Two baby falcons are readying to hatch on the 14th story of a Downtown office building — and you can join their mom, Adele, and dad, Frank, through every minute of the wait.
A longtime “Falcon Cam” at 55 Water St. is back in action this season, capturing every moment in the lives of the two nesting Peregrine falcons and soon, hopefully, their new little babies.
The arrival of Adele and Frank was good news for longtime falcon watchers. Pairs of Peregrines have been nesting on the 54-story building since the '90s, and a live webcast has been running for more than 10 years, with the exception of 2013, when Hurricane Sandy damage shut the popular cam down.
Along with the webcast, the BirdCam site runs a blog to keep you up to date when you miss a moment of the action. This past weekend, Adele laid two eggs, according to the blog, and you can now check out the proud momma sitting atop her eggs. In several weeks, you might catch the fluffy white chicks hatching, feeding or taking their first flights.
Adele and Frank are one of several couples that have made the perch their nest over the years. Peregrines, which mate for life, may seem cute to some, but they are certainly lethal hunters.
The falcons dive onto their prey in mid-air at speeds of as fast as 200 mph. They use their talons to knock their victims out, and if that doesn’t work, they use a tooth-like projection in their jaw to dislocate the spine of their prey.
A number of Peregrines make their home in New York City — up on bridges and other high ledges, according to the Department of Environmental Protection.
The DEP comes to 55 Water St., along with other sites, each year to place bands on newly born falcons, to keep track of the once-endangered species.
But 55 Water St. may now be the only BirdCam available for 24-hour falcon watching.
It may also be the only live BirdCam left in the city, according to Tod Winston, spokesman for the New York City Audubon Society.
A once popular “HawkCam” at Washington Square Park was shut down in 2014.
But there’s still the old-fashioned way of checking out birds — just head outside. If you need some help, the New York City Audubon Society leads tours as birds migrate back to the city.
You may catch some more rare sights too — bald eagles on Staten Island are said to be back and preparing to nest, though that hasn't happened just yet, Winston said.
In 2015, the eagles were the first to nest in New York City in 100 years.
