Gyrfalcon successfully nests in artificial nest for first time in Northern Lapland

An extremely endangered species, the gyrfalcon, has successfully nested for the first time in a specially designed artificial nest in Northern Lapland this summer. Three chicks hatched in the artificial nest, as reported by Metsähallitus.

Metsähallitus Nature Services, responsible for the protection and monitoring of the gyrfalcon population, has placed around twenty open nest boxes suitable for gyrfalcons in the Northern Lapland wilderness. The first of these artificial nests was introduced in 2006. Gyrfalcons do not create their own nests; instead, they typically nest in those made by ravens or merlins.

Eetu Sundvall, a specialist in conservation at Metsähallitus Nature Services, mentioned that last year, a gyrfalcon successfully nested in an old merlin nest that had been constructed the previous year atop a nest box. This summer, the same pair of gyrfalcons moved from their previous nesting site to another nest box in their territory. It is believed that this is the first time gyrfalcons have utilized a nest box for breeding.

In Norway, gyrfalcons have been known to nest on human-made open nest platforms on cliff faces. The distribution of gyrfalcons in Finland has stabilized in the highest mountain areas of Lapland.

Metsähallitus hopes that these artificial nests will allow gyrfalcons to spread to areas with good food availability, though not necessarily suitable cliffs for nesting. Gyrfalcon nests are generally located on rocky cliffs or, at times, in trees; however, suitable nesting cliffs are relatively scarce in Lapland.

This summer, bird monitoring efforts in Northern Lapland recorded a total of 12 successful nests with 34 gyrfalcon chicks. Last year also saw 11 successful nests with the same number of chicks, marking two consecutive years of successful breeding for the species. However, Sundvall cautioned that two successful breeding years do not necessarily indicate an increase in the gyrfalcon population.