This morning in Hamilton Park.

Awesome pictures. Nice job.

Hamilton Park today. Red-Tailed Hawk.

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+1.

Endangered falcons raise chicks atop Jersey City high rise

June 7, 2012, 12:19 PM
BY JAMES M. O'NEILL
STAFF WRITER - The Record

Two endangered peregrine falcons living atop a Jersey City high rise are successfully raising three chicks, and bird enthusiasts can check their progress daily through a web cam set up by the state Department of Environmental Protection.

Peregrine falcons, which for centuries had been associated with falconry - the sport of kings, sheiks and Kublai Khan - were wiped out east of the Mississippi River by the early 1960s because of the pesticide DDT, which caused the birds to lay thin-shelled eggs that cracked during incubation.

DDT was banned in 1972, and naturalists tried to reestablish the birds, breeding and releasing thousands of peregrines in the East and Rockies.

The species recovered enough to be removed from the national endangered species list in 1999, though it is still considered endangered in New Jersey. The first known wild nesting pair in New Jersey was observed in Brigantine in 1980.

In the last few years, birders have spotted nesting pairs in Bergen County, including a couple that had two nestlings in 2009 on the support structure that carries Route 3 over the Hackensack River. Peregrines have been spotted also on the New Jersey Turnpike and Route 46 bridges over the Hackensack. There are now at least 24 known pairs in the state.

Peregrines are about the size of a crow, and celebrated as the world’s fastest bird. In pursuit of prey, they could literally keep pace with a car going 70 miles per hours, and they also dive-bomb prey from above, reaching speeds of 200 miles per hour.

The peregrines atop the Hudson Street office building in Jersey City were first spotted in 2000. To view the DEP webcam showing the peregrine chicks, click here. They should be ready to fly by summer.

“They’re a great symbol of urban wildlife and they’re a great recovery story,” said Kathy Clark, principal zoologist of the DEP’s Endangered and Nongame Species Program. “It’s an encouraging sign.”

http://www.northjersey.com/news/Endan ... ersey_City_high_rise.html

Baby chicks are in the nest, this is the BEST time of year to watch LIVE. Feedings are exciting and happen many times per day. Double click on thr live image to see it full screen:

http://www.njfishandwildlife.com/peregrinecam/jcp-live.htm

I agree with T-Bird - I love watching the falcon.

And right now is a great time to tune in, as she's feeding the 3 chicks! (We're having lunch together. ;) )

This camera is one of my favorite parts of spring. On a related note - I was stuck in traffic on the Pulaski Skyway yesterday morning and noticed a peregrine falcon atop one of the lights over the roadway. Got a great view of it since I was stopped about ten feet in front of the lamppost. I love seeing uncommon birds in unexpected places!

May 7, 2012 - Weekend Report
Faithful peregrinecam monitor Mike Girone reports that on Saturday morning he glimpsed a third chick, and screenshots he's provided verify a third egg hatched. We'll watch closely today to see if either of the remaining two eggs hatch, though at this point the likelihood of that is diminishing.

May 4, 2012 - Only Two Chicks?
Staff checking the webcam observed a feeding at 9:00 a.m. this morning. As the heading of this entry indicates, only two chicks were evident. Both were up and feeding enthusiastically, the adult gingerly and delicately feeding each in turn until they would tip over from a full crop. During two other feedings staff observed later in the day there were still only the two chicks - which seem to be doing fine.
Whether the three remaining eggs hatch remains to be seen, but it is known that with a clutch of five eggs it would be remarkable for all five to hatch, and even more so for five to successfully fledge. We'll keep watching.


May 3, 2012 - Hatch Day!
The long wait for hatching appears over - early this morning (6:30am) and again at 9:30am, staff got very quick glimpses of a chick when the female repositioned herself. Then, just before noon during a "shift change" we captured this screen shot of the chicks and remaining eggs.
With older females a clutch of five eggs is sometimes observed. While the larger clutch has the potential for a larger brood, it makes incubation more difficult, and of course there will be more mouths to feed should all five hatch. It will be very interesting to see how this season progresses for the falcons at 101 Hudson Street.


http://www.njfishandwildlife.com/peregrinecam/index.html

http://www.njfishandwildlife.com/peregrinecam/jcp-2012nestnews.htm

April 1, 2011 - The Third Egg
Although true incubation doesn't begin until all eggs are laid, both parents are spending time keeping the eggs warm, and therefore viable, as the unseasonable cold weather continues. Around 11:40 this morning Mike glimpsed a third egg when the adults traded positions. He also reported that the last still image he saw yesterday evening showed 2 eggs, so #3 apparently arrived during the night or very early this morning.

March 30, 2011 - Egg Laying Continues
Dedicated viewer Mike Girone reports that sometime between 1:40 and 5:30 yesterday a second egg was laid. He also observed the "changing of the guard" as the male and female exchanged places in the nestbox. A screen shot from yesterday afternoon can be viewed on Mike's Flickr site.

March 28, 2011 - The First Egg
The 2011 nesting season is truly under way - when staff first viewed the webcam at 8:00 a.m. this morning the female was sitting over the scrape. At 8:15, when staff again checked the camera, she was perched on the lip of the box and a single egg was seen! After checking with other reliable viewers we learned that the egg had actually been laid on Sunday. (Photo courtesy of Michael Girone.)

Live webcam atop of 101 Hudson

July 15, 2010: Update on 00/AE
We learned today from The Raptor Trust that the fledgling retrieved from the rocks along the Hudson, 00/AE, has a broken humerus bone in her wing. They plan to insert pins on Sunday following the x-ray. While she has a long recovery ahead we anticipate she will be released back in Jersey City once healed. See the July 14 entry below for the complete story on her rescue.

July 14, 2010
At 6:15 last night, a DFW staffer received a call on his personal cell phone from Spartan Security at Harborside Plaza 10 in Jersey City: a falcon was spotted on the rocks along the Hudson River, perhaps injured or sick. Peregrine Project biologist Kathy Clark was contacted, who in turn reached out to dedicated volunteer Mike Girone to see if he could check out the situation.

Mike agreed to help, but couldn't get there til Thursday.

Then, at 7:25, security called again to inquire if anyone was coming - the tide was coming in fast! We didn't realize the bird was in the tide zone, and our concern was heightened - there was no way we could get anyone there before the tide came in and/or darkness fell.

Fortunately, the staff at Spartan Security (which also handles security at 101 Hudson St.) also had contacted the Jersey City Animal Control office. We were contacted again by Spartan Security at 8:45 that the they had been able to respond and had the bird.

The bird was transported to The Raptor Trust this morning by Jersey City Animal Control. We've learned that it is 00/AE, one of the fledglings but not the one they had in before. They reported bird looks alert and is not thin, but they hadn't had a chance to do the full exam yet. They do anticipate keeping it through Sunday to get x-rays on that day. Hopefully she'll check out fine and we'll release her back in Jersey City relatively soon.

http://www.njfishandwildlife.com/peregrinecam/jcp-2010nestnews.htm

Thanks for the update! So glad they got the bird out of there in time.

from Nestbox news

July 14, 2010
At 6:15 last night, a DFW staffer received a call on his personal cell phone from Spartan Security at Harborside Plaza 10 in Jersey City: a falcon was spotted on the rocks along the Hudson River, perhaps injured or sick. Peregrine Project biologist Kathy Clark was contacted, who in turn reached out to dedicated volunteer Mike Girone to see if he could check out the situation.

Mike agreed to help, but couldn't get there til Thursday.

Then, at 7:25, security called again to inquire if anyone was coming - the tide was coming in fast! We didn't realize the bird was in the tide zone, and our concern was heightened - there was no way we could get anyone there before the tide came in and/or darkness fell.

Fortunately, the staff at Spartan Security (which also handles security at 101 Hudson St.) also had contacted the Jersey City Animal Control office. We were contacted again by Spartan Security at 8:45 that the they had been able to respond and had the bird.

The bird was transported to The Raptor Trust this morning by Jersey City Animal Control. We've learned that it is 00/AE, one of the fledglings but not the one they had in before. They reported bird looks alert and is not thin, but they hadn't had a chance to do the full exam yet. They do anticipate keeping it through Sunday to get x-rays on that day. Hopefully she'll check out fine and we'll release her back in Jersey City relatively soon.

This is not the first time we've had help with our Jersey City falcons from Spartan Security and the city, and we would like to thank them for helping with the recovery of the state's, and region's, peregrine population.

When I was walking in Newport around 6;30 last night I talked w/a security guard who was keeping an eye on an apparently injured falcon on the rocks below the boardwalk. She was waiting on animal control. This was midway between Crystal Point and the Hilton. Anyone have any information on this? I'm hoping the bird was OK.

Great to see this. Epic soundtrack!

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http://www.njfishandwildlife.com/peregrinecam/jcp-2010nestnews.htm

Sisters in flight
For a wonderful YouTube presentation of the fledgling release on June 25 see Bonnie Tolluto's video at www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QD9TytH4qg.

June 25, 2010: Release of Fledgling 03/AE
From Volunteer Mike Girone:

Bonnie & I picked up the injured female fledgling 03/AE this morning at The Raptor Trust around 9:30 a.m. She was moving around in the box for a few minutes, but calmed down quickly. We got to the top of 101 Hudson by 10:30 a.m., opened the door to the roof area, and placed the box just outside the door. The top was opened and out came the fledgling! She immediately took off, flying north out over Montgomery St., then turned west and south, flying around the west side of 101 Hudson. She flew strong and confidently!

Almost immediately afterward, the adult male came in from the east and landed on the nestbox parapet. We took the cardboard box and closed the roof door. Fellow peregrine volunteer watcher Ray was on the corner of Greene & Pearl watching the release, and reported the adult male staying on the box parapet, with the adult female on the very top NW corner parapet, in addition to the fledgling’s very good flying.

Following the release of 03/AE, we joined Ray street-side. After the adult male took off to go hunt, 2-3 fledglings were spotted flying, and 2 nearly made it as far as Pearl St over Plaza 4A. Two fledglings landed on the top NW corner ledge at 101 Hudson. After a few minutes, 1 went down to roof. The adult female landed on the west bracket on the 39th floor and preened. A fledgling was on a nearby ledge to the right, looking down at the roof and hopping on and off the ledge.

We stopped at Plaza 4A before leaving. The adult female finished her preening before taking off from the bracket. The fledgling on the nearby ledge continued preening. A fledgling was spotted on the top NW corner ledge near a satellite dish. At 12:30 p.m., the adult male returned with prey. The fledgling on the top ledge took off after him, and there was an aerial prey-exchange! The adult male flew west back on the hunt, and the fledgling carried the prey back to the top floor ledge. She mantled over it for a few minutes, then began eating. She dropped down to the ledge right before we left. We couldn’t see all 4 fledglings together at once, so it’s hard to say if she was one of the fliers we watched from the street.

Thanks to observations from peregrine watchers Wayne & Else, we know that her 3 sisters were all on the wing by the evening of June 16th. 03/AE is a little over a week behind, but the strength and fluidity of her flight upon release is extremely encouraging, and suggests she will catch up quickly!

I saw five falcons flying around 101 Hudson tonight! Looks like they are doing great. I read the nestbox news and saw that the fledgling found on the ground is still at Raptor Trust in recovery. Hopefully she'll be OK!

Quote:

Testosterone poisoning.

Quote:

why is the first instinct of teenage boys always the most dickish?

One of Downtown Jersey City's young peregrine falcons is safe after 41-story fall from nest area

Saturday, June 12, 2010

By ANNA YUKHANANOV
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

A young peregrine falcon is on the mend after apparently falling 41 stories on Thursday from where its nest is located on a building in Downtown Jersey City.

The bird was found by police and was taken to a local wildlife rehabilitation center early yesterday morning, reports said.

Karen Negrin, an animal control officer, said the police called her to 77 Hudson St., where she found the falcon out on the street about 2 a.m.

"It was just sitting there staring at me and didn't move away," she said. "That's not how falcons usually are. I think it was very young and didn't know to be afraid of people."

Negrin, who said police told her they saw some teenage boys throwing rocks at the bird, took the nestling to the Raptor Trust, a wild bird rehabilitation center in Millington, where Negrin said workers told her the bird's chest was bruised and the clavicle bone in its neck was possibly broken.

Negrin is from the Liberty Humane Society and works as an animal control officer for Jersey City on weekends and furlough days, when officials from the Division of Animal Control are not available.

The young falcon appears to be from a nest monitored by the Jersey City Peregrine Webcam, Negrin said. The webcam has been set up to watch a nestbox on the 41st story of the Mack-Cali Realty Corporation's 101 Hudson St. building in Jersey City.

On Thursday, the webcam program reported online that four peregrine falcon nestlings had left to wander on the roof, but only three had returned. Negrin speculated that the fourth nestling may be the injured bird, since the nest is so close by.

There were only 24 pairs of peregrine falcons in New Jersey as of 2009, according to the Department of Environ

The four chicks all look healthy and active. They're spending a lot of time on their own now, surrounded by a wreath of feathers from previous meals, and staggering to their feet now and then to squirt out a poop.
They look to be almost softball-sized.

Anyone know how to open the feed in a little "stay on top" window?

It's 2:50pm and it's clear there are in fact 4 chicks. There alone at the moment

Update: Pretty sure I saw the fourth @ brunch.

If you're reading the posts, check when they were written; this thread goes back a few seasons.
A week ago there were four eggs. Now there are three hatchlings that I can distinguish. There might be a fourth in the pile of fuzz, but I can't tell. There might possibly be an egg left unhatched, but I doubt it.
Keep watching: They grow quickly!

(I saw breakfast served this morning. A small rat.)

I just started watching & spent some time reading thru the current posts, I'm a little confused. Are there 3 or 4 chicks. When being fed this morning (7:16am) I could only see three. How many are there 3 or 4?

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Cool, all I've seen is mom covering them. The larger adult is the female.

Three independent balls of fuzz! Couldn't sport the last egg, but it may well have been hidden.
Best of luck.

(just saw the larger of the adults, mom or dad, arrive with dinner)

HATCHLINGS!!!

The peregrine falcon webcam is back after being down a bit last week.