Omaha Falcons Prey on Shorebirds and Cuckoos

Evidence found at downtown Omaha indicates that the Peregrine Falcons living at the Woodmen Tower are taking shorebirds as prey.

The morning of May 2nd, a Pectoral Sandpiper was found dead in Dodge Street, just north of the First National Bank tower. It was originally thought that it may have struck the atrium windows and died, with the carcass then being kicked by a pedestrian into the street. A closer examination showed a bloody spots on white feathers, which tends to convey bleeding due to the claws of a raptor, notably the Peregrine Falcons which nest at an adjacent building.

Sunday morning, May 3rd, the fresh carcass of an Upland Sandpiper was found on the sidewalk at the corner of 16th and Dodge Street, within about 150 feet of where the Pectoral Sandpiper carcass was located. The bird's neck was partially mangled, indicating that something had violently torn at the body of the bird. There were feathers missing. The injuries to the bird and its location readily indicate it did not die due to striking glass of the bank tower.

In both instances, it appears that the hunting falcon, as it was returning to the nest, dropped its prey. The nest contents at the Woodmen Tower are currently being incubated, according to the falconcam.

Both carcasses were taken and disposed of in a suitable manner.

The Pectoral Sandpiper carcass; the wound is obvious in the lower part of the bird's body.

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This is an image capture from the Woodmen of the World FalconCam of an adult falcon feeding its young, the morning of May 19th. The bird was large and provided food for each eyas and the adult. The identity of the bird could not be determined.

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The morning of May 23rd, another prey item of the Peregrine Falcons was found on the sidewalk of downtown Omaha. The carcass of a yellow-billed cuckoo was laying at the southwest corner of 16th and Dodge Streets. The head of the bird had been torn from its body, so the features of the tail feathers were used to make the species identification. There is something about the First National Tower that results in the falcons dropping prey items before they reach the nest site on Woodmen Tower, just to the southwest. Each of the three carcass found thus far have been within a relative short distance of one another.

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On the morning of May 29th, another yellow-billed cuckoo was found on the same 16th and Dodge Street corner. It was located within 20 feet of the carcass found on the 23rd. The following image shows the blood on the feathers caused by the falcon talons.

Peregrine Falcons First Nested Sixteen Years Ago in Omaha

Sixteen years ago the Peregrine Falcons began a flight to new heights when they laid the first eggs in a hack box atop the Woodmen Tower.

The nesting was the culmination of a release effort that had started in 1988.

Eastward view from the hack box location atop the Woodmen Tower.

Their introduction to a new home and nesting locale, was the result of months of meetings and fund raising necessary for an initiative that would be a soaring success.

Planning meetings for the Nebraska Peregrine Falcon Project were well underway in the late-summer of 1987, as representatives from the Audubon Society of Omaha, Fontenelle Forest Association, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, and Raptor Recovery Center collaborated on bring the majestic falcons to the Omaha urban scene.

Raising the $15-20,000 needed to finance the project was the initial focus, and was enough of a success to continue with the reintroduction effort.

Each of the five birds to be released from the hack box were expected to cost at least $1500. Funds for their purchase and other project expenses were provided by the Papio Natural Resources District, Nebraska Wildlife Federation, the state income tax nongame checkoff program of the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, and numerous donations from individuals, school classes, sportsmen clubs and other sources.

A visit to evaluate two potential release sites occurred in late autumn of 1987. The two prominent options were the Woodmen Tower and Mutual of Omaha building. The Woodmen Tower - the "best cliff in Omaha" - was the obvious choice, and once the project people agreed upon the site, things were well on their way to bring the swift falcons to the city.

The Woodmen organization was an avid supporter from the start, according to information published at the time. The Alfred G. Thomsen Company, the building's manager, was also instrumental in insuring the successful placement of the hack box on the tower roof.

A primary reason for releasing falcons at the Woodmen Tower were that the 30-story Woodmen building mimicked a natural cliff, according to Bruce Lund, a project leader, in a January 1988 article in Shavings, the newsletter of the Woodmen of the World Life Insurance Society. Also, "the rooftop was clear of obstructions, such as air vents and fans, which cause injury of problems for the falcons. Pigeons and starlings are also abundant, providing the falcons with a food supply. Finally, the building overlooks the Missouri River Valley which should make a good imprint on the birds for their return the following spring."

Ken Seger, of Omaha, carefully crafted the painted white, wooden hack box - about five feet wide, three-four feet high, and with a depth of four feet - which was put in place near the edge of the east side of the building's rooftop by several volunteers in latter May, 1988.

Volunteer crew preparing the hack box for placement.

Jerry Toll, Ken Seger and Mike Gilbert putting together the hack box.

Five falcons were placed in the hack box a few weeks later, then fed domestically raised quail for a several weeks to provide a reliable source of food as they grew and once fledged, learned to fly and soar above the canyons of downtown, and then to survive on their own, in the wild environs of the river valley.

In addition to hired attendants for the hack box, many people were volunteer helping with public education or willing to be an emergency contact. Each individual involved helped make the project a success.

An office window facing west at the Northwestern Bell telephone building a couple of blocks east, was used as an observation point, where the daytime attendants kept an eye on the fledgling falcons.

The goal at the time of release was to establish a self-sustaining population by 1993.

The first wild progeny were raised in 1992 by two falcons named Woody - a bird released at Woodmen in 1989 - and Windy, released at Des Moines in 1991, according to an article published in the Nebraska Bird Review.

Between May 7th and 9th, three eggs were laid in the hack box, according to the article by Rosalind Morris. Hatching took place between June 11-13.

The three chicks named Aerial, Zenith and Skywalker successfully fledged, according to records kept by project watchers whom work at the Woodmen of the World Life Insurance Society.

This was the first known hatching of Peregrine Falcons in eastern Nebraska. Adults and young had been noted in Dawes County, west of Fort Robinson in 1903.

The tower falcons now nest on a simple platform, still atop the best cliff in town.

During the twenty years the project has been underway at the Woodmen Tower, 46 chicks have hatched, according to the records kept by the Society personnel. A genealogy of the falcons - with identity of the birds based, when possible, on leg bands - is available at the project website.

Bruce Lund getting a falcon's eye view.

The hack box installation crew, including Bruce Lund, Ken Seger, Jim Ducey, and Jerry Toll.

Success Continues for Falcon Project in Omaha

Success continues this season for the Peregrine Falcon project initiated in Omaha twenty years ago, as a breeding pair has fresh eggs atop the Woodmen Tower.

A picture of Amelia, taken in 2005. Image courtesy of Kathy Cardwell, Woodmen of the World.

Zeus, with his current mate Hera, have two eggs in the nesting platform on the 28th floor of the skyscraper. The first egg was apparently laid on March 30th. Hera has been the third mate for Zeus, since 2006.

"This program has proved to be very beneficial to the falcons," said Tim Sautter, general manager for the building, noting that the species is no longer listed as endangered.

"We have received many favorable comments on the falcons," Sautter said. "People watch the falcon cam during their lunch breaks, with some people checking on them each day."

The public interest is apparent in the extent of interest in providing names for the young raised each season.

"There is an unbelievable response to the naming contests," Sautter said. "The interest is still surprising after twenty years."

The building owners, the Woodmen of the World Life Insurance Society, are very pleased with having the nesting falcons on their building, Sautter said. "They have received lots of good publicity by being involved with the falcon project."

A 20th anniversary event is being planned by the Society, and is expected to take place when the young falcons would be banded in the latter part of May. KETV will also be a sponsor for the event.

During the two decades, adding a roof had been the only change required for the nest box, Sautter noted. "The birds were getting too hot and adding a roof was helpful in reducing the glare from the building windows."

"The falcons are pretty much on their own now," Sautter said. He only needs to monitor the nesting activity.

Night view of the 470 ft. tall Woodmen Tower in downtown Omaha.

There have been few problems for the nesting birds during the years. Occasionally an errant fledgling needs to be rescued from the streets below the nesting site. In 2005, Zeus’ mate Amelia, was found on the street with a broken wing, and taken to the Raptor Center in Minnesota to be rehabilitated, although she did die later.

Current partners in the project include the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, and Raptor Recovery Nebraska.

The original reintroduction program in 1988 was initiated by the Nebraska Peregrine Falcon Project, comprised of the Audubon Society of Omaha, Fontenelle Forest Association, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, and Raptor Recovery Center. The original falcons released from a hack box were provided by the Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis.

A falconcam is available in the building lobby, as well as on the project web-site, which includes a list of webcams at other cities. A genealogy and complete timeline for the falcons is also available.