By Gilbert Myers, DEP Director Of Environmental Education

Pennsylvania has witnessed the remarkable recovery of three species of raptors in recent decades: the bald eagle, osprey, and peregrine falcon.

This was almost unthinkable a half-century ago, when the man-made crisis of DDT threatened bird populations by thinning egg shells, sabotaging seasonal nesting efforts.

As we all celebrate the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, DEP is proud to be part of the success story of peregrine falcon recovery, which has unique connections to one of Earth Day’s catalysts, Pennsylvania’s own Rachel Carson. 

Peregrine falcons have made their home for more than two decades on the 15th floor of the Rachel Carson State Office Building (RCSOB) in downtown Harrisburg, which is also home to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).

Four cameras allow year-round, day and night, live “Falcon Cam” streaming to give the world a glimpse into the life of these magnificent creatures at the most productive nest site in Pennsylvania.

It all began in 1996, when a male peregrine was spotted in Harrisburg. A city's many tall buildings provide plenty of high perches and ledges that mimic the cliffs where peregrine falcons commonly nest.

Officials from the Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC) scouted downtown locations for a suitable site to place a nest tray to see if it would attract a pair of peregrine falcons.

The RCSOB site was selected for its covered ledge 15 stories above the ground, which provides some protection from severe weather. A nest tray was placed on the ledge, and the following spring, the male returned with a female partner. 

From 2000 through 2020, the RCSOB nest has produced 89 eggs, of which 75 hatched (at the time of this post, three out of four eggs have hatched this year!). 

Over the years, each time one member of the mating pair has died or disappeared, another has promptly appeared to bond with the remaining partner and take its place.

Thus, the individuals (four females and two males) nesting at RCSOB have changed over time, but they are linked in a continuous chain back to the original nesting pair.

The current male falcon, W/V, is an astonishing bird who, at age of 17, has fended off younger, competing males in recent years to retain his nest and partner.

He is now the oldest reproducing male falcon within Pennsylvania. 

Falcon nestlings start as a helpless ball of fluff but grow at a rapid pace through the diligent feeding and care of both parents.

How can you learn more and help?

-- Watch the Falcon Cam and report what they are feeding on.

-- Sign up for Falcon Wire News updates. 

-- Explore more educational resources, including a Google Earth tour of the Harrisburg falcons’ environment. 

Rachel Carson’s famous 1962 book “Silent Spring” was the seminal work leading to environmental regulations addressing DDT and other pesticides affecting birds like peregrine falcons.

Rachel Carson was born on May 27, 1907, in Springdale, Pennsylvania, and worked for the federal government as a scientist and writer. "Silent Spring" addressed the dangers posed by DDT, which bioaccumulates in top avian predators and interferes with calcium metabolism, causing thin eggshells.   

Peregrine falcons, bald eagles, and ospreys have made a remarkable renaissance thanks to the environmental ethics and forward thinking of people like Rachel Carson, and subsequent decades of extraordinary wildlife management efforts.

It is a happy irony, indeed, that they reside on the Rachel Carson State Office Building in Harrisburg, which was named in her honor.

On the 50th anniversary of Earth Day and always, DEP remembers Rachel Carson’s unique contributions to making such a recovery possible.

We hope this success story will inspire our individual and collective conservation efforts to ensure that future generations of Pennsylvanians can continue to enjoy vibrant, diverse, abundant wildlife species.

[Visit the DEP Falcon Cam webpage for more information.]

For more information on environmental programs in Pennsylvania, visit DEP’s website, Click Here to sign up for DEP’s newsletter, sign up for DEP Connects events, sign up for DEP’s eNotice, visit DEP’s Blog,  Like DEP on Facebook, Follow DEP on Twitter and visit DEP’s YouTube Channel.

Earth Day 50 PA

Visit the Earth Day 50 PA website for more special events, Earth Day 1970 remembrances, environmental reading lists and more.

Related Articles - Remembering  Earth Day 1970:

Earth Day 50 PA: Edwin Charles: The Earth Day Teach-In Must Continue

Earth Day 50 PA: Marci Mowery: A Sense Of Place In This World

Earth Day 50 PA: Richard Lewis: What I Did On The First Earth Day 50 Years Ago

Earth Day 50 PA: Wayne Kober: Impact & Inspiration From First Earth Day

Earth Day 50 PA: Earth Day At 50: Progression, Emergence, Park & Rec Involvement

PA Environmental Council At 50: We Had To Do Something

PA Environmental Council At 50: Taking The Lead

PA Environmental Council At 50: A New Millennium

PA Environmental Council At 50: Securing Our Environmental Rights

Related Articles- Earth Day:

Op-Ed: My Fellow Conservatives Are Out Of Touch On The Environment - Fmr. Gov. Tom Ridge

Op-Ed: 50th Earth Day: Time To Consider Wiser Course - We Are All Of This Earth And Dependent On It - Bernie McGurl, Lackawanna River Conservation Association

Op-Ed: Earth Day 1970 Changed My Life - Carol Collier, The Academy Of Natural Sciences

Op-Ed: Earth Day 50: A Wakeup Call To The Scientific Community - Science Matters -Roland Wall, Director, Ruth Patrick Center For Environmental Research

Op-Ed: Earth Day - 50 Years And Counting - Joanne Shafer, Centre County Recycling Coordinator

Earth Day 2020 – Bringing Pennsylvanians Together Even Though We’re Apart

DEP’s Blog: Earth Day 50 PA: DEP Staff Reflections

DEP’s Blog: By Acting On Climate, We Help Make Every Day Earth Day - DEP Secretary Patrick McDonnell

DCNR Good Natured Blog: Looking Toward Earth Day 2070 - DCNR Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn

DCNR Good Natured Blog: Earth Day At Home

PA Parks & Forests Foundation Posts Special Earth Day 50 PA Newsletter

PA Forestry Assn: Special Earth Day Edition Of Pennsylvania Forests Quarterly

Shippensburg University Hosted Virtual Campus Climate Commitment Signing Event

Pittsburgh Organizations Going 100% Renewable Energy On Earth Day's 50th Anniversary

Western PA Conservancy: Honoring Earth Day By Preserving An Historic Farm In Westmoreland County

Pocono Arts Council Announces Online The Earth Speaks VI - A Juried Exhibition On The Environmental Crisis

Fmr EPA Officials Release Special Environmental Protection - A Half Century Of Progress Reports For Students, Teachers 

[Posted: April 23, 2020]

4/27/2020