Three healthy Peregrine Falcon chicks have hatched in a specially built nesting box atop the 693-foot Brooklyn Tower of the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, the MTA announced Friday. Each year, around the end of May, research scientist Chris Nadareski, of the NYC Department of Environmental Protection, climbs to the top of the bridges and puts identifying bands on the fluffy chicks. This year’s bandings took place Friday, May 24 when the babies were about three weeks old. MTA Bridges and Tunnels provides a nesting box at each of the bridges but otherwise leaves the birds alone, the agency said. The Marine Parkway Bridge Brooklyn tower nesting box has more eggs waiting to hatch.
Peregrine falcons were nearly wiped out by the 1960s as a result of pesticides and remain on the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation endangered birds list. Falcons mate for life and generally return to the same nest to hatch their young.
Wow that is beautiful. I had no idea. Great work all. Just curious but do the birds stay up there until they can fly? How long does it take for them to get their wings.