Canadian Peregrine Foundation - CPF Project Overview

1. PROJECT TRACK-’EM
Our most ambitious project, Project Track-’em involves placing small satellite transmitters on selected juvenile peregrines. This enables us to track the birds during their travels to learn about their dispersal patterns and their winter habitat, and allow us to learn whether they survive to return in spring (and if so, where). Monitoring these birds will in the long term help determine how much additional human assistance will be required for the peregrine to recover to the point of becoming a viable species again in Canada. Tracking of four Ontario peregrines began in July 1999, and was followed by the study of five peregrines from Ontario, Quebec, and New York State in 2000/2001. In 2001/2002 a total of seven peregrines from Ontario and Quebec were added to the study, and plans are underway to continue expanding the program for the 2002/2003 season to further explore the potential differences between hack-released, urban, and wild peregrines.

2. PROJECT SCHOOL VISIT & OTHER EDUCATION PROGRAMS
Since 1998, the Canadian Peregrine Foundation has been operating an education program intended to raise awareness about endangered species among school children in Ontario. Project School Visit, designed especially for students in grades 4 and 6, features an in-class presentation about peregrine falcon biology and issues concerning endangered species, and includes a visit from a live peregrine falcon. Also part of the program is our "Life on the Ledge" documentary video, and a class set of our 56-page Student’s Guide to Ontario’s Endangered Wildlife.

In September 2001, Project School Visit expanded to include an Osprey Unit, and as of January 2002 an Owl Unit is also available. All three programs continue to be offered across Ontario, and efforts are being made to expand Project School Visit into other projects.

As well, the Canadian Peregrine Foundation makes appearances with live raptors at community events and fairs, trade shows, etc. to promote interest in and concern for endangered species in children and adults alike. Please contact us if you are involved with a school or group that would be interested in booking a visit, or if you know of a sponsor who could help by covering the cost of one or more visits.

3. PROJECT RELEASE
This exciting project is a continuation of the joint Federal/Provincial Government Recovery Program to reestablish peregrine falcons in their former breeding range across Ontario. Project Release involves housing and feeding young peregrines in a hack box in a secure location until they are ready to be released. Each site is equipped with video camera surveillance, and the images are delivered to our Internet site, and whenever possible to a local Falcon Watch Centre near each hack site. In 1999 we launched Project Release by raising a total of six young peregrines in Richmond Hill and Guelph; in 2001 we returned to Richmond Hill, and expanded to new locations in Kitchener, Owen Sound, and Leeds County in Eastern Ontario.

4. PROJECT FOSTER
In 1999, eggs at both the Hamilton and Ottawa nests failed to hatch. We immediately initiated a fundraising campaign for the specific purpose of purchasing foster chicks to be introduced to the adults at each site. Both foster attempts were entirely successful. Recognizing that failed nests are likely to occur again in future years, the Canadian Peregrine Foundation has established Project Foster. By securing funding in advance and creating a reserve fund, we hope to be able to act quickly to replace infertile eggs.

5. PROJECT WATCH-’EM
At each of the nest sites, a two to three week dawn-to-dusk volunteer watch is required to ensure the safety of the young peregrines as they learn to fly. Since 1998, CPF volunteers have performed more than twenty successful rescues of fledglings which came to the ground and were either injured or simply unable to regain altitude on their own. Project Watch-’em has proved instrumental in significantly raising the success rate of urban peregrine nests, and will continue to be a vital part of the Canadian Peregrine Foundation’s operations.

6. PROJECT RESCUE
Peregrine falcons, as well as other raptors, face a variety of threats in urban environments, such as poisoning, collisions with buildings, and much more. The Canadian Peregrine Foundation is committed to rescuing raptors from their predicaments whenever possible. In 1999 and 2000, Project Rescue helped six American kestrels, one red-shouldered hawk, three red-tailed hawks, one sharp-shinned hawk, one Cooper’s hawk, and an eastern screech owl.

7. PROJECT FIX-’EM
Despite the best efforts of our Project Watch-’em volunteers, some young peregrines do become injured on their early flights, often as a result of misjudging their speed and colliding with the windows or walls of buildings near the nest sites. Most years, at least one of Ontario’s fledglings requires medical attention, and treatment can be expensive. For example, the cost of fixing a broken wing and rehabilitating a peregrine for flight can range from several hundred to more than one thousand dollars. We have established the Fix’-em Fund to ensure that we will always be able to provide treatment for peregrines when needed. It is primarily supported through donations from Project Adoption.

8. PROJECT SHOW-’EM
Public awareness and community stewardship are critical to the long-term success of the peregrine falcon and other endangered species. Project Show-’em is designed to generate interest in protecting these spectacular birds. In Etobicoke, Hamilton, and Ottawa, we have installed colour video cameras and monitoring equipment, including flexible video recording equipment with computerized remote-control and on-site monitors. During the breeding season, we attempt to establish a Falcon Watch Centre in a high profile public location near each of the nest sites under surveillance. Each Falcon Watch Centre features colour video monitors providing live coverage of the local nest, plus a variety of other displays. These serve as information centres for the local community throughout the breeding season, and operate as a base for Project Watch-’em during the fledging period of the chicks. Each camera is also connected to a computer, enabling us to transmit the signals to our website from each location, thereby bringing these peregrine families to the global community.

9. PROJECT DOCUMENT-’EM
In 1998, we produced "Life on the Ledge", a fully narrated 42 minute colour video documentary about the peregrine falcon in an urban environment. The footage was edited from the video tapes recorded at the Etobicoke Falcon Watch Centre. This film is available to schools and research institutions for educational purposes, as well as to the general public. A second documentary, "Operation Comeback", was released in 1999, integrating footage from several sites, but with a particular focus on Project Release and Project Foster.

The Canadian Peregrine Foundation’s website, <www.peregrine-foundation.ca> continues to be extremely popular, receiving over 10 million hits per year, from people in more than 110 countries worldwide. The highlight of the site is the live video images, available from each nest/release site in spring and summer. Also available are daily written reports, extensive photo galleries, progress reports from Project Track-’em, and information on peregrine biology. More features are being added on a regular basis.

The third aspect of Project Document-’em is the research we undertake at the nest/release sites each year. At several locations we have compiled extensive notes on the young peregrines, along with videotape documentation from throughout their development. We would be happy to share these resources with university students interested in conducting behavioural research on the peregrine falcon.

CALL FOR FUNDING:

All of our projects require funds to operate. Individual donations and corporate sponsorships are both critical to our success. As a registered charity, we can provide tax receipts for donations upon request. Additionally, all project sponsors are offered recognition through our website and newsletter.

One of the simplest ways to help as an individual is to become a member of the Canadian Peregrine Foundation. For a minimum donation of $40, you will receive a personalized membership card, a CPF badge, and regular updates on CPF activities via our quarterly newsletter "Talon Tales" - and most importantly, your contribution will help us maintain and expand the projects described above. For more information on how you can help the Canadian Peregrine Foundation’s efforts to ensure the recovery of endangered raptors, please contact us at mark@peregrine-foundation.ca