TREES OF AZURE MOUNTAIN* Woody plants with single trunks typically over 20’ in height. Compiled by D. Egeland & N. Eldblom		MAMMALS OF AZURE MOUNTAIN List Compiled by D. Egeland & J. Balerno
ASH FAMILY White Ash BEECH FAMILY American Beech Northern Red Oak BIRCH FAMILY Eastern Hophornbeam Gray Birch White Paper Birch Yellow Birch CEDAR FAMILY Northern White Cedar CHERRY (ROSE) FAMILY American Mountain Ash Black Cherry Fire Cherry Shadbush ELM FAMILY American Elm	LINDEN FAMILY American Basswood MAPLE FAMILY Mountain Maple Red Maple Sugar Maple Striped Maple PINE FAMILY (CONIFERS) Balsam Fir Black Spruce Eastern Hemlock Eastern White Pine Norway Spruce Red Spruce Scotch Pine Tamarack White Spruce WILLOW FAMILY Balsam Poplar Bigtooth Aspen Quaking Aspen	BAT FAMILY Big Brown Bat Little Brown Bat BEAR FAMILY Black Bear CAT FAMILY Bobcat DEER FAMILY White-tailed Deer DOG FAMILY Eastern Coyote Red Fox HARE FAMILY Snowshoe Hare	RODENT FAMILY Eastern Chipmunk Deer Mouse Meadow Jumping Mouse White-Footed Mouse Woodland Jumping Mouse Meadow Vole Porcupine Northern Flying Squirrel Red Squirrel SORICIDAE FAMILY Short-tailed Shrew WEASEL FAMILY Ermine (Short-tailed Weasel) Fisher Long-tailed Weasel Mink
BIRDS OF AZURE MOUNTAIN* (Birds seen in the area — passing through or nesting.) Compiled by D. Egeland & J. Balerno		AZURE’S PEREGRINE FALCON STORY J. Balerno
Common Name American Crow American Kestrel (Sparrow Hawk) American Red Start American Robin American Tree Sparrow American Woodcock Bald Eagle Barred Owl Blackburnian Warbler Black-capped Chickadee Black-throated Blue Warbler Black-throated Green Warbler Black and White Warbler Blue Jay Broad-winged Hawk Canada Goose Canada Warbler Cedar Waxwing Chestnut-sided Warbler Chimney Swift Chipping Sparrow Common Flicker Common Grackle Common Nighthawk Common Redpoll Common Yellowthroat Cooper’s Hawk Downy Woodpecker Eastern Pee Wee Eastern Phoebe Golden-crowned Kinglet Gray Jay Hairy Woodpecker Hermit Thrush Least Flycatcher Long-eared Owl Magnolia Warbler Merlin Mourning Warbler Nashville Warbler Northern Goshawk	Northern Junco Northern Parula Warbler Northern Raven Olive-sided Flycatcher Ovenbird Peregrine Falcon Pileated Woodpecker Pine Grosbeak Pine Warbler Purple Finch Red-breasted Nuthatch Red-eyed Vireo Red-shouldered Hawk Red-tailed Hawk Red-winged Black Bird Rose-breasted Grosbeak Rough-legged Hawk Ruby-crowned Kinglet Ruby-throated Hummingbird Ruffed Grouse Saw-whet Owl Scarlet Tanager Sharp-shinned Hawk Snow Goose Solitary Vireo Song Sparrow Swamp Sparrow Tennessee Warbler Tree Swallow Turkey Vulture Veery Whip-poor-will White-breasted Nuthatch White-crowned Sparrow White-throated Sparrow White-winged Crossbill Wild Turkey Winter Wren Yellow-bellied Flycatcher Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Yellow-rumped Warbler Yellow Warbler	Although Peregrine Falcons have not recently nested on Azure Mountain, it is possible to see the fastest animal in the world there.  There is some evidence that Peregrine Falcons may have nested on Azure Mountain historically, as mentioned in the first Bull’s Birds of New York State book.   However, the Peregrine disappeared from NY as a nester in the early 1960’s, mostly due to an increase in pesticide use.  The DEC, in conjunction with The Peregrine Fund, decided to start releasing captive bred falcons in New York starting in 1974 and ending in 1988.  Azure Mountain was used as a hack, or release, site from 1983‑1988, hacking a total of  35  birds:  4 in ’83, 6 in ’84, 10 in ’85, 7 in 86 and 8 in ’88.  Of these 35 birds, only 4 did not disperse normally and left the site too early.  Interestingly, a female, from the 1986 release, was trapped in October of that year at a banding station on Padre Island, Texas and another female from the 1988 release, was found dead in December of that year in Trois Rivieres, Quebec.  It is unknown how many of those hacked birds are still surviving or if any will return to the Azure site however, in general the population keeps going up.  There were 17 pairs of Peregrines in the Adirondacks in 2002, 14 of which bred, and 11 pairs were successful in producing 20 young.  Statewide, there were a total of 45 pairs last year producing 81 young, and the record year so far was 2001, with 48 pairs statewide producing 96 young. While on a family hike, I think in 88, I had a chance to see the actual site after the yearly release. It was directly south of the tower in the cliffs. A large rectangular wire mesh and wooden cage was suspended by cables anchored in with steel spikes. The cage nestled in a small narrow ledge with an overhang. Entrance to the cage was from the east on a narrow ledge. I regret that I never got a chance to see the birds being hacked. Not long after visiting the site the cage was removed, I believe by helicopter. D. Egeland