Hi Astrid,
The light show with that disturbance and the disturbance of setting up the
light show might cause the nesting birds to desert the nest. Tolerance for
anthropogenic disturbance varies among individuls even within the same species.
Some individuls get acclimated, some don't. It is not possible to be certain
about the light show and its affect on nesting birds.
Both the Raven and the Peregrine have recently returned as nesting birds to
Tompkins County. The first nesting Raven in nearly a century was in the FLLT
Preserve at Lick Brook about 15 years ago. They did not nest there again,
perhaps as hiking that portion of the trail became quite popular. Yet, there
has been a Raven nest in Cayuga Heights recently. The Peregrine at Tgnk are
part of a national recovery and are the first nest in the county in decades.
Either pairs of birds could leave due to disturbance, but it is not possible to
be certain. Leaving their current nest after having laid the eggs and started
incubation would likely lead to reproductive failure for the year. The timing
of courtship, physiological changes to produce eggs, site selection,
incubation, and eventually fledgling have been selected for optimum success
rate. Starting over changes the timing by well over a month and would likely be
unsuccessful. I think it is unlikely that they would even try to start another
nest, even if they could find a suitable nest site.
I think the dedication of the state parks to protecting natural ecosystems,
which certainly includes uncommon nesting birds, favors leaving the site alone.
John Confer
Monday, April 15, 2024 at 10:27:33 AM EDT, Astrid Jirka
<ast...@discovercayugalake.org> wrote:
Hi everyone,
I appreciate the care and attention being given to the peregrines and the
ravens in light of the lightshow being planned this weekend, as I've seen
expressed through the Cayuga Bird Listserve.
I also appreciate NYS Parks for all they do to promote recreation and
conservation of our natural resources.And I appreciate the Chamber and Visit
Ithaca for all they do to promote tourism in our area which is so crucial to
our local economy.
It is understandable to me that there is an interest in a celebration and that
Tgnk Falls should be (literally) highlighted due to its beauty and its
attraction to locals and visitors alike.
Could one of the birders please explain exactly what they think the
repercussions would be to the bird nests that are of concern? Are the females
likely to abandon their nests, eggs or chicks, and never return?
It is nice to see a community caring so much for our natural resources in so
many ways. Let's do our best to make it work for the birds and the humans and
all involved!
Take care,
Astrid Jirka
Director of Tourism InitiativesDiscover Cayuga Lake
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: <t...@ottcmail.com>
Date: Sun, Apr 14, 2024 at 4:25 PM
Subject: Re: [cayugabirds-l] Taughannock Falls light show?
To: Geo Kloppel <geoklop...@gmail.com>, CAYUGABIRDS-L
<cayugabird...@list.cornell.edu>
Sounds like there is a lot of momentum behind this and it might be easier to
deflect than to stop unless the weather is like today. Celebrating the 100th
probably is a huge deal for the agency, which certainly have manages a lot of
great habitat for birds. And they people behind this particular event have put
time, money, and effort into planning and executing it and probably will be
reluctant to abandon it.
Is there a way this could be done and disturbance minimized? What if they lit
up the falls from right below so the gorge itself wasn't illuminated, and
instead of hiking up the gorge they centered the celebration on the overlook
rather than hiking the gorge hike? Maybe there's a local bird-loving food
truck or caterer who would be willing to offer food at a discount to the parks
for the three nights up at the visitor center by the overlook?
Is there someone on the list with contacts at the Regional State Park office
or at the Chamber who could sound them out on whether they are open to
alternatives? Does the bird club have any programming it runs in partnership
with any of the local state parks? We could try to shut this down but there's
a good chance that would fail and, whether or not it did, trying to shut it
down entirely will piss off a lot people which might not be good for birds (or
even birders) in the long run. Note the Chamber of Commerce seems to be
running the hikes so anyone on the list who is a member might want to gently
explain the issue to Jennifer Tavares, who seems like a decent person. Not
sure if Fred Bonn is still the Regional Director of State Parks but he has been
flexible in the past when approached given actual evidence and alternatives -
but whoever approaches him should be prepared with published evidence or
personal reports by someone (maybe Tim G) who is an acknowledged expert on
peregrines and can show that the light show is going to disturb the peregrines.
Keep in mind that these folks know peregrines nest on urban bridges and
buildings that are lit at night so they will need to know why this is different.
On 4/14/2024 12:06 PM, Geo Kloppel wrote:
Below is the press release for the evening light shows at the great falls in
Taughannock Falls State Park later this week, which have potential to disturb
the Peregrine Falcons and Ravens that are currently on nests there).
Note that the event is jointly hosted by NYS Parks, Visit Ithaca, and also
the Tompkins Chamber, which is handling online registration for after-dark
hikes up the gorge trail to the lighted falls.
| |
|
| Go for a hike and view the lights to celebrate 100 years of NYS Parks at
Taughannock Falls mytwintiers.com |
|
On Apr 14, 2024, at 10:16 AM, Tim Gallagher <t...@cornell.edu> wrote:
I heard some disturbing news last night. Apparently Taughannock Falls will be
brightly illuminated from 8:30 to 10:00 this coming Thursday, Friday, and
Saturday night (April 18, 19, and 20). I guess it’s some kind of PR stunt to
celebrate the 100th anniversary of the New York State Park Service, but it
couldn’t possibly come at a worse time, with the eggs just about to hatch in
the Peregrine Falcon eyrie and a pair of Ravens nesting right beside the
falls—not mention all the other wildlife in the park. There certainly should be
other, less potentially harmful, ways to celebrate the Park Service. You can
contact the Taughannock Park office at (607) 387-7041. (Photo by Arthur A.
Allen)
-- Cayugabirds-L List Info: Welcome and Basics Rules and Information
Subscribe, Configuration and Leave Archives: The Mail Archive Surfbirds ABA
Please submit your observations to eBird! --
--Cayugabirds-L List Info:Welcome and BasicsRules and InformationSubscribe,
Configuration and LeaveArchives:The Mail ArchiveSurfbirdsABAPlease submit your
observations to eBird!----Cayugabirds-L List Info:Welcome and BasicsRules and
InformationSubscribe, Configuration and LeaveArchives:The Mail
ArchiveSurfbirdsABAPlease submit your observations to eBird!--
--
(copy & paste any URL below, then modify any text "_DOT_" to a period ".")
Cayugabirds-L List Info:
NortheastBirding_DOT_com/CayugabirdsWELCOME_DOT_htm
NortheastBirding_DOT_com/CayugabirdsRULES_DOT_htm
NortheastBirding_DOT_com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave_DOT_htm
ARCHIVES:
1) mail-archive_DOT_com/cayugabirds-l@cornell_DOT_edu/maillist_DOT_html
2) surfbirds_DOT_com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds
3) aba_DOT_org/birding-news/
Please submit your observations to eBird:
ebird_DOT_org/content/ebird/
--
