After a three year hiatus in order to do some different hat styles, we are back to t-shirts for 2025. We are very excited about these! All registered runners and volunteers will receive one of these t-shirts.
While not the most common raptor you may spot on a run at Afton State Park, we chose this stunning illustration of a Peregrine Falcon for this year’s shirt in order to represent all of the incredible raptors at Afton State Park, in the St. Croix River Valley, and throughout the great state of Minnesota. The Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus), which occurs on every continent but Antarctica, is probably the most wide-ranging land bird in the world. Despite its broad distribution, this falcon came dangerously close to extirpation in the United States in the 1950s and 1960s and declined significantly in many other parts of its range. It was listed as a Minnesota endangered species in 1984, downgraded to threatened in 1996, and downgraded again to special concern in 2013, where it remains today. These reclassifications reflect its improved conservation status in the state since it was originally listed in the 1980s. The Peregrine Falcon is readily distinguished from most other raptors by its long pointed wings, narrow tail, and strong direct flight, all typical of falcons. The Peregrine Falcon is best distinguished from other Minnesota falcons by its large size combined with extensive black facial markings. Adults have dark blue to slate gray upperparts, white throats, and spotted or barred underparts. In the past, Peregrine Falcons in Minnesota nested on cliff ledges along rivers or lakes. Presently, they are often spotted on buildings and bridges in urban settings and also use historic eyries on cliffs along Lake Superior and several lakes in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and along the Mississippi River in the rugged bluff country of the southeastern part of the state. Because Peregrine Falcons specialize in direct aerial pursuit of avian prey, they prefer open non-forested areas for hunting. A fun fact often cited is that Peregrine Falcons are known as of the world’s fastest birds; in power-diving from great heights to strike prey, the Peregrine may possibly reach 200 miles per hour.
