Peregrine falcon count up in N.H.

CONCORD, N.H. - New Hampshire's peregrine falcon population continues to increase, with 27 young raised this year in nests on natural cliffs, a city building, and an interstate highway bridge.

Because of the improvement in the status of peregrines, the Fish and Game Department recently moved the fast-flying raptor from the endangered to the threatened category on the state's List of Threatened and Endangered Wildlife.

However, there is concern that the birds are threatened by flame-retardant chemicals called PBDEs.

Overall, the peregrine breeding population in New Hampshire has increased by 50 percent over the past decade. The average number of young doubled in the last decade to 22.5.

This year, the 27 reaching fledging age equaled the number in 2002, said Chris Martin, who coordinates the state's peregrine monitoring program.

He and a team of rock climbing volunteers reached nine peregrine nests this year, examining and banding nestlings and recovering nine eggs that went unhatched.

The unhatched eggs will be used to study the impact of contaminants on New England peregrines. Similar egg-collection efforts over past years are providing information about contaminants in wildlife.

For example, flame-retardant chemicals, called polybrominated diphenyl ethers, or PBDEs, are commonly added to many consumer products. Martin said PBDEs gradually escape into the environment and contaminate air, water, soil, wildlife, and humans.

One recent contaminant study in the technical journal Environmental Science and Technology reported unusually high levels of the PBDEs in 114 nonviable peregrine falcon eggs recovered from 35 nests in New England states from 1996 to 2006.