The Peregrine Falcon

The Peregrine Falcon is the world’s fastest aerial predator (reaching speeds of up to 180km per hour), and also one of the most diverse, occurring on every continent except Antarctica. However like many raptors and other apex predators, Peregrine Falcons are under constant pressure to survive. Australia is the last stronghold of the species; most populations in other countries are endangered.
Peregrines prefer the rockier and more remote areas of Australia. Where these occur, occupation by peregrine falcons may go back for many thousands of years. In places where these do not exist, man made structures are being used. These include quarries, road and rail cuttings, towers, buildings and bridges.

Peregrine Falcons have inhabited the cliffs of Hillview since the early 1980s. Staff and management have kept records of eggs and chicks between 1985 and 1990. Since 1991 this data has been kept by the volunteer group, Victorian Peregrine Project.  As the available ledges were not providing enough protection, Hillview built a nesting box and installed it on the cliff face. Hillview Quarry is the first quarry in Victoria, and possibly Australia, to install an artificial nesting structure on a cliff face. The ongoing interest and genuine concern of the staff and management at Hillview Quarry has set the benchmark for the industry in Victoria.

Being on the Arthur’s Seat escarpment and adjacent to the Arthur’s Seat State Park, the Hillview Quarries site is host to many species of Flora and Fauna. Because of this, Hillview has a long history of being sensitive of the environmental needs of the site, and the community, and has, over many years, carefully managed and nurtured native species of plant and animal.  As an illustration of this effort, Hillview operates with a full-time horticulturist on the payroll and all revegetation is done with trees propagated in its own nursery from seed collected from the various trees on site, to date we have planted over 80,000 trees. As far back as 1979 Hillview was awarded the “Garden State Landscape Award” in recognition of the major efforts on site regarding rehabilitation and replanting. In 1988 Hillview was awarded a Commendation for the development of wildlife habitat in the “Greening Australia Awards”. Hillview continues to sensitively manage the operations, environment and wildlife on site, testimony to this is the regular appearance around the site of the various native creatures.