14 ILLINOIS AUDUBON BULLETIN 
ing facility opened in Fort Collins, 
Colo., during the past year. 
In the current effort three birds 
were released in New York; six in 
New Hampshire; four in Pennsyl- 
vania; four in New Jersey; seven in 
Maryland; and four in Colorado. 
Last year 16 birds were released 
in the east. Twelve survived. Losses 
were: one to electrocution, two to 
great horned owls, and the fourth 
was recaptured and returned to the 
breeding facility. 
Last year’s birds have adapted 
well. They were hacked and now 
can survive on their own. Hacking 
is a process whereby the young 
birds are brought into the wild one 
week before fledging. They are 
hand-fed at the hacking station and 
then gradually weaned to taking 
birds on their own for food. 
Food is plentiful in the areas 
where they were released. The best 
news for scientists watching the 
birds was the fact that they did not 
migrate last spring when other fal- 
cons got the urge. They have 
shown a tendency to wander from 
west to east, though. When autumn 
ended, the birds from New York 
and Pennsylvania headed toward 
and wintered along the east coast 
amid the wintering waterfowl. 
The exact locations of the re- 
lease sites for this year’s program 
are not being disclosed. In 1974, a 
well-publicized release in New 
York state ended with the birds 
being shot. » 
The peregrine falcon was extir- 
pated by DDT east of the Missis- 
sippi. Today, use of DDT in the 
U.S.A. is severely restricted, and 
scientists hope the birds can live a 
healthy life in the wild. 
Continued use of DDT in Latin 
America, where some peregrines 
spend the winter, still poses a 
threat. The restocked birds all re- 
mained in the U.S. this past winter, 
a hopeful sign. However, even 
these birds may suffer from DDT 
effects in the long run, if their prey 
includes birds which themselves 
winter in high DDT areas of Latin 
America. 
Now that the operational details 
of hacking these birds back into the 
wild have been tested, the experi- 
mental program is scheduled to 
pick up steam next year. Dr. Cade 
hopes for a breeding season next 
spring that will produce on the 
order of 100 falcons. Most will be 
hacked back in the wild. 
—Endangered Species Program 
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service 
SUPPORT THE ILLINOIS AUDUBON 
SOCIETY’S PEREGRINE FUND. 
