Hawk Mountain follows
falcons from space
Photo courtesy of Falcon Research Group

A new satellite telemetry study is allowing anyone with an internet connection to track the movement of peregrine falcons from space. To follow the falcons, log on to www.frg.org, the website for the Falcon Research Group.

Here, individuals can click Field Research and select The South Cross Project, so named for its location in the southern hemisphere. Now is a great time to log on, as four falcons have started their annual 6,000 to 8,000 mile journey north from the formidable Atacama Desert in Chile along the western coast of South America through Central America and on to the Arctic. Essentially, these super birds will cross two continents and more than a dozen countries.

The project began in February when researchers from the Falcon Research Group, based in Bow, WA, tagged seven peregrine falcons in Chile, including two males tagged with Hawk Mountain Sanctuary transmitters. The male birds, named “Seven” and “Sparrow King,” are among the first male peregrine falcons to ever be studied with this technology.

“Everything we know about peregrine migration is based on studies of female birds, simply because the older telemetry units were too large to fit the smaller male … until now,” explains Sarkis Acopian Director of Conservation Science Dr. Keith Bildstein. 

“The latest technology enables use of a lighter weight unit, and we hope to now learn new things about the little-known lives of migrating male peregrines,” he adds.

Both “Hawk Mountain” birds have already crossed through Chile, Argentina, Peru and Ecuador, and one has just entered Colombia.

Results from the new GPS transmitters on the 5 female birds have so far been spectacular. Each unit contains a small global positioning chip that is accurate to +or - 18 meters, a level of accuracy that until now did not exist.

Information from the GPS transmitters is now being linked to Google Earth, a popular online mapping software that users can download free from the internet. Using this user-friendly mapping softer, users can see incredible detail, and as a result, even zoom all the way down to the individual trees and buildings where the birds perch in Chile.

“It’s opening up a whole new world of understanding,” says Bud Anderson, Director of the Falcon Research Group, who coordinated the seven-member international banding team in Chile.

“I have been working with falcons for more than 40 years and I have to say that this is one of the most spectacular things that I have ever seen. The marriage of satellite transmitters and Google Earth is nothing short of amazing," he adds.

At present, three female falcons still are moving about their wintering range in Chile, but are expected to begin their amazing journey to the Arctic to breed. If all goes well, individuals and researchers worldwide can follow each bird by monitoring up to three GPS signals every day. Peregrines typically leave the wintering grounds in April and early May, so stay tuned.

Counters at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary usually record four or five dozen peregrine falcons each autumn on this outbound migration.

Hawk Mountain Sanctuary is the world’s first refuge for birds of prey and an international center for raptor conservation. Its mission is to conserve birds of prey worldwide by providing leadership in raptor conservation science and education, and by maintaining Hawk Mountain Sanctuary as a model observation, research and education facility. 

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