A peregrine falcon family nesting on the Bayonne Bridge between Staten Island and New Jersey grew a little bigger right before Mother’s Day.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey announced on Friday, May 9, that two new peregrine falcon chicks were hatched on the bridge’s nesting tower about the Kill Van Kull. Two more chicks are expected to hatch at any moment.
This round of hatchlings (known as eyasses) marks another successful year for the bridge’s nesting tower. Though they were removed from the federal endangered species list in 1999, peregrine falcons are still listed as endangered in the state of New York. In an effort to preserve the species, the Port Authority has worked with New York City’s environmental protection department (DEP) for over 30 years to provide safe nesting locations high above its vehicular bridges.
Last year, the nesting towers at the Bayonne Bridge and the George Washington Bridge welcomed seven falcon chicks. The Port Authority and the New York City Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) expect the chicks to be named and banded in the next few weeks.
To see the new chicks and watch the other two hatch, visit the Port Authority’s falcon livestream webcam.
