Peter McTague ’25

Peter McTague ’25 | Honors Environmental Science major, Philosophy minor 

Environmental Science major Peter McTague ’25 is passionate about peregrine falcons. Through the Honors Summer Research Fellowship at Saint Anselm College, McTague was paid to analyze a local environmental organization’s peregrine population data. His field work benefitted not just the organization, but his skillset and understanding of the species at large.

How did this research originate?

I was interested in doing summer research, so I talked with Professor Brian Penney about things I could do and who I should reach out to. He put me in contact with someone who specialized in ornithology, Professor Emeritus Jay Pitocchelli, who formerly taught at Saint Anselm, because he knew I was interested in birds. That connection put me in touch with the New Hampshire Audubon Society’s Chris Martin, who oversaw all their raptor monitoring programs. They monitor peregrine falcons, bald eagles, and other harriers to watch the population in the state. I visited, talked with him about the data they have and what they would want me to do with it. That’s where the project began!

What was it about peregrine falcons that sparked your interested?

I’m really interested in birds in general. I am fascinated by how conspicuous they are—when you're looking for them, you find them everywhere. There are so many different species that all have very different adaptations. Birds of prey are particularly fascinating to me, which is why I pursued the project. Seeing them in the wild is magnificent, because they're like the pinnacle of the evolution of flight. They dive and they’re the fastest animal in the world.

Do you prefer observing birds over other species?

If I went out to look for mammals around here, it would be squirrels, chipmunks, rabbits, and that's pretty much it. On the opposite end, I think bugs and insects are cool, but they're so small and hard to find. Birds are a nice middle ground, because there's a ton of diversity. There’s a lot of them, they're easy to find, and often colorful.

Why was this research important? 

Peregrines are one of the several raptor species that had a huge population decline in the middle of the 20th century because of DDT, which was a widely used insecticide. At one point in the 1960s and1970s, there were no peregrine falcons on the East Coast or anywhere east of the Mississippi River. Once people realized this, DDT was banned and they had to reintroduce peregrines to the region. Now all the peregrines that live around here are descendants of ones born and hatched in captivity. They use a process where they raise them to not imprint on humans so they can be released into the wild. Then they can successfully breed and create a wild population. Now there are over 40 breeding pairs in New Hampshire. 

What did you learn about peregrine reintroduction from this research?

The first successful reintroduction into New Hampshire was in 1981. Since then, they've been monitoring and keeping track of nesting sites so that every breeding season, (which is from like March to June) they can have volunteers visit the sites and observe. 

What were you observing during this research?

Specifically, the nest’s productivity, which means how many young are successfully fledging (leaving the nest and becoming adult birds). It’s a good way to track how the population is doing because that is what leads to long term growth—more productive nests. Peregrines traditionally nest on cliffs, but many of the features that they like about cliffs can also be found on buildings or bridges, so they’ll also nest on human-made structures. They had a nest on a tower in the middle of Manchester, so I wanted to look at the two different types of environments that peregrines will invest in and see if there’s a difference between nest productivity in the two different settings.

What was your hypothesis for this? 

My hypothesis was that the urban peregrines—ones that are closer to human populated areas—were going to exhibit higher productivity. And I based that on literature I read by people who have observed this behavior in other states. I thought it might have to do with prey distribution, because a huge portion of urban peregrines’ diet—well over 50%—is just pigeons. Pigeons in cities are like sitting ducks, peregrines can just grab them. In the forests they have to expend more energy hunting. Plus, peregrines don’t face as many predators in cities. 

Are there any drawbacks to falcons inhabiting urban environments? 

The number one killer of birds is window collisions. It kills millions of birds every year. It typically happens in big cities like New York City, but it does affect raptors like peregrines. Research that I’m doing can potentially help establish new conservation policies in cities. If we discover that urban bird populations are growing, there are ways to design buildings and windows to prevent so many deaths from happening.

How did this collaboration mutually benefit you and the New Hampshire Audubon Society?

Nobody had ever taken the population data they had collected and done any further research or analysis with it. With the results of my findings, they can add more resources to help the falcons thrive in their environments in forests or in urban settings. 

What was your favorite part about the research? 

There's something so magnificent about watching them do their thing. It's cool to see birds in a zoo, but there’s something extra special about seeing something completely wild living.

What was your biggest takeaway from the experience?

I realized that I'm really interested in urban wildlife. Even though I love nature and love being out in nature, it’s really fascinating that I can be walking down the streets of Manchester and see peregrines flying overhead.