need info on a peregrine killed at beacon rock?

[retired]

My friend and guide book author Greg Orton has been trying to unite the world of climbers and wildlife biologists. He has been spearheading a movment to have climbers monitor peregrine nesting sites for the forest service. during a training session last winter a bio named Pegal claimed there was a peregrine killed at Beacon by climbers sometime in the 90's Greg would like to have any info on this incident, which quite frankly I believe is false, so he can call the man on his fabrication. thanks. Jim

[rbw1966]

Its my understanding that a dead peregrine was found by a climber but was not actually killed by the climber. I, too, heard rumors that a climber had killed a peregrine but frankly the source that told me this is highly unreliable.

[billcoe]

Hi JA: I've never heard of any such thing: ever.

 

That's like one of those "I heard someone say someone else say that the Martians landed in the desert in 1978". Difficult to prove it might not have really happened, even though there is no chance in hell of it being true.

 

The birds look to be real healthy at Beacon.

 

I'd like to train to help monitor the sites. How would I sign up?

 

Bill

 

Reading the observations posted after I posted this seems kind of strange and it makes it real, not like Martians obviously. @13-14 years ago someone did this? Seems like the truth from the way it is written. I suspect, given that the birds look so successful out there (I think there were 2 littler ones flying around when Joeseph and I were there 2 weeks ago), that those people must not be climbing out there anymore, and they sure didn't (wouldn't dare) brag about such an action to others apparently. It also seems bizare that someone would leave a $50 (or so) piece of gear in the rock which apparently wasn't stuck in there.

Edited October 9, 2004 by billcoe

[Ducknut]

Have him pm me and I'll put him in touch with Pagel.

 

edited with new info

 

I just talked to Pagel and he said "No peregrines were killed by climbers on beacon rock... They may have thrown eggs off the ledge though, based on observations and the evidence I found in the ledge..."

 

Edited October 6, 2004 by Ducknut

[ivan]

dude,you gotta be able to climb 5.13 if you wanna monitor the birds! and falcons are naturally averse to shiny bolts, so better be able to do it on gear!

 

shit, on reflection bill, you're probably perfect for the job.

[JosephH]

I've never heard of such an event either. And given who got there first I definitely don't mind sharing Beacon with the falcons. Climbing without them (or bears) about and around wouldn't be nearly as interesting. I'm available if the biologists need any assistance out there and can be available during the week with a bit of notice.

[Bug]

I saw a UFO land in JT one night. Todd Skinner walked out and thanked them for the lift.

[Dru]

I heard Lancegranite married a svelte Sasquatch

[Ducknut]

I got the following information from Pagel about his observations and how he came to the conclusion that climbers may have destroyed the peregrine eggs.

 

"We had observations of numerous instances of the climbers who have regularly disobeyed the closure rules. On the year in question, we observed them near the nest site, and they went past the ledge during incubation. After their climb, the birds abandoned the nest. I went to the nest site a week or two after the birds abandoned and found footprints on the ledge and within the nest scrape; no eggs were present. I also found and removed brand new webbing and rappel rings, and a large Friend left in a crack by recent climbers. I had cleaned the site of all gear prior to the nesting season, so we know when the webbing at least was put up. We also know the birds were incubating what appeared to be a complete clutch. I found no eggs, or even fragments on the scrape. We searched below, and only found a single small fragment of a recent egg. The climbers has also piled rocks on the nest scrape so nesting could not re-occur".

[rbw1966]

Got a time frame for this?

[tomtom]

I just talked to Pagel and he said "No peregrines were killed by climbers on beacon rock... They may have thrown eggs off the ledge though, based on observations and the evidence I found in the ledge..."

 

Of course, some might say life begins at conception.

[Jim]

I got the following information from Pagel about his observations and how he came to the conclusion that climbers may have destroyed the peregrine eggs.

 

"We had observations of numerous instances of the climbers who have regularly disobeyed the closure rules. On the year in question, we observed them near the nest site, and they went past the ledge during incubation. After their climb, the birds abandoned the nest. I went to the nest site a week or two after the birds abandoned and found footprints on the ledge and within the nest scrape; no eggs were present. I also found and removed brand new webbing and rappel rings, and a large Friend left in a crack by recent climbers. I had cleaned the site of all gear prior to the nesting season, so we know when the webbing at least was put up. We also know the birds were incubating what appeared to be a complete clutch. I found no eggs, or even fragments on the scrape. We searched below, and only found a single small fragment of a recent egg. The climbers has also piled rocks on the nest scrape so nesting could not re-occur".

 

Man does this suck or what? I've heard similar stories from the local biologists of folks ignoring the closure at Tieton and causing nesting disruption of the golden eagles. This is nasty and inexcusable behavior. No wonder land managers would rather just close an entire climbing area for a period rather than just limiting it to a small section.