falconFor endangered peregrine falcons, spring means love is in the air. And that sucks for some hikers and climbers.

It’s that time of year when falcons hook up, and when their wingmen – park rangers – help them out by closing trails where they nest.

Recently, in Maine’s Acadia National Park, officials closed some popular hiking trails because peregrine falcons were exhibiting “pre-nesting courtship behavior.” Interpret that how you will.

The park’s popular Precipice Trail and other trails near Precipice and Valley Cove cliffs are closed and will likely remain closed until August after any newborn chicks have taken flight.

Meanwhile, over in New York, state officials have closed a number of rock-climbing routes to protect peregrine falcon nesting areas. Routes that have been temporarily closed include those on Moss Cliff in the Wilmington Notch, Upper and Lower Washbowl cliffs near Chapel Pond in the town of Keene, and most of the routes on the main face of Poke-O-Moonshine Mountain near Interstate 87. For updates on the closures, visit http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/7870.html.