Seattle Peregrines

Falco peregrinus

Urban History

The pesticide DDT nearly eliminated Peregrine Falcons. After DDT was banned in 1972, Peregrines were not seen in Seattle until winter 1990-1991, when an adult female established a winter territory in downtown Seattle centered on what was then Washington Mutual Tower, or WaMu, at 1201 Third Avenue. A group of Seattle school children named her Angeline, after Chief Sealth’s daughter. The next winter, another female established a territory at the I-5 Ship Canal Bridge and hence became known as Freeway.

Finally, in March 1994, two observers, Ruth Taylor and Ed Deal, independently discovered an adult male and a first-year female courting downtown on the WaMu building. They became the first breeding pair of Peregrines in Seattle in the post-DDT era.

By 1999, Peregrine Falcons had recovered to the extent that they were taken off the Endangered Species List. Peregrines had made a phenomenal comeback.

The First Nest: Stewart and Virginia

The downtown birds were named Stewart and Virginia, after downtown streets. Washington Mutual Bank and Wright Runstad & Company allowed Falcon Research Group to install a nestbox on a high ledge and focus a video camera on the birds. Stewart and Virginia laid eggs and became a media sensation. Viewers flocked to the lobby of the WaMu tower to watch them on a monitor, as they do now during breeding season via the 1201 FalconCam.

1994 was a rough season for this Peregrine family and their human followers. Virginia died after hitting a window when her three chicks were still tiny, and one chick died on the ledge at 3 weeks. However, thanks to a great deal of human intervention, including a temporary chick swap, single dad Stewart successfully fledged the other two young.

Stewart and Bell

In August 1994, a female in fresh adult plumage with a few remnant juvenile feathers appeared downtown and immediately formed a pair bond with Stewart. They nested successfully in 1995. This female, Bell, was a spectacular mother, fledging 26 young over the years. Her descendants now nest in and far beyond Seattle. After 11 years, Bell’s last nesting season was 2004. She died in July 2005, found by none other than Ruth Taylor, about two blocks from her home territory.

2018 was the 25th year of monitoring Peregrine Falcons nesting at 1201 Third Avenue by the Seattle Peregrine Project. Peregrines at this site have laid 84 eggs and hatched 66. Of these, 56 young were banded, 57 fledged, and 11 died within two months of fledging.

Where Did They Go?

By banding nestling Peregrines, we learn at least something of the birds’ fates after they disperse. Of the 56 banded offspring, six—four males, two females—were later found breeding elsewhere.

Female offspring that survive to breed typically disperse farther than males. Offspring from the 1201 nest certainly illustrate this. The four breeding males all favored bridges around Seattle and environs, while the two females went native: one nested on a cliff in the San Juan Islands and the other in the central Oregon Cascades.

What’s Next?

Besides the 1201 Third Avenue site, about five other active breeding sites in Seattle are now known, so far all on bridges. Breeding numbers of Peregrine Falcons in the city are probably limited by both the availability of nest sites and their own territoriality. Humans can sometimes help provide nest sites, but territoriality is as much a part of a Peregrine as its beauty. If the region’s Peregrine population increases, we may see serious conflicts over nest sites, as has occurred in other cities.