ROCHESTER, N.Y. — High above the streets of downtown Rochester, three eggs belonging to the fastest flying animal on Earth lay in a nesting box atop the Times Square Building.
For over a decade, the cameras surrounding the box have given people a window into the world of Rochester’s peregrine falcons. This spring, falcon enthusiasts have watched as Nova takes turns guarding her eggs with her new partner, Corazon. Later, all eyes will be on the hatchlings, which would mark Nova’s fifth straight year of producing falcon babies (eyasses) in the nesting box.
Through the cameras, experts have seen how Nova’s mothering style differs from the falcons that have used the box before her, said June Summers, president of the Genesee Valley Audubon Society. That’s the environmental conservation nonprofit that sponsors the Rfalconcam program.
“You get to know these falcons personally. Each falcon, like each human, has its own personality,” she said.
Summers says the nesting box helps to remind the community of how interconnected humanity is with nature, even in an urban area.
The peregrine falcon went nearly extinct in the 1960s because of the use of the insecticide DDT, which caused egg shells to thin and falcon mothers to crush their babies. Falcon reintroduction efforts, laws banning DDT, and the creation of habitat, like Rochester’s nesting box, helped to save the bird from the brink of extinction.
Falcons finding home in urban areas
When falcon reintroduction programs began in the northeastern U.S. in the 1970s, environmentalists mostly released them in large parks. The Peregrine Fund at Cornell University released over 4,000 captive-bred falcons into the wild, playing a critical role in restoring populations across North America.
However, when releasing the birds in the Adirondacks, the Cornell scientists struggled with great-horned owls preying on young falcons, Summers said. That’s why they looked to reintroduce falcons to cities as well, believing that large buildings would resemble cliffs that falcons use for hunting and nesting.
Rochester got its first nesting box in 1995 atop Kodak Tower. Three years later, falcon couple Mariah and Cabot-Sirocco raised three hatchlings in the box. In 2008, Kodak Tower’s stone exterior underwent repairs, and the Department of Environmental Conservation had to choose a new location for the nesting box. They decided on the Times Square Building because its tiered roof and “wings of progress” design resembled a cliff.
“That resembled a cliff a lot more than these flat buildings, so the DEC chose to put the box on that building,” Summers said.
Falcons still facing threats
So far, 46 falcons have hatched at the Times Square Building, according to Rfalconcam. That includes four of Nova’s progeny last spring.
As a young mother, Nova is still learning how to teach her young to fly and hunt in an urban area, Summers said. Experienced falcon mothers often hold food in their talons and convince their children to fly after it. In past seasons, Nova hadn’t perfected that skill.
Between 40% and 50% of peregrine falcons die during their first year, according to the DEC. Since falcons dive after their prey, getting hit by cars poses a huge risk while hunting in downtown Rochester.
“Sometimes, they’re going almost 200 miles per hour to get a bird, and they don’t see the truck that’s in their way,” Summers said.
When the first nesting box came to Kodak Tower, the state’s falcon population was just starting to recover. Now that peregrine falcon numbers have grown exponentially over the decades, more falcons pass through the Flower City. That means an increased chance for territorial battles between males.
Falcons sometimes engage in battles for nesting sites. Summers said last year’s injury to Nova’s former partner, Neader, could have been the result of such a battle.
Tracking falcon populations
Because of the success of reintroduction efforts, the peregrine falcon has been off the federal endangered species list since 1999. However, the bird is still considered endangered under New York State’s list due to threats facing their habitat.
To track Rochester’s falcons, the DEC has put bands on young birds to identify them. After that, Rfalconcam publishes the band numbers, so volunteer falcon watchers can track them. Some volunteers have tracked the falcons as they’ve traveled throughout the Rochester area and started families of their own.
While peregrine falcon populations have recovered, many other bird populations are struggling. Bird populations in North America have declined by around 3 billion in the course of 50 years, a study published in the journal “Science” found, because of human activity. The report cites habitat destruction and the overuse of insecticides as some of the threats facing birds. Summers says the Audubon Society is working to educate people about how their actions can impact bird populations.
“We hope to bring attention to these birds so people can understand that they aren’t far away. They’re here,” Summers said. “We need to take care of them and the other animals that live around us.”
If you would like to sign up to become a falcon watcher, you can email June Summers at [email protected].
‘You get to know these falcons personally’; Expert speaks on impact of Rochester’s falcon nesting box WHEC.com.
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