By the 1970s, there were no breeding pairs east of the Mississippi River, said Mitchell Byrd, a raptor specialist at The College of William and Mary who held the birds as they were being banded. Now there are 17 mated pairs statewide, including four in Hampton Roads, he said. The species was recently removed from the federal endangered species list, but not the state list. Among the most popular nesting places are bridge structures, one big reason the Department of Transportation is involved. Another is tall buildings, such as those in Norfolk, where they have successfully nested, and the Dominion Power headquarters in Richmond, where four of the radio-equipped chicks are going to be relocated.
Cities have lots of pigeons and starlings that are easy prey for the fast-diving falcons.
Dominion has supplied several Web cams, both on the bridge and at its headquarters, for a project it calls Falcon Trak. Five of the chicks were removed from the bridge tower Tuesday morning. One by one, Byrd reached into their cage with gloved hands and held them while Shawn Padgett, a William and Mary research scientist, attached the bands. Another attaching the bands was William Woodfin, director of the state Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. Byrd exclaimed as the beaks found their mark.