Four Decades After Brush W. Extinction, Peregrine Falcons Have Record Year In NY State - 67 Pairs

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ALBANY - Peregrine falcons are flourishing on the cliffs, bridges and skyscrapers of New York state, four decades after pesticides eliminated the sky-diving predators from the eastern United States.
Pete Grannis, commissioner of the Department of Environmental Conservation, said 2008 was a record-setting year for peregrine falcons in the state. A new report released Thursday documents 67 territorial pairs of peregrines in the state in 2008 and 130 hatchlings from 60 breeding pairs.

Although the birds remain on New York's endangered species list, the state has the largest population in the East.

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Now, there are about 20 pairs in New York City, 25 in the Adirondacks, a pair on every major Hudson River bridge between New York City and Albany, and a half-dozen pairs scattered across the rest of the state.

The birds were removed from the national endangered species list in 1999 but remain on the endangered list in many states including New York. In 2006, there were about 3,300 nesting pairs in North America, compared to about 1,750 pairs when the birds were removed from the endangered list in 1999, said Michael Green, a biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The greatest numbers are in western states, including California and Arizona, which each have more than 200 nesting pairs, he said.

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http://www.auburnpub.com/articles/2009/02/13/state_news/state06.txt