The peregrine falcon banding team visited Tofte Peak in Temperance River State Park on June 18, 2025, where a single chick was banded at a historic quarry site.

Tofte Peak Overlook, located atop an abandoned anorthosite quarry, rises 780 feet above Lake Superior and offers sweeping views of the lake about two miles away. The quarry has a history dating back to the early 1900s, when blocks of anorthosite rock were extracted for construction of Taconite Harbor and other construction projects. Today, its sheer cliff face provides prime nesting habitat for peregrine falcons.

This year’s nesting pair included two unbanded adults. In their eyrie, the crew found one 17-day-old chick, weighing 647 grams, along with an unhatched egg. Staff from Superior National Forest and Temperance River State Park were on-site to observe the work and learn more about the banding program.

To access the nest, climber Joe rappelled down the quarry wall as the adult female circled overhead and dove in defense. Joe secured the chick and lowered it in the backpack carrier to the banding crew at the base of the cliff. Ryan, a biologist with Superior National Forest, completed the banding under the guidance of Jackie Fallon of the Midwest Peregrine Society. It marked Ryan’s first time banding a peregrine.

Once fitted with its federal and multi-colored identification bands, the chick was lifted back to Joe, who returned it to the nest. The adult female quickly flew in to check on her young. When the team departed, both mother and chick were resting together on the ledge.

The successful banding contributes to long-term monitoring of peregrine falcons along Minnesota’s North Shore, where quarry cliffs and natural rock faces provide prime nesting habitat.

**Birds were handled for the purpose of scientific research under a federally authorized Bird Banding Permit issued by the U. S. Geological Survey and in accordance with all state permitting requirements.