Peregrine falcons are usually spotted swooping down cliff faces chasing small prey, but they are also one of the many predators that have adapted to city life, and falcons can now be seen swooping around skyscrapers chasing city pigeons.
The urban move has also opened up opportunities in several cities to keep a close eye on nesting pairs of Peregrine Falcons and help educate the public about these birds. In Cardiff, Wales, for instance, a pair of falcons nest in the clock tower of the city hall, and a webcam streams live images of the nest into the adjacent National Museum. In downtown Toronto a pair of Peregrine Falcons nest on a 43rd ledge of the Sheraton Hotel, and a webcam has also been keeping an eye on a pair nesting on a state office in Pennsylvania, which according to Department of Environmental Protection Secretary, Kathleen McGinty, is one of their website’s most popular features.
“The response we receive from this Webcast is phenomenal every year,” said McGinty. “Last year, the falcon page was viewed more than 3 million times.
“It’s amazing to see and read the comments visitors from around the world have left. We’ve received questions and feedback from viewers in America, Canada, Europe, New Zealand — basically, from every corner of the planet. And the interest is coming from adults and classrooms where teachers and students are following the progress of these falcons and learning about the ways they can protect their habitats.
“By seeing the falcons’ progress up close, we can appreciate how our actions have a very real and direct impact on the wildlife and environment around us.”
McGinty said viewers may be able to see the eggs arrive soon. Based on data recorded at the site from past nesting seasons, the first egg should arrive sometime around March 25. In each of the past two years, the female falcon has laid a “clutch” of five eggs. The eggs should begin to hatch around Mother’s Day, May 11, and the young falcons, or “fledglings,” will begin to take their first flights around Father’s Day, June 15.
