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2013 Peregrine Nestbox News

Nestbox News is an account of activity at a nestbox atop Mack-Cali Realty Corporation's 101 Hudson, Jersey City, by biologists in the Endangered and Nongame Species Program (ENSP). Follow this chronicle of the nesting behavior and activity of peregrine falcons and their chicks.

We encourage viewers to help support the webcam and all the work of the ENSP 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 and its staff at 101 Hudson - without their cooperation the nestbox and webcam would not be possible.

 

July 30, 2013
Volunteer Mike Girone made another trip downtown on Sunday (7/28) from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. He reports he had no sightings of the fledgling, but both adults were at 101 Hudson nearly the entire time. He believes with the fledgling at nearly 6 weeks of age it's likely ranging further out from the nestbox. We'll assume it's doing well until informed otherwise. Here is Mike's report:

"Upon arrival, I spotted the adult female on the 39th floor ledge, north side of 101 Hudson. I went to the benches on the corner of Columbus & Hudson, and about a half hour later saw the adult male fly in from the direction of 10 Exchange Place and land on 101 Hudson. He landed on the same floor as the adult female, but on a ledge at the northeast corner of the building.

"I waited until about 9:30 a.m. for any flights, then went out onto the pier for wide-angle viewing. Around 10:54 a.m., as I looked down briefly to check my phone, I almost missed the adult male fly over 10 Exchange and head back to 101 Hudson (one of the rules of falcon watching: take your eyes off the sky even briefly, and you almost always miss something!). I went back to the benches, and now he was on the same ledge as the adult female (though she had moved over a few parapets from earlier).

"Around 11:50 a.m., after watching the adults preening and generally looking content, I decided to take a walk south along the river walkway, then headed back north up Hudson St. By the time I got up to York St. (almost in front of 101 Hudson) around 12:10 p.m., the adult female appeared high above. I watched her do slow circles and figure-8s in the brisk southerly wind, and admired how this species can effortlessly drift around as if there's no wind at all. She slowly passed overhead, and glided south over Hudson St., turning slightly east and disappearing over the row of lower buildings. I headed back out to the river walkway to try and re-sight her, but no luck. I milled around the area for a bit longer, then headed back to the car (a quick check of 101 Hudson along the way showed the adult male had departed as well)."

Mike added some photos from his visit to his Flickr gallery for this month. A big thanks to Mike for keeping us informed of activity in Jersey City!

July 23, 2013 - The Latest From Jersey City
Dedicated Volunteer Mike Girone returned to downtown Jersey City on Sunday (7/21) morning from 8 a.m. till noon, arriving at the tail end of what he refers to as "the morning's flight training for the fledgling." Here's his report:

"I walked out on the pier upon arrival, and about 15 minutes later, the fledgling and one of the adults came flying in high from the north (adult in front, fledgling trailing and screaming). Both flew over the river walkway toward the big office tower at the end of Hudson St. The adult whipped around the east and south side of the tower in a partial dive, and the fledgling went around the west and south side, then briefly appeared on the southeast corner as he landed on an upper ledge.

"I decided to get up and walk down to the south side of the tower for a closer look, and heard the fledgling a few times on the way. There's not much space for viewing on the south side of the tower, and the angle is very steep. The ledges on this tower aren't very deep, but deep enough for a falcon to remain hidden from below. One of the adults was soaring over the top of the tower, and briefly perched on a southeast corner ledge near the top before taking off again.

"I had snapped 2 pics of the fledgling while he was flying over the walkway earlier, and it looked like he might've been carrying prey! The soaring adult was probably making sure he still had it. Afterward, I walked back up to the pier for easier viewing, but didn't see further action.

"Over the next couple of hours, I changed viewing spots a few times, but all was quiet. By 11:30 I decided to slowly make my way back to the car, but stopped at the benches on the corner of Hudson & Columbus to scan the north side of 101 Hudson. Found both adults perched on the 39th floor ledge, tucked next to parapets & staying in the shade (although it wasn't in the 90s, it was still quite hot in the sun). Since they were both there, I figured that during one of my walks to change location, the fledgling likely flew back north and was in the area somewhere (probably also seeking shade). There were 1 or 2 occasions when I thought I heard him, but didn't spot him."

Mike again is making his latest photos available, adding them to the end of last week's gallery on Flickr.

July 16, 2013 - Update From the Streets of Jersey City
Dedicated Volunteer Mike Girone was in JC again Sunday morning and provided this report:

"Around 9 a.m., the adult female flew in from the northwest, and landed on a 39th floor parapet on the NW corner of 101 Hudson. After waiting a few minutes to see if additional flight action would happen, I started walking east along Columbus Ave, intending to go out to the waterfront for the wide-angle view. I stopped at Hudson St., and chose instead to walk south along Hudson St. and check the ledges on the low buildings that line the east side of the road (the falcons have made use of those the last 2 years).

"I reached the corner of York & Hudson around 9:10 a.m., and got a brief look at a falcon making quick circles over one of the low buildings. When it re-appeared, I saw that it was the adult male. Shortly afterward, I heard the male fledgling calling out, and he soon appeared gliding over the buildings! Over the next few minutes, the adult and fledgling soared directly overhead, with the fledgling vocal the whole time (although he appeared to be carrying a small prey item; perhaps the adult had delivered it to him just prior to my arrival). The fledgling quickly gained altitude, aided by the southwesterly winds (ushering in our next heat wave) creating updrafts along the buildings. He ended up somewhere on the north side of 101 Hudson, but out of view from the street. Both adults had snuck away as well.

"Between 9:45 and 10 a.m. the fledgling made a few loops around the top of 101 Hudson. Afterward, he apparently found a shady spot on one of the terraces on the west side of the building. I headed out to the Grundy Park pier for awhile, and had an unconfirmed sighting of the fledgling at 10:48 a.m., this time flying south over Hudson St. and disappearing over the low buildings again. A search of the area turned up empty ledges, so he might've found a shady spot on a roof.

"Activity shut down after this, and with the exit of clouds and the temperature quickly heading for 90, I left at 11:35 a.m.

"I got the sense that I arrived at the end of a more active period, but it was still a thrill seeing the fledgling in flight (especially at low altitude: great view)!"

We thank Mike for providing this report - it's good to know the fledgling appears in good health and on its way to surviving its first year. Mike was also good enough to put together a photo gallery on Flickr for everyone's enjoyment.

July 11, 2013 - Webcam Shutdown
The live stream from our webcam in Jersey City was shut down yesterday morning. The birds were rarely on camera the past few weeks, with the lone fledgling venturing further from the nestbox as it gained strength and its flying skills improved. Hopefully, as in past years, we'll get reports from volunteer observers in the vicinity of the adults and the immature falcon which we'll pass along on this page. Have a great summer!

June 26, 2013 - Views From the Street
Volunteer Bonnie Talluto was able to spend some time in Jersey City yesterday morning and reported that the adults seem to be keeping the young flier close to 101 Hudson. She did see all three on Sunday, and thought she saw the youngster fly from 10 Exchange back to the west side of 101 Hudson. The two adults were perched strategically on 10 Exchange then flew to 101 after he did. Yesterday she saw an adult feeding him on the ledge by the scrape and the second adult did flybys.

We are very grateful for such reports - as anyone who has checked the webcam the past few days knows, there is rarely a bird on camera at this point. Because of this we will be shutting the system down for the season to keep our costs as low as possible. Anyone wishing to donate to support the webcam and the work of the Endangered and Nongame Species Program can do so at www.ConserveWildlifeNJ.org/getinvolved/donate/ - the webcam would not be possible without such support.

June 21, 2013 - First Flights
Dedicated volunteer falcon-watchers Bonnie Talluto and Mike Girone have been monitoring the Jersey City action both via webcam and from across the street. The young male has been managing short flights down to the 37th floor terrace and back as its parents continue to care for it while teaching it the skills it will need to survive on its own. Both the female and tiercel made many passes to entice him to fly some more, but so far he's not venturing too far.

Close up of female's legband On banding day Mike managed to get some photos of the legbands on the female, enabling us to get a look at some of the identifying numbers. At this point we're still investigating, but indications are that she may be an 18 year-old female hacked near Maiden Creek, PA in 1995. That age makes sense in terms of how long she's been in Jersey City, the large egg clutch, the failure of eggs to hatch and the and the damaged chicks we've seen the past few years. However, a missing color band makes a positive ID at this point impossible.

We'll do our best to keep the camera on the birds, but as the chick continues to improve its flying skills it will expand the area it uses, and be less likely to be in the vicinity of the nestbox for long periods. But we'll keep watching. (For additional photos from yesterday visit Mike's Flickr page.)

June 18, 2013, 8:30 p.m. - An Adventurous Soul
Those watching the falconcam this evening may have seen some nice action.

Our fledgling was definitely feeling the north wind after the rain stopped for a few minutes. Perched atop the parapet wall over the nest box, he spread his wings and felt the wind through his feathers. He flapped, then flapped some more, and lifted off. An inch or two, then more, lifting off the ledge with legs hanging! He kept at it for 10-15 minutes, flapping, jumping, and several times lifting off and hovering in place above the wall. We can only imagine the feeling of being raised by the wind. (For those who are older, we might recall the opening scene of "The Flying Nun," angling into the wind and being raised up!)

Fledgling 44 was joined in the corner by mom, who seemed to be enticing him to join her in the sky by taking brief flights in front of him. She finally jumped down to the roof below, leaving him to perch and run along the ledge, looking down (presumably) toward her. This seemed like a lot of activity after an afternoon of heavy rains; perhaps they all had some pent-up energy to release!

June 15, 2013 - 9:00 p.m. Update
Viewers checking the webcam today were likely disappointed that the chick had moved off camera. However, around 8:30 p.m. staff was available to log into the Jersey City system and begin searching for the young explorer. He was located well to the right of the box, on the ledge, seemingly gazing wisfully at the lights of New York City coming on, perhaps its instincts preparing it for the flights that await.

We'll log in again in the morning to hopefully stream some activity on the rooftop.

June 15, 2013 - Out Of the Box!
We tuned in this morning to find the chick out of the nest box! Perhaps thankful for the finally-clear sky, he took the opportunity of a bright blue morning to begin his wanderings on the rooftop - his new world for the short time before taking to the skies.

At the age of about 38 days, this youngster is still about half a week away from being capable of flying, so we hope he will continue to strengthen his flight muscles by running and flapping around the roof. All that exercise will prepare him for successful flight. He has the full attention of his two parents, which is a real plus; they will be watching him (and feeding him) wherever he goes.

This is an exciting time for new fledglings as they learn so much in a very short time. We hope to keep seeing him on the webcam, but the camera's view is limited, so we'll have to settle for some interesting views as they occur. But from his time on the ledge today, we're sure he is ready for adventure!

June 6, 2013 - Banding Day (Updated 6:00 p.m.)
Division zoologist and Peregrine Project Leader Kathy Clark, along with Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ director David Wheeler and biologist Ben Wurst, journeyed to 101 Hudson St. yesterday to examine and band the lone Jersey City chick.

As our webcam and Nestbox News followers know, this nestling is a foster chick biologists swapped in to replace the sickly chick hatched on May 14, the only one of four eggs to hatch. The original chick was evaluated at The Raptor Trust and euthanized due to its poor condition.

The "new" Jersey City chick is a Sea Isle City native, one of four hatched around May 9, and by the looks of things, has been enjoying having the full attention of two doting foster parents! At yesterday's banding, he was found to be in excellent condition, but was given a dose of medication to prevent Trichomoniasis, a pigeon-borne disease. This youngster a male, and he was banded with federal band 2206-75866 and color band "44/AM." We'll call him "44" for short.

Those viewing the webcam during the banding operation could see how the birds protect their nest by diving at and even punching the umbrella protecting the biologists. While the chick was indoors the adults stood vigil, perched near the nestbox. The adult female's origins remain unknown, as she is banded with only a federal band whose number cannot be read from a distance, and she never slows down enough for a good look. But we know she's been the same female since approximately 2002 when she would have been at least three years old to begin nesting.

The adult male was banded ten years ago as a chick at Riverside Church in New York, which we know from his color band 2/6. He has been resident here since 2006. (The male first appeared in the August 22, 2003 Nestbox News entry when, as an immature bird, it landed and was photographed on an apartment terrace in Edgewater!)

The information gained from banding birds is very valuable: we learn about their survival rates, longevity, age at breeding, and distances (and locations) traveled in migration. Falcons banded as chicks in Jersey City have been resighted elsewhere, nesting in nearby Elizabeth (notably, the Union County court house), and in Binghamton, Brooklyn and NYC, and one on a cliff in New Haven, CT.

WCC volunteers Bonnie Talluto and Mike Girone also were there to assist, and both have graciously offered the public to view their photos from the banding via Mike's on Flicker at http://www.flickr.com/photos/80696806@N06/sets/72157633970889283/.

The next milestone will be the first attempts at flight, anticipated in another two to three weeks. However, it's likely the youngster will soon make his move to leave the nest box - once on the roof he will have a lot of space to run and flap - necessary exercise prior to that all-important first flight. Keep watching!

June 4, 2013 - Banding Day Arrives!
Viewers should not be concerned if tuning in tomorrow morning only to find an empty nest - biologists will be returning to the nestbox to band the solitary chick. Since arriving on May 17 the foster nestling has grown considerably. Sometime after 9:30 a.m. Division zoologist Kathy Clark and Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ biologist Ben Wurst will approach the nestbox, likely under attack from one or both adults, and take the chick indoors to gather data and place identifying leg bands.

Time and conditions permitting, they'll also do a hasty repair on the PVC conduit carrying the signal from the nestbox camera; we believe it was damaged during Superstorm Sandy. The camera view will be adjusted so we all can watch the rooftop action as the adults protect their territory from our well-meaning biologists.

We'll report on our findings on this page as soon as possible.

Two adults bring prey to feed chick

May 29, 2013 - Plenty to Eat!
Faithful webcam viewer Mike Girone provided us with the screenshot to the right. It shows the adult male already feeding the chick, with the adult female newly arrived with even more food! The male left "his" prey in the box and exited, and the female continued feeding the chick using both prey items - illustrating both the abundance of prey (mostly pigeons and starlings, but other birds as well) in Jersey City, and the dedication of the adult birds. This is one well cared for, well fed chick!

May 24, 2013 - Feeding and Growing
As we head into the Memorial Day Weekend things are going well in Jersey City.

The foster chick from the Sea Isle City nest is thriving as the sole focus of the adults' attention and care. Unlike the lone hatchling from the pair's clutch of four eggs, this chick is feeding enthusiastically, moving about and behaving normally.

Sadly, despite the efforts of staff at The Raptor Trust, the Jersey City chick was humanely euthanized due to its abnormalities, both physical and behavioral. We hope to determine its exact problem(s) post mortem.

Adult and new chick Unhealthy offspring and other obstacles to healthy populations of wildlife occur in nature - it's part of the scheme of things. With endangered wildlife, such as our New Jersey peregrines, biologists may intervene when possible in the interest of helping a species recover. Fortunately, circumstances allowed us to perform last week's "chick swap" to keep the Jersey City pair active and likely benefiting the Sea Isle pair with one less mouth to feed.

During the first week of June biologist will return to Jersey City for the annual chick banding - see the 2009 banding PDF (800kb) or PowerPoint version (18.5mb) for an overview of the procedure. We'll report back then, and sooner if anything noteworthy occurs. Meantime, assume no news is good news - and enjoy your peregrine viewing!

May 20, 2013 - Morning Update
Staff, along with division volunteers and dedicated falcon observers Mike Girone and Bonnie Talluto, have been closely monitoring the webcam since the chick swap on Friday afternoon. While the chick transported to The Raptor Trust did not appear healthy, the Sea Isle City chick is behaving normally, feeding well and most importantly, has been accepted by the adults. Both adults are staying close to the nestbox, brooding the chick during the cool damp weekend and providing plenty of food. We're waiting for an update on the condition of the original chick, but it does appear to have some serious issues.

Hopefully the drama of the past week is behind us as we watch the new chick grow. We'll determine its sex the first week of June when biologists return to Jersey City to examine and band it. Meanwhile, we'll keep watching.

For more photos from Jersey City the day of the swap, visit Bird Cams Around the World. Thanks to Bonnie for the photo of the female and new chick to the right.

Adult meets new chick May 17, 2013, 2:40 p.m. - Mission Accomplished!
Biologist Mick Valent, along with Mackenzie Hall of the Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ, successfully removed the ailing chick and infertile eggs and placed the Sea Isle City chick in the nestbox. Moments ago an adult entered the box (see photo to right) and briefly brooded the chick. This behavior is what we had hoped to see - a quick "adoption" of the new chick, though it is impossible to tell just what the Jersey City peregrines perceive or "think" about the past half hour.

The chick is now en route to The Raptor Trust for examination and care. We'll update this page later tonight or tomorrow morning, but viewers will know about as much as we do for now.

May 17, 2013, 8:00 a.m. - A Plan Is Formulated
We have been carefully watching the chick that hatched on Tuesday morning, and we've concluded that the hatchling is not well. It seems to suffer some of the same symptoms we saw in the third of three chicks hatched in 2011. That young one also failed to thrive and, despite heroic treatment that lasted for months, he eventually died. It seems that this nest is having more than its share of problems.

In the nest on Thursday, the chick was not sitting up, which is necessary for it to be fed. It had gotten fed each day, but on Thursday the chick seemed worse, spending most of its time lying down and even apparently stuck on its back. This is not normal for a chick that is two days old. The other three eggs have not hatched and we don't expect them to hatch at this point. The adults are still trying to incubate them, which is also distracting them from the chick.

We may be seeing the lower nest success that is characteristic of older peregrine falcons. While our female remains an excellent caregiver, her eggs have lower viability, and the chick may suffer from a genetic abnormality. The eggs could also be carrying accumulated toxins that are interfering with hatching and normal chick development.

In the interest of keeping this pair active at the nest site, we will be providing them with a foster chick this afternoon that we're transferring from a four-chick nest in Sea Isle City. Biologist Mick Valent will put the chick in and remove the eggs and the sick hatchling. He will deliver the hatchling to The Raptor Trust, where we hope to get a clue as to what is wrong. The eggs will be valuable samples for future analysis.

Fostering chicks into nests is a proven technique and we fully expect the Jersey City adults will quickly adopt the new nestling. By doing this, we will allow the birds to fulfill their nesting cycle, giving full attention to raising one chick. The donor nest also benefits, because the adults will have a little less work raising their three remaining chicks. At both sites, we raise the chances of ultimate survival for all the young.

May 16, 2013, 1:30 p.m. - Problem In the Nest
Although staff observed two short feedings between prior to 8:00 a.m. this morning, it appears the lone hatchling is failing to thrive. When the adults have given us a view of the chick it was observed on its back; around 1:00 p.m. the female arrived with prey, but the chick remained on its back and was unable to feed - chicks must be able to sit up to accept food.

It could be any number of reasons, or combination of reasons, that this situation is what we're observing. Unfortnately, there is no action we can take to help the chick at this time, and to so would likely be futile in the end.

Meanwhile, the female continues to incubate the three eggs which are almost certainly beyond the point of hatching. A visit to administer medication early next week may have a different purpose if things do not turn around soon. But we'll be watching.

May 15, 2013, Afternoon Report: Still One Chick
Staff observed a "changing of the guard" at the nest with the arrival of fresh prey for the chick around 1:00 p.m. At that time there was still just one hatchling, and as time passes there is speculation that none of the three remaining eggs will hatch. Peregrines tend to be synchronous hatchers - since incubation doesn't begin until a full clutch of eggs is laid the eggs hatch at roughly the same time. This trait gives the entire brood an equal start in life. Since it's now been at least 30 hours since the chick was observed there is an increasing possibility that the other eggs are infertile and won't hatch.

Last year the female produced a clutch of five eggs. A larger clutch can indicate an older bird, and should the other three eggs fail to hatch it would be further indication the female is nearing the end of her productive years. But should there be just one chick, it's sure to benefit from being the sole focus of her attention!

For followers of Nestbox News interested in more photos from Jersey City, as well as information about other nest webcams, visit Bird Cams Around the World.

May 14, 2013, 9:30 a.m. - HATCHING!
The day we've been waiting for has arrived!

When biologist Kathy Clark tuned into the webcam around 6:00 a.m. this morning she was greeted with a quick look at the first Jersey City chick of 2013. As of 10:00 a.m. we cannot verify if any other eggs have hatched, though most eggs tend to hatch within 24 hours of the first. The remains of a partially eaten eggshell sits just in front of the adult who has been keeping a curious chick from making its way out from under her.

We'll keep watching, and hope our readers/viewers do so as well; as the day warms we'll hopefully get a look at what's going on beneath the brooding adult. We'll update Nestbox News with any major developments.

2:00 p.m. UPDATE - Those viewing at this time were treated to one of the first, if not the first, feeding (staff doesn't have the luxury of just watching the webcam!). At this time there is just one chick, but we're hopeful the remaining three eggs will hatch soon.

Feeding chick
Nestbox view of adult and eggshell

May 6, 2013 - Video is LIVE!
The problems and complexities of modern technology, servers, firewalls, etc., have been solved, and the streaming-live video is finally here for viewing!

We are excited to share with you the live view atop 101 Hudson Street in Jersey City. The peregrines have been diligently incubating their four eggs since April 11th, and we are looking forward to hatching next Monday or Tuesday. The streaming video is much more interesting to watch than the still pictures (which have been available since early April), and the action during and after hatching makes viewing fascinating and addictive for most of us!

The problems of this past month are a combination of old equipment (some of it in place since 2001), outdated software, and the restrictions of the state website. We are hoping that with viewer contributions, our partner, the Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ, will be able to replace the system with a new digital one, and make the webcam available via an independent provider. We hope you'll consider partnering on this: watch for the Peregrine Webcam Campaign on the CWF website in the coming weeks. And thank you!!

Now...go enjoy the Live Peregrine Webcam!

Two adult peregrines at nestbox April 18, 2013 - Incubation quiet time
Incubation seems to be in full, quiet, swing since the fourth egg was seen on April 11th. So, assuming all goes well, we can expect hatching around May 13th-14th.

Without the streaming video available, and relying only on still images, viewers can see that most of the incubation is by the larger female. The male has been seen sitting nearby, but most often is out of camera range. He has the most responsibility for catching and delivering prey, while she will do most of the incubating; but the eggs are never left unattended for more than a couple minutes.

We are still working on getting the streaming video running and hope to have that available soon!

Four eggs in nestbox April 11, 2013 - Four Eggs: A Complete Clutch?
Dedicated viewer Mike Girone informed us via e-mail late yesterday that he finally got a view of the nestbox without an adult in it - and observed a fourth egg had been laid. A peregrine clutch typically consists of 3-4 eggs, but five eggs have been documented at other nests, including this one last year. We'll be watching to see if incubation now begins in earnest, or if the female will duplicate her performance of last year.

April 8, 2013 - A Third Egg
Alert viewer Mike Girone notified us this morning before 9:00 a.m. that it appeared a third egg had now been laid. With the cool evenings and mornings the adults have been spending a fair amount of time on the eggs, making it difficult to confirm. Then, shortly after 11:00 a.m., Mike and staff noted the third egg when the adults were outside the box.

Incubation won't begin in earnest until the female has finished the clutch. Last year five eggs were laid - an indication the female is getting to be an older bird. We'll continue monitoring the nestbox, as we hope you are as well!

April 5, 2013, 9:50 a.m. - A Second Egg!
While updating the webcam pages to reflect the onset of images from the nestbox, staff was able to observe the female atop the single egg first noted yesterday - and when she left, we observed that the second egg had been laid. This indicates the first egg was laid on Wednesday, April 3. The season is truly under way now!

April 4, 2013 - We're live! And there's one egg so far!
Thanks to Webmaster Paul Tarlowe, the webcam is live - for now we'll have to settle for the still camera picture, until we figure out why the streaming video isn't working. But, hey, we're glad it's ON and not permanently OFF for lack of funding!!!

Okay, you're going to hear a lot about funding this spring. The Endangered & Nongame Species Program cannot continue to pay the expenses of this webcam. We got a reprieve last month, with permission to turn the system on, only on condition that the non-profit Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ raises the funds to pay expenses this season and going forward in 2014. Now please understand, the Conserve Wildlife Foundation is also on a shoestring budget, so they will be working to find sponsors and donors who (like all of us) love the peregrine webcam and can help out. We'll be recommending that donors visit www.ConserveWildlifeNJ.org/getinvolved/donate/ for more information.

So, back to peregrines: Look for more eggs to be laid, about one every two days, until there is a full clutch of three or four, that's when incubation will begin in earnest.

Welcome to spring atop 101 Hudson Street!

Two eggs
Falcon on nestbox edge

March 14, 2013 - Another Season Begins
Welcome to the 2013 edition of Nestbox News! Many visitors to NN have been following the Jersey City peregrines for many years - perhaps a decade or more! - and we are glad to have them back. And to new viewers we extend a warm welcome and hope you become a regular visitor to the peregrine webcam pages.

As far as the activity at 101 Hudson Street, we are assuming the 2013 nesting season is already under way. Unfortunately, due to budgetary constraints we have not yet activated the cameras but hope to be streaming video and still images before egg laying begins later this month.

We are sure this will be another exciting year observing the peregrine falcons using the nestbox maintained by the NJDEP Division of Fish and Wildlife's Endangered and Nongame Species Program. The first nestbox was installed in 2001 and has fostered the successful fledging of young every year since (see About the Peregrine Project for a history of the project). Last year was a difficult year, with only one of three fledglings known to have survived through the summer after the hatching of three eggs from a clutch of five. (See the 2012 Nestbox News for details.)

We do want to remind the viewing public that funding for projects such as this remains hard to obtain - the Peregrine Project, like other projects conducted by the ENSP, is funded entirely by grants and donations. Please help this project continue by making a direct donation to the ENSP, or by "checking-off" for wildlife on your state income tax return. By becoming a partner in the work of ENSP you can proudly feel you are doing your part in protecting our endangered and threatened species.

We hope you enjoy following the Jersey City peregrines this season; it's sure to be as exciting as it has been in past years.

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Last Updated: July 30, 2013