Hiking trails near nine peregrine falcon nest sites across Vermont are open again after the young birds in those nests have learned to fly.
The Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife says volunteers monitored 38 pairs of birds during the nesting season.
Of those, 35 pairs nested, and 28 successfully hatched young birds.
Fish and Wildlife Biologist Doug Blodgett says 64 peregrine chicks successfully fledged this summer. That’s a new record.
Blodgett says part of the success is due to the protection provided to more sensitive nesting sites and cooperation from hikers and climbers.
For more than two decades Fish and Wildlife officials have worked with a variety of other groups to bring the peregrine back to the state.