Bill Seegar and Mike Yates conducted the 54th annual autumn Peregrine Falcon Survey at Assateague Island, MD and Gregg Doney the 47th annual autumn Survey at Padre Island, TX.
2024 Assateague numbers were poor overall but even more so when viewed by unit effort: Sightings were our 7th lowest and captures our 3rd lowest among the 54 survey years. Among sightings, confirmed adults were only 30% of our 54-year average and juveniles 53%. We captured no full adults, only second-years. Three of our 27 captures were not tundra peregrines at all but eastern peregrines banded as nestlings, and a couple of others appeared to be non-tundra birds. 2024 peregrine East Coast hawk count numbers were down at Cape May (NJ, north of us) and Florida Keys (south of us), but not as drastically as at Assateague. Kiptopeke (VA) just to the south of us was pretty consistent with 2023 numbers.
Although our numbers add to concerns of Avian Influenza’s effect on populations, it must be noted that Assateague is no longer the magnet for migratory peregrines it once was. Anthropogenic habitat changes, vastly increased public use, and pervasive shoreline development to the north have made the island less hospitable for resting and feeding. Other than the huge increase and pervasive presence of bald eagles (themselves an issue), our counts of all raptors have declined over the years. 2024 Asstg Rept
We recorded dismal numbers at Earthspan’s Padre Island survey last spring, and fall numbers were down from 2023. We’ll report results and post our report under the Research tab when it is complete.