Monitoring of Peregrine Falcons in the Ariège Pyrenees and Toulouse, Midi-Pyrénées region, France

Abstract

Abstract Since the 1980s, the volunteers of the ornithological group of the Nature Midi-Pyrénées association have been monitoring the Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) population in the Ariège Pyrenees and in the Toulouse agglomeration. The data collected over the last 30 years show stability of the Ariège population: little variation has been observed in brood size, occupation rate of the sites or reproductive success. Only the increasing number of known nesting sites is significant, due to better knowledge of the territory by observers over time. In 2017, the breeding population was estimated to be 24 pairs. Urban monitoring proved the presence of individuals in passage, wintering or resident in Toulouse. Since 2002, downtown Toulouse has been visited by several individuals of both sexes and interactions between males and females have been observed since 2005. Despite the multiplicity of possible eyries or nesting sites in Toulouse, and the massive presence of Peregrine Falcons and dedicated bird watchers, no case of breeding has been reported. In addition to monitoring, measures to protect and support the presence of the species have been put in place. In the Pyrenees, in the light of the growth of human activities near nesting sites, some sites are now subject to official protective measures, coupled with constant vigilance and awareness. In Toulouse, to encourage the breeding of the individuals present, two nesting boxes were installed in 2016, on two buildings frequented by a female and a male. In 2017, a first attempt to reproduce in one of these installations confirmed the value of such developments in urban areas.