WATCH: Peregrine falcons nest, hatch atop Harrisburg office building
HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) — A new family of peregrine falcons has started high atop the Harrisburg skyline, and you can watch, courtesy of the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).
It’s happening atop the Rachel Carson State Office Building at Market and 4th Street, which houses DEP and other state agencies — about a block from the Harrisburg Transportation Center.
Falcons have made the nest box their home year-after-year, DEP says, and thus the agency devised the Falcon Cam.
There are four cameras set up on top of the building to capture footage of the birds. The department offers a full-time year-round livestream of the spot, even including infrared for nighttime viewing.
The department also provides year-round updates on falcon presence, mating, and nesting activity on their website. Falcon fans can also stay up to date on falcon activity by following the account, @FalconChatter on Twitter.
According to the online updates, a camera watcher observed falcon mating activity in late February. Then from March 17 to March 26, five eggs were laid in the nest.
The first of the baby falcons — which are also known as eyasses — hatched over the weekend on Saturday, April 27. The rest of the babies then followed suit, with the fifth and final hatching happening on Monday, April 30.
A grown falcon watches over five young eyasses atop the Rachel Carson State Office Building in Harrisburg. A grown falcon watches over five young eyasses atop the Rachel Carson State Office Building in Harrisburg. A grown falcon watches over five young eyasses atop the Rachel Carson State Office Building in Harrisburg. A grown falcon watches over five young eyasses atop the Rachel Carson State Office Building in Harrisburg. Five baby falcons, or eyasses, recently hatched on top of the Rachel Carson State Office Building in Harrisburg.
According to the Pennsylvania Game Commission, the peregrine falcon is protected under the Game and Wildlife Code and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, and was listed as an endangered species U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 1973.
Peregrines are mid-sized birds of prey measuring about 15 to 22 inches in length with a wingspan of more than three feet. According to the commission, adult peregrines can reach speeds of more than 200 miles per hour when they dive vertically in what is known as a stoop.
In regular flight, the commission says, peregrines average at a speed of abut 60 miles per hour.
Thanks for signing up!
Watch for us in your inbox.
Subscribe Now
WHTM Morning Weather
According to the commission, the species has historically nested in many parts of the world, including Pennsylvania, often in urban areas.
Live footage of the falcons can be seen on the Department of Environmental Protection’s website.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC27.
