In January of 2007, I was searching for a nature-themed topic for a children’s book and happened to see on the front page of the Tribune a sweet photo of a peregrine falcon incubating a clutch of two eggs. The photo was taken by Bob Sallinger, then the Urban Conservation Director at the Portland Audubon Society (now the Bird Alliance of Oregon).
Since I was on friendly terms with Audubon staff, I didn’t hesitate to contact Bob for an interview. Bob and his wife Elisabeth had also been thinking that someone should write a children’s book about the falcons, so he welcomed the project idea and was eager to help. During the two-hour interview, I recorded several of his amazing stories of human and peregrine falcon interactions in Portland.
Peregrine falcons were driven close to extinction by the use of the pesticide DDT, which made them lay fewer eggs with weaker shells. Thanks to actions taken by wildlife biologists and the federal government, peregrine falcons have survived.
The combined effects of the Endangered Species Act, captive breeding, and the banning of DDT in the early 1970’s contributed to the falcons’ comeback in Oregon and elsewhere. Four bridges in Portland have active peregrine falcon nests: the Interstate, Fremont, St. Johns, and Marquam Bridges.
To support the falcons’ survival in the city, every spring Bob organized a cadre of volunteers to rescue fledglings, young chicks practicing first-time flights from their bridge nests. He would also climb the bridges to install and monitor falcon nest boxes and get some great close-up photos of the birds. The photo in the Tribune was taken at the Interstate Bridge falcon nest box. Bob’s wealth of knowledge was the perfect source material for my children’s book, Falcons in the City (soon to be self-published).
Occasionally, Bob’s stories were humorous. During one springtime nesting season, he got a call from the Oregon Department of Transportation. A Hollywood film crew on the St. Johns Bridge was getting dive-bombed by a pair of peregrine falcon parents because the crew was close to their nest of newly hatched chicks. They asked Bob to come and move the nest. He basically told them that it would not be possible to move the nest at this delicate time, and instead advised the crew to relocate to the west side of the bridge. If you watch the film Pay it Forward, you’ll recognize the bridge’s west-side perspective early on. The active falcon nest was on the east side of the bridge.
Bob took time away from his demanding schedule to fact-check my manuscript and share dozens of his personal falcon photographs. I used his falcon photos as models for the watercolor illustrations. Without Bob’s stories and photos, Falcons in the City would not exist.
My book is dedicated to heroes like Bob, defenders of wildlife and wild habitats. Like Dr. Seuss’ Lorax, Bob spoke for the trees, birds, and rivers! Our city and state will enjoy the benefits of thriving natural areas for years because of our local legend, Bob Sallinger.
author Lisa Manning.
To buy a copy of Falcons in the City, visit the Bird Alliance of Oregon (Audubon) Nature Store, Broadway Books, Revolutions Bookshop, or Backyard Bird Shop.
By Lisa Manning