ROCHESTER, N.Y. — New York state and Rochester played an important role in the reintroduction of peregrine falcons to eastern North America. The species was nearly wiped down in the 1970s. Rochester continues to track and monitor peregrines with a 24-hour-a-day live camera stream.
This time of year, it's the peregrine falcons that are a sure sign of spring. High above the streets of Rochester is a nest box occupied by two peregrine Falcons, Nova and Neander. Nova is laying eggs in her nest that sits atop the Times Square Building in Rochester. Nine cameras give you an up close and personal view of these peregrines as they raise their young.
June Summers and Pat Carey are dedicated peregrine falcon watchers, and part of the Genesee Valley Audubon Society that runs the R Falcon Cam website so that anyone can visit to watch the birds and babies anytime day or night.
"This is the fun part, everybody can watch. It will take 30 days to incubate the eggs and about five weeks for the babies to grow large enough for them to start fledge. So, you get five weeks to watch them grow up. They grow up quickly from little fuzz balls to the size of an adult," said June Summers, president of the Genesee Valley Audubon Society and R Falcon Cam.
Peregrines are considered one of the fastest birds in the world. June says they can swoop dive at 200 mph. Females are 1/3 larger than the males. Rochester has worked with the Department of Conservation since the early 1990s and since then they've had more than 75 young ones that have fledged the nest box is here.
"This is a passion because we are adding to an endangered species in the biodiversity of Western and Central New York, so that's a great thing," said Summers.
The peregrine legacy continues in Rochester.
Other locations across the state also have dedicated peregrine falcon cameras include the University at Buffalo, the Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge, the Mid-Hudson Bridge between Poughkeepsie and Highland and Hempstead, Long Island.
