In fact, it was not so unusual that the spot was chosen, because falcons typically nest on mountain cliffs. And “what is more cliff-like than the top of a skyscraper?” asks David Wheeler, executive director of the Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey. The webcam is an institution, he says, its rooftop locale offering “gorgeous views overlooking the Hudson River and the Manhattan skyline. … You can see for miles in all directions.” The arrival of the falcons in Jersey City was great news, and not just for bored office workers. “Peregrine falcons were gone east of the Mississippi just a few decades ago,” says Wheeler. Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring, published in 1962, was a groundbreaking book that warned of the dangers of DDT to the environment and to wildlife, particularly birds. “It weakened the raptors’ eggshells, and they wouldn’t support nesting,”
Wheeler says. “An entire generation of falcons was lost. Once DDT was eliminated from agriculture, birds again gained a foothold in the region. It’s a remarkable story to where peregrine falcons are now nesting in world metropolises.” Thirteen years ago, the internet was also gaining a foothold, which paved the way for the falcon cam, which now gets thousands of visitors on any given spring or summer day. If you want to join in, visit conservewildlife.org. “These powerful birds are agile hunters,” Wheeler says. “They swoop down at 200 miles an hour.” Pigeon lovers be warned. “There is no shortage of pigeons for them to feast on,” Wheeler says. “They drop in a free fall from a very great height, catch their prey, and kill it.” You guys sitting on a park bench throwing bread crumbs on the ground, take note.
RAPTOR VOYEURS Wheeler says that people who are dedicated to watching the webcam every day are called “falcoholics.” A second camera and audio adds to the experience. “To hear the falcons when they are in the nest is extraordinary,” he says. “The second camera can give you the whole skyline and backdrop for this drama going on every day.” The fun really starts in April when the eggs hatch. Over the next month and into late spring, falcoholics can watch chicks feeding in the nest and being cared for until they can fly on their own. Biologists check on the falcons, take measurements, and band them, so that they can find out where they go from here. What’s really fascinating is that a single “matriarch” has been nesting on the roof since 2000. So, she’s a city girl who
PHOTO BY BONNIE COE TALLUTO
Jersey CITY Magazine ~ SUMMER | FALL 2014 • 15