While bird lovers on the West Coast follow the bald eagles Jackie and Shadow, a new avian star has emerged in New York City: a newly hatched peregrine falcon chick perched more than 140 feet above Lower Manhattan.
Perched over 140 feet up in the air at 55 Water St. in New York City, a previously empty nest is now home to a small, white fluff ball — the first to hatch at the location in years, according to New York Times reporting.
The baby is somewhat of a mystery: It is the only egg to hatch (so far) of this clutch; the gender and precise birthdate are unknown.
Mom’s identity is also unclear. The last mating pair of falcons known to inhabit the nest were Adele and Frank. They claimed it in 2019, but it is uncertain if this mom is Adele or another peregrine falcon.
New York City birders first noticed the chick on April 18, The Times said on the livestream of the nest. The livestream is aptly called Falcon Cam.
The camera may appear a bit blurry.
“It’s unfortunate that the lens got dirty and we can’t get out there to clean it,” Scott Bridgwood, vice president of operations for the company that owns the building, told The Times. “We don’t want to interfere with the birds.”
Unlike bald eagles, peregrine falcons don’t build their nest — opting to “lay their eggs in scrapes, or small depressions, they make in the soil or gravel of a cliff ledge. Sometimes, they use abandoned stick nests that had been built in trees by other species,” The Peregrine Fund explained.
In an era of increasing industrialization, these birds of prey will choose outcrops atop buildings or bridges.
The Times reported that there are, at minimum, 35 peregrine falcon couples that call New York City home.
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