Why these nesting falcons mean so much to EDF

  • Unfledged peregrine falcon nestling, or eyas

    A young peregrine falcon in the nestThis unfledged nestling is also known as an “eyas." It takes chicks about six weeks to learn to hunt.Glenn Nevill

  • Peregrine falcon chick measurement

    A young peregrine falcon gets measured before bandingAlong with banning the pesticide DDT – which weakened eggshells – an aggressive banding and tracking program has helped restore peregrine falcon populations. EDF was critical in getting DDT banned in the early 1970s.Glenn Nevill

  • Peregrine falcons nesting in San Francisco

    Dapper Dan and Diamond LilAlong with banning the pesticide DDT – which weakened eggshells – an aggressive banding and tracking program has helped restore peregrine falcon populations. EDF was critical in getting DDT banned in the early 1970s.Glenn Nevill

  • Peregrine falcon aerial display

    Peregrine falcons are superb flyersThe incredible aerial maneuvers of peregrine falcons makes them intoxicating to watch. But getting too close to a falcon can be risky, as they can be aggressive with anyone who gets in their way.Glenn Nevill

  • Peregrine falcons transferring prey mid-air

    Transferring prey mid-airPeregrine falcon pairs can cooperatively hunt to catch their prey, and even transfer it to one another in mid-flight. This San Francisco-based pair often grabs pigeons and doves.Glenn Nevill

  • Peregrine falcon turning head

    Peregrine falcon turning headPart of what makes peregrine falcons such adept hunters is their ability to crane their necks around and use their large eyes to hone in on prey.Glenn Nevill

By Charles Wurster and Art Cooley

When we helped found EDF 45 years ago, we could not have imagined this video:

Video: Here's a first look at two chicks who hatched in 2012 -- in an office building!

What’s most incredible about this mother peregrine falcon feeding her chicks 30 stories above downtown San Francisco is not the technology that allows us to view it from anywhere in the world.

It’s that this magnificent bird – which can exceed 200 miles per hour in flight, making it the fastest creature on the planet – has fully recovered from its DDT-caused population collapse during the middle of the last century.

This image was taken in 2012 from a "Nest Cam" located across the street from EDF’s downtown San Francisco office. It is managed by the good folks at the UC Santa Cruz Predatory Bird Research Group, and it helps document one of the great environmental success stories of our time.

Forty years ago, the use of the pesticide DDT threatened the survival of peregrines, American bald eagles, and other predatory and fish-eating birds. DDT caused the birds to lay thin-shelled eggs, which broke prematurely in the nest.

Nearly wiped out, now recovering

Peregrine populations plummeted by an estimated 80% in North America and Europe, especially in the eastern U.S. where peregrines were exterminated as a breeding species. In California, there were only two known breeding pairs.

EDF was founded in 1967 and immediately tackled the DDT problem. Lawsuits were filed in New York, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Washington DC. Dozens of world-class scientists – ornithologists, ecologists, toxicologists, carcinogenesis experts, and insect control specialists – testified in multi-month hearings.

In 1972, William Ruckelshaus, first administrator of the US Environmental Protection Agency, ordered a ban on DDT in America.

Today, the recovery of these birds has been nothing short of spectacular. Peregrines have rebounded to their former numbers and the US Fish and Wildlife Service has removed them from the federal list of threatened and endangered species.

Peregrines nest on cliffs in nature, but they also decided that buildings can be much like cliffs, city living provided an endless food supply (pigeons), and they would escape their arch enemy, great horned owls.

Dapper Dan and Diamond Lil' captivate officeworkers

Many of our cities now have nesting peregrines, including San Francisco, where this pair of peregrine parents – “Dapper Dan” and “Diamond Lil” – now soar the skies above the heads of our San Francisco staff, kindling awe and inspiration for a new generation of nature lovers, many of whom were not yet born when EDF was founded and DDT was banned.

Four new peregrine chicks hatched at the end of March. We are proud to have played a role in this terrific story. And we are delighted that a new generation of EDF experts now has the chance to witness these awe-inspiring birds firsthand.

It’s a heart-warming story and we wanted to share it with you.

Birds rebound after DDT ban

Peregrine falcons are one of several bird species that have made dramatic recoveries since the ban on DDT. Others include:

American bald eagle, removed from the federal list of threatened and endangered species in 2007.

Brown pelican, removed from the federal list of threatened and endangered species in 2009.

Osprey populations, after drastic declines in the 1950s and 1960s, have made significant recoveries.

Founders Art Cooley, Charlie Wurster, and Dennis Puleston started EDF in 1967 to protect humans and wildlife from DDT.

Video: EDF's Peregrine Falcon PSA