New Jersey Volunteers Band 5 Baby Falcons, Save Lives

When Jim Wright held a three-week-old peregrine falcon in his hands for the first time, he couldn't tell whose heart was beating faster. The tiny chick's heart pounded under downy white feathers as New Jersey wildlife experts banded five nestlings from a North Jersey nest Wright had monitored all spring.

For years, Wright has volunteered with the state's Endangered and Nongame Species Program, watching raptor nests from a quarter-mile away through cold winters and scorching summers. The reward for hours of observation often comes in a single breathtaking moment: seeing a fuzzy little head pop up in a distant nest.

This past season brought both triumphs and heartbreak. When a neighbor in Allendale found a young red-shouldered hawk grounded in his yard, Wright and his wife gently wrapped it in a towel and kept it overnight in a padded bin. They brought it to Franklin Lakes Animal Hospital the next morning, where it was transferred to The Raptor Trust, a veterinary facility in Morris County that specializes in birds of prey.

Despite everyone's efforts, that young hawk didn't survive. Two injured fledglings from another peregrine nest Wright monitors were also rushed to The Raptor Trust this summer, and one died from its injuries.

The Bright Side

The other fledgling made it. The young peregrine is now learning to fly with help from an adult foster bird at The Raptor Trust named Noodle, getting a second chance at life in the wild.

Wright's experiences this season reminded him just how fragile young raptors are during their first months of life. Window strikes, predators, and failed first flights claim many fledglings before they master the skies. That's where volunteers and wildlife rehabilitators make the difference between extinction and recovery for New Jersey's threatened birds.

The state's volunteer raptor monitoring program helps track nesting success for species like peregrine falcons, which were nearly wiped out by DDT pesticides in the 1960s. Thanks to decades of conservation work, peregrines have made a remarkable comeback in New Jersey, nesting on bridges and buildings across the state.

Wright says he'd do it all over again in a heartbeat, even knowing the losses that come with the wins.

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