Wildlife Nation Exclusive Clip: Feathers, Furs and Flippers Jeff Corwin begins in the historic city of Boston to help aid the recovery of peregrine falcons with Defenders of Wildlife staff. To learn more about the wildlife featured in the episode, visit
Jeff Corwin begins in the historic city of Boston to help aid the recovery of peregrine falcons with Defenders of Wildlife staff. To learn more about the wildlife featured in the episode, visit www.defenders.org/wildlifenation
Video Transcript:
Jeff Corwin:
For today's adventure, we're heading to my home state of Massachusetts and a place called Deer Island in the middle of Boston Harbor. This island is the location of a state of the art
massive wastewater treatment plant that cleans over 1200 million gallons of wastewater every day. It's also home for a family of peregrine falcons, the fastest animals on earth, capable of
reaching speeds of more than 200 miles an hour.
Jeff Corwin:
I'm with Jacob Malcolm. He's the director of Defenders of Wildlife's Center for Conservation Innovation. So basically, you guys are trying to figure out how you integrate technology with policy and environmental stewardship to make it work.
Dr. Jacob Malcolm:
Yep. It's one of the most exciting parts about my work, is the fact that we get to work on solutions. It's really overlooked often that we do have lots of opportunities to do more for wildlife.
Jeff Corwin:
The peregrine falcons that live here are a perfect example of this. In the wild, falcons typically build their nests on high cliffs. So to give this species a helping hand in a dense urban environment, the Massachusetts Department of Fisheries and Wildlife have teamed up with the Massachusetts Water Resource Authority to put a special nesting box at the top of this 130 foot tall filtration tank. For a family of peregrine falcons, this is the perfect penthouse.
Jeff Corwin:
I mean, that's kind of amazing, right? With a little bit of ingenuity and a little bit of environmental
stewardship, you can find that balance where creatures like the ultimate bird of prey can share a habitat that also belongs to human beings.
Dr. Jacob Malcolm:
The fact that we're here to band some peregrine falcons at a wastewater treatment facility with Boston right there just goes to prove it.
Jeff Corwin:
Jacob is a wildlife biologist, but you've never banded a peregrine falcon.
Dr. Jacob Malcolm:
I have not.
Jeff Corwin:
You ready?
Dr. Jacob Malcolm:
I'm ready.
Jeff Corwin:
All right, let's do it.
Dr. Jacob Malcolm:
Let's do it.
Jeff Corwin:
In one of the most successful conservation stories in the history of our country, peregrine falcons were brought back from the brink of extinction, thanks to decades of hard work by dedicated people and organizations. To keep track of this species' recovery, biologists place small identification bands around the legs of every falcon chick they find.
Today, we're helping wildlife biologist, Dave Paulson, and his team from the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife to band the falcon chicks that live at the top of this tower.
Jeff Corwin:
But first, we'll need to face some strong winds and some very devoted and determined parents.
Dave Paulson:
Now, Jeff, be real careful with this.
Jeff Corwin:
Be real careful. Wow.
Jeff Corwin:
As soon as we open the door, we see her, a mother peregrine falcon, ready to protect her nest and her offspring at any cost. As soon as we remove the guardrails and step onto the catwalk...
Dave Paulson:
She's coming right in for you.
Jeff Corwin:
She begins to dive bomb our team with incredible speed.
Dave Paulson:
Coming in hot. She's coming in from below. Come on go right to the box.
Jeff Corwin:
This right here is a nesting box for a peregrine falcon.
Dave Paulson:
She's getting close, getting close, getting close.
Jeff Corwin:
Above us we have two very, very devoted, I would say slightly aggressive.
Dave Paulson:
Yep.
Jeff Corwin:
Peregrine falcons. They're a bonded pair. And this female, she wants us to have nothing to do with her next generation, what for her is the most precious thing in the world.
Dave Paulson:
I know everyone's focused on her, but if someone wants to keep a peripheral open for or the other one.
Dave Paulson:
Right up there.
Jeff Corwin:
We got to be very careful. We're being dive bombed by these parents. And it's a long way down.
Dr. Jacob Malcolm:
It is.
Jeff Corwin:
So inside we have... Ah, look at that. We have these. Oh my gosh. Look at this. Look at that.
Dr. Jacob Malcolm:
It's fantastic. Gigantic eye, sharp beak, great talons. Built for speed and flight.
Jeff Corwin:
Just take a moment to reflect at what we're doing. We're holding a species that in this part of
the world was extinct for almost 30 years. Today we have 50 pairs successfully surviving and breeding.
Dave Paulson:
Correct, 50 known pairs here in Massachusetts. And the big thing here is most of these aren't
on natural cliff sites. You're talking buildings, bridges, quarries. They've really take
to the developed landscape really well.
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