Another season of growth and new life is here! As many species are beginning their annual life cycle to reproduce, some peregrine falcon pairs already have young. The eyases (young falcons) at the Union County Falcon Cam are a prime example. They are now a little over a week old and have been examined and treated for a pigeon borne disease, called trichomoniasis, which adult falcons can transfer to their young. If young falcons would get trich., then they could perish. Kathy Clark, NJDEP Fish & Wildlife Supervisory Zoologist, UC staff and colleague Cathy Malok, w/ The Raptor Trust visited the site to ensure the survival of this brood.
Union County Falcon Cam female, “Frida,” stands over her clutch.
Last Friday, Union County Department of Parks & Recreation Environmental Specialist Betty Ann Kelly sent us an exciting update on the Union County Falcon Cam.
It looks like our famous peregrine pair are officially expecting!
Great news!
As some of you know, the rooftop of the Union County Courthouse has been home since 2006 to a pair of peregrine falcons, a threatened bird of prey species. Our female, nicknamed “Frida” because of her large “unibrow” between her eyes (reminding us of the South American artist) has laid her first egg of the season on March 19th, 2021 at 9:45 a.m.!
We can expect possibly two or three more eggs over the course of the next few days with hatching occurring sometime in late April.
Go toucnj.org/falcon to catch a glimpse of the falcons and possibly the egg on our falcon cam!
We will keep you posted!
Betty Ann Kelly
Just two days later, this past Sunday, we received even more good news!
Today at around 2:20 p.m. after what seemed like considerable effort, our female peregrine falcon laid egg # 2.
All is well.
We expect another egg or two in the next few days. When the last egg is hatched, both male and female falcons will consistently incubate.
By the way, this egg only looks bigger because of the camera’s wide angle lens.
Left: Adult falcon in flight. Right: Peregrine chick ready to be banded. Photos by Eric Sambol.
Peregrine falcons have nested atop the Union County Court House in downtown Elizabeth for many years. Each year, before the young birds fledge, scientists gather up the chicks and band their legs.
The banding was a smaller than usual human affair this year to comply with social distancing and other health restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But it was a very active avian event with the adult falcons energetically dive bombing the biologists as they brought the eyases (young falcons) indoors for the banding.
Story by: Union County Office of Public Information
Union County’s free Falcon Cam captures the view inside the nest of two peregrine falcons on the roof of the County Courthouse Tower in midtown Elizabeth. This screenshot shows bonding behavior as the newly installed female (left)and the male get acquainted and prepare to start a family. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Union County
As the courtship season begins for peregrine falcons, residents of all ages and visitors from all over the world can observe and study one of the fastest animals on earth by tuning in to the Union County Falcon Cam. “The Falcon Cam is a great opportunity for residents of all ages to experience and learn about peregrine falcons up close,” said Freeholder Chair Bette Jane Kowalski. “This season we have a new female falcon, who has taken over the territory on the roof of the Union County Court House.”
Union County’s falcon preservation efforts have been undertaken with the generous assistance of the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife and Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey. Conserve Wildlife Foundation is Union County’s official partner for educational programming related to falcons and the Falcon Cam.
Earlier this week we visited two urban falcon eyries to band young for future tracking. Both bandings were streamed live on our Facebook page. Here at the Elizabeth eyrie, BD/73 showed us who rules the roost! We have a feeling that we’ll be seeing her again sometime in the future!
