the birds raised here will come back to the area as mature adults to breed."
The PP&L building, because of its height and multitiered architecture, makes a good substitute home for the falcons, who nest on cliffs and rock faces in the wild to avoid predators.
For people who want to observe the falcons in the hack box, a closed-circuit video monitor has been placed in a display window at the PP&L building, which is located at Ninth and Hamilton streets in Allentown.
A toll-free telephone line has been established for questions, comments and — after the falcons are released — reports of sightings. The number is 1-800-354-8383.
The Lehigh Valley Peregrine Project is a joint effort that includes PP&L, the Game Commission, the Wildlands Conservancy, Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, the Lehigh Valley Audubon Society, the North American Falconers Association, the Pennsylvania Falconers & Hawk Trust and the Downtown Allentown Improvement District. In support of the project, many Lehigh Valley businesses have donated material, money and time.
The Wildlands Conservancy will host two educational programs about peregrine falcons this week to coincide with their arrival in Allentown. The programs will be held June 14 at noon and June 15 at 7 p.m. at the Allentown Hilton, which is located across the street from the PP&L building.