If you love the peregrine falcons nesting at 101 Hudson Street, please help save the habitat for them and other species that have found niches in our urban landscape. Ask the Surface Transportation Board for a full environmental impact statement for the Harsimus Branch.

A naturalist did a small study of just one Embankment segment some years ago, noting how important the habitat was. No one has studied the whole branch at all, and it includes not only the Embankment but land to the west next to Mary Benson Park, the Turnpike, and the Harsimus Cemetery. Much of this area has returned to nature.
We should find out what species it supports before Conrail is allowed to walk away from it.

Go to http://www.stb.dot.gov/Ect1/ecorrespondence.nsf/incoming?OpenForm and enter, in the first four boxes, the Docket No. AB 167 1189 X . Then enter your contact information and a comment.

If you need more information, see http://www.embankment.org/whitesite/FilingEnviroCommentsSTB1.html

Just saw Mom get up and leave the nest for a brief moment and what did I see? Four eggs!

Two eggs so far.

Keep an eye on the WEB CAM..there is a banded Falcon spending a lot of time in the box. No eggs yet but she is acting like it could be any day now.


side note: If you watch this from work be careful if your company monitors web usage. This is considered streaming video.

Great pics! :)

Here's the latest on the 2009 peregrine camera - this was an amazing process to follow last year. To see the main site and video source, go here:

JC Peregrine Cam


NEWS FROM THE SITE:

Biologists returned to the roof of 101 Hudson St. yesterday to install the camera inside the new nestbox (installed last month) and reactivate the webcam.

We are pleased to report that LIVE VIDEO IS NOW STREAMING!

This is the earliest we've ever been able to activate the cameras and it will provide unprecedented images of the Jersey City falcon laying and incubating eggs inside the nestbox. While the interior of the box is only utilized occasionally at this point, this morning we did observe the female perch at the box entrance and then enter it and perform some scraping activity.

Viewers will notice the new box has been rotated to provide better protection from the elements. The outside camera will be relocated soon to provide a view directly into the box. Viewers will also notice that there are now two perches as part of the structure, one above the roof and one just outside the opening.

For now, the still image from the outside camera may provide more shots of the birds than the box camera. As egg laying and incubation approach (there is already a scrape in the gravel) there will be more activity just outside and within the box.

We encourage viewers to help support the webcam and all the work of the Endangered and Nongame Species Program through the Income Tax Check-off for Wildlife and Conserve Wildlife License Plates. We appreciate and value your support, as well as the support we've received from the Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ and the Mack-Cali Realty Corporation staff at 101 Hudson - without their cooperation the nestbox and webcam would not be possible.

Thanks for posting those pics! I could watch those birds for hours

Well, I last saw the juvenile peregrine on August 1. That was about the right time for her to move on.

Yesterday I went out to try to get some pictures of the 2 adults. When I arrived, I saw what I think was the male perched on a pole near the top of 101 Hudson while the female was flying around. Then a 3rd adult peregrine approached from the west. Both of the locals attacked and there was a fierce fight for a few seconds. Then the intruder appeared to attempt to retreat to the north. I think the intruder was an adult female. The local adult female went in hot pursuit and chased the intruder over the Pizzeria Uno, with the male trailing behind by about 10 ft. I lost sight of them at that point. The male returned almost immediately and perched on the Goldman Sachs building. I didn't see the female return last night, but I did see 2 falcons flying and hunting this morning near 101 Hudson. Here is a link to a photoalbum I put together. The first and last pictures are of the male (I think) perching, and the other pictures are of the females in battle.

JC falcon fight

Sorry, my friend moved the video to a new link, and for some reason I can't edit my post to change the location. Here is the video:

Falcon feeding video

This morning the 2 adults were together on one of the shorter buildings near Exchange Place. I saw the female catch and eat prey. Below are pictures of her with blood on her chest after the hunt and of her flying off with the prey.

Here is a short video of mom tearing up her prey. While I was shooting still shots, my friend put her camera on video mode. I don't know how to post a video properly, but here's the link if you'd like to watch:

Watch Falcon feeding!

Parents and fledgling were togetehr this morning in the Powerhouse Arts District. Here's a couple of pics:

Dad flying towards fledgling




Fledgling voicing disapproval at dad's presence





Dad leaving

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Thanks! I was using a Canon Powershot S5 IS, with 12x Optical Zoom. I just got it a few weeks ago, specifically so I could take pictures of the falcons. I am in no way a skilled photographer - this is a great camera. I took all the shots on auto with default settings. My friend has the similar Kodak camera. She visited a couple of times, and we both shot many many pictures of the same thing. The pictures I posted here on jclist were all mine. I think maybe 1 of the pics posted on nestbox news was hers - she was nice enough to give me a memory card containing pics, so I may have accidentally taken credit for one of hers.

Thanks also for the nestbox pictures. I have to ask - what kind of camera are you using? It's really hard to photograph birds well - and you did a great job.

great pics, thanks astra

They are hangin' near the Grove St Path yesterday and today.
Around 6pm yesterday, the fledgling was on Grove Pointe, on the 22nd floor ledge high above Columbus & Marin. She flew across the intersection to 95 Columbus. She waited out the rain and then went over to the PowerHouse Arts District.









This morning, I saw an adult (I think it was dad) fly in with prey and land on 95 Columbus. He ate and then took off. Look up if you get off at the Grove St PATH today!

Hopefully the one will make it. Sad the way nature works. Poor little birdies.

Yes, very sad. But at least the one we have left is doing well. I watched her have breakfast this morning. Mom and dad were both watching. Here's our only child eating something white and then posing.

This has been a tough year for the nest and I have such respect for the Government agencies involved in this program and also for the wonderful folks at Rapture Trust. I've always had a passion for this type of wildlife preservation. I will keep my fingers crossed for our young female and look forward to next April when the fun begins again....(fingers crossed)

This is just terrible news...This was a really tough year for the peregrines and its just heartbreaking...
I was lucky twice in the last week with sighting them and this news just makes it bittersweet....

My heart is breaking for all the loses at the JC nest this year :(

Hopes and prayers that the remaining little girl stays strong and makes it.
The mortality rate is so high for raptors in the wild. But with the glass buildings situated now in the area of the Hudson St nest its even more dangerous since all the new flyers see is the reflected sky instead of glass. I remember a poster we had on another board who worked for the Canadian Peregrine Foundation and he would string flags down some of these tall buildings before the falcons would fledge so they could distinguish the sky from the building. Another danger being the cars and lite rail in that area. Many times they could end up on the street and quickly get hit by an oncoming vehicle before anyone has time to help.
Poor little one. :(

Caitie

Sad news about the fledgling returned yesterday.
http://www.nj.gov/dep/fgw/peregrinecam/jcp-2008nestnews.htm


June 27, 2008 (by Principal Biologist Mick Valent)
Regretful news...the fledgling that was released from atop 101 Hudson St. yesterday afternoon was found dead on the street below. One of the engineers found the bird as he left the building last evening. The bird has not yet been recovered from the site by Division staff so no cause of death has been determined.
Yesterday’s release seemed to go off without a hitch. Just moments prior to the release, both adult birds had appeared on the rooftop near the nest box. A good sign, I thought, to have the adults nearby as the fledgling was being released.

As the side of the transport box slid open the fledgling cautiously hopped out onto the roof and stood momentarily before taking flight. She flew upwards above the building and for several moments hung stationary in the wind currents. Then in an instant she banked left and disappeared around the west end of the building and out of sight. Seconds later she appeared on the east side as she circled the building. Her flight appeared strong, another good sign, I thought. Within seconds one of the adults appeared - then the other. Then all three disappeared from view but the calls of the fledgling and adults remained loud suggesting they had landed on the east end of the roof and out of sight. Within seconds the adult female appeared and demonstrated her displeasure with my presence - as she always does. Once back inside I felt optimistic about the bird’s chances for survival.

One of the unique problems of urban nests is that when fledglings end up on the ground, as they do in non-urban sites as well, the adults are reluctant to approach them on the busy city streets. When this occurs there is always a decision to be made. Should the bird be immediately placed back near the nest or taken to a rehabilitation facility to determine if the bird has been injured?

These decisions always result in tradeoffs. On the one hand, if the bird is injured and nursed back to health it has a much better chance of surviving. On the other hand, any time a young bird is removed from the parents they miss out on invaluable learning experiences that can only be gained from being with the adults. Was this bird away from the adults too long? Would it have learned, at a slower pace, about flying amid the buildings with their expanses of glass? Did this inexperience contribute to its demise? We’ll never know for certain. If we are able to determine the cause of death through a post-mortem examination we will post it here.

I sent an email to NJ Fish & Wildlife about the large bird I saw approaching 101 Hudson. They say it sounds like it could be a juvenile or subadult bald eagle, that there have been sightings of adults in the region. Amazing.

I went back this morning to watch. I saw both parents several times, but did not see the fledglings. One of the parents has been visible in or near the nestbox since about 10am. It's perched on the ledge now.

..Ok, as soon as I hit submit, the parent took off!

Wow. And I keep telling my Texas peeps that there is 'critter' wildlife up here...it's not just the concrete jungle they imagine. Of course if I ever see a water moccasin swimming in the Hudson I'll be wishing we had brought some 'fire' power with us!

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But a red tail, while larger than a falcon, wouldn't dwarf it.

BTW, here's the site the photos are on, you can spend hours here if you love raptors the way my son does! One day in April while fishing in southern Oregon we saw both a bald and golden eagle, a red tail, and watched ospreys drop on stocked trout. We didn't catch a thing but he thought it was a great day.

http://www.hangingrocktower.org/birds/birdlist.htm

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It sounds like a Red Tail Hawk. We have quite a few here and they can be pretty bold and aggressive. Lincoln and Liberty State Park are home to many of them.

Thanks for the pics.

It was for sure not an osprey.


The white on the underside of the wings was not well defined and bright. I just noticed that it was not solid brown - there was some white visible.

The flying of the bird was definitely more falcon like. It soared smoothly, with very little flapping and no rocking or loping side-side. When the falcons attacked it, it acted like it barely noticed and kept flying.

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Here's some choices, you really have to be on your game for the latter two:
osprey


turkey vulture


Immature bald eagle

She mentioned the possibility of turkey vulture as well. The bird was almost completely brown. There was some white visible on the underside of it's wings. Based on that, she thought it may have been a juvenile eagle. Whatever it was - I was glad it didn't fight back and went on its way.

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Maybe so, but I'll bet it was a turkey vulture, there's a heck of lot more of them in Jersey than eagles and they're fairly large.

Like the Jerry icon RCWQQ

Peas, Sir Lance