Peregrines rebound in Yosemite

Yosemite’s peregrine falcons had a record 2025, with seven new nest sites found on the park’s granite cliffs and 23 young birds fledging. (discoverwildlife.com) The new nests pushed Yosemite to 17 occupied peregrine territories in 2025, up from about 13 breeding pairs reported in March 2025 and roughly double the number tracked when the park’s raptor program began in 2009. (discoverwildlife.com) (nps.gov 1) (nps.gov 2) Park biologists and volunteers monitor nests on sheer cliffs and adjust seasonal climbing closures from March into July to keep people away from active sites until chicks fledge and disperse. (nps.gov 1) (nps.gov 2) Peregrines nest in shallow scrapes on ledges high above the valley floor, and Yosemite’s domes and walls give them the steep rock faces and nearby water sources the species uses for breeding. (nps.gov) (discoverwildlife.com) The rebound follows a collapse in the mid-20th century, when peregrine numbers across North America fell toward extinction and nesting birds disappeared from Yosemite for more than 30 years. (yosemite.org) (nps.gov) The park’s current protection system grew out of that loss. Yosemite says its Raptor Protection Program, launched in 2009, surveys cliffs for peregrines and golden eagles and uses temporary closures to raise nesting success. (nps.gov) Climbers are part of the arrangement. Yosemite Conservancy says the program is designed to give nesting falcons enough space while keeping as much world-class climbing access open as possible, and the park now posts active closures on a public dashboard. (yosemite.org) (experience.arcgis.com) One 2025 highlight came at Yosemite Point, where a peregrine pair returned to a Rhombus Wall nest site first documented in 1993, according to Yosemite Area Audubon. (yosemiteaudubon.org) For Yosemite this spring, the cliffs are carrying two schedules at once: nesting surveys for falcons and route updates for climbers, with the park reopening walls after young birds leave the nest. (nps.gov)