Peregrine Falcons Nest Successfully During Reconstruction of Bridge Over Ohio River

Authors

• Kate G. Slankard, Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife ResourcesFollow
• Loren F. Taylor, Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources
• Dan M. Stoelb, Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources
• Charlie Gannon, Walsh Construction

Date of this Version

Spring 2020

Document Type

Article

Citation

Human–Wildlife Interactions (Spring 2020) 14(1): article 14 

doi: 10.26077/2sw1-jq86

Comments

Open access. License: CC BY 4.0

Abstract

Peregrine falcons (Falco peregrinus) often nest on bridges over rivers and other waterways, resulting in the need for mitigation planning for bridge maintenance and reconstruction. However, mitigation guidelines for peregrine falcon nests during bridge reconstruction are lacking in the literature. In this paper, we describe the monitoring, spatial, and temporal buffers, nest box installation, and other methods that allowed peregrine falcons to nest successfully on the Milton-Madison (US-421) Bridge during demolition and reconstruction. Construction activities occurred over a 4-year period (2011–2014), and coordination with local road departments and contracted engineers was necessary to accommodate the falcon nest. Nonetheless, construction activities were able to progress without causing major construction expense or delays, and the nesting falcons were able to fledge 14 young during the project.