Witness a natural wonder: Four peregrine falcon chicks, hatched on May 3, are thriving on a live cam from Ameren’s energy center.
ST. LOUIS — Four tiny peregrine falcon chicks — just days old and covered in white down — are now visible on a live camera stream from an Ameren energy center, giving Missouri residents an intimate window into one of nature’s most remarkable conservation comeback stories.
The chicks hatched on May 3, and Ameren’s falcon watch camera in Franklin County is broadcasting the nest live from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.
“There are four chicks, and they hatched on May 3, so they’re just not quite seven days old yet,” said Jeff Meshach of World Bird Sanctuary.
The chicks belong to a pair of peregrine falcons nesting at one of Ameren’s facilities. The camera partnership between Ameren Missouri, World Bird Sanctuary and the Missouri Department of Conservation has been running since 2012, when the first falcon cam went live at an Ameren energy center in St. Charles County along the Mississippi River.
A conservation comeback
The peregrine falcon’s presence in Missouri is itself a success story. The species was listed as endangered in Missouri and across the U.S. through the ’70s and ’80s. World Bird Sanctuary began working to restore peregrine numbers in 1985, and the birds were officially removed from the federal endangered species list in 1998.
Dan Zarlinga of the Missouri Department of Conservation explained that conservationists found an unexpected ally in Missouri’s cities.
“They were actually reintroduced in large cities because it turns out in their natural habitat, they live near cliffs and rocky areas, and buildings kind of mimic that pretty well,” Zarlinga said. “Since their main food is birds, there’s a lot of pigeons and things like that for them to eat in the cities, so it’s turned out to be a great place and they’ve done very well.”
What to watch for
The next milestone: fledging. The chicks will leave the nest somewhere between 40 and 50 days after hatching, giving viewers roughly six weeks to watch the young falcons grow and eventually take their first flights. The MDC website also offers educational materials for teachers and homeschool families to use the live feed for lessons on nature, predator-prey relationships and birds of prey.
How to watch
Tune into Ameren’s Falcon Watch camera daily from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on any device. Educational resources are available at mdc.mo.gov. To support conservation efforts, visit World Bird Sanctuary, the Missouri Department of Conservation or Ameren Missouri.