2021 Falcon Nesting Season Underway at Pinnacles National Park

As of late-April, park staff and volunteers have confirmed 13 falcon pairs occupying territories, including nine prairie falcon pairs and four peregrine falcon pairs. Check out this adult male prairie falcon adult male scold-calling from a territorial perch. NPS / Gavin Emmons

April 2021 - Spring has brought nesting prairie and peregrine falcons back to the cliffs of Pinnacles National Park! Many pairs are already incubating eggs in their chosen cliff cavities. The park’s annual raptor advisories, which help climbers and hikers avoid disturbing these key park predators while they are most vulnerable, are in effect.

As of late-April, park staff and volunteers confirmed 13 falcon pairs occupying territories, including nine prairie falcon pairs and four peregrine falcon pairs. Those are the same numbers of territorial pairs as last year. But last year, two prairie falcon pairs didn’t nest. This year, the monitoring team has confirmed that all 13 falcon pairs are actively nesting! The team was also excited to find that two of the nesting prairie falcon pairs are using territories that they hadn’t used in several years.

Biologists have confirmed that a third cliff-nesting raptor species is also breeding in the park this year! A golden eagle pair is currently caring for two young nestlings. NPS / Gavin Emmons

In still more exciting news, biologists have confirmed that a third cliff-nesting raptor species is also breeding in the park this year. A golden eagle pair is currently caring for two young nestlings! They are fun to see not just because they are impressively large and agile, but because, like the park’s falcons, they are quite sensitive to human disturbance around their nests. When they chose to nest in Pinnacles, it’s a nice extra indication that the park is successfully balancing the needs of visitors and wildlife.

Many additional raptor species are also nesting in the park this year. So far, the monitoring team has found American kestrels, red-tailed and red-shouldered hawks, great horned and barn owls, and Cooper's and sharp-shinned hawks.

For more information

Pinnacles Raptor Advisories and Raptors webpages

San Francisco Bay Area Network Falcon Monitoring webpage

Pacific Coast Science & Learning Center Prairie & Peregrine Falcons webpage

Contact Wildlife Biologist Gavin Emmons

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