Skip to content

Webcam captures hatching of peregrine falcon on Telus tower

Peregrine falcon watchers are chirping with excitement.
Parent of a Peregrin falcon chick keeps an eye on the newly hatched bird.
Parent of a Peregrin falcon chick keeps an eye on the newly hatched bird.

Peregrine falcon watchers are chirping with excitement.

One egg hatched early Monday morning inside the nest box high up on the TELUS tower in Red Deer’s Highland Green neighbourhood.

Judy Boyd, member of the Red Deer River Naturalists, said webcam viewers began noticing activity at around 5 a.m.

She started watching at 7 a.m. and remained glued to the screen for a couple of hours.

“The (mother) still didn’t get off (the eggs) but you could hear the baby peeping underneath her,” said Boyd on Monday morning. “And the egg shell was in front of her, so it’s definitely hatched . . . we’re excited!”

Two other eggs are expected to hatch soon as well, Boyd said.

The mother, Nessa, laid the first egg on April 28, followed by another one on April 30 and again on May 3.

She is a new bird to the communications tower that is 95 metres high.

The father, Windsong, has been around for a few years, but last year his female mate Perry died due to poisoning.

The peregrines arrived in late March.

The naturalists installed multiple cameras to capture all the nesting, egg laying, hatching, feeding and fledging action.

There are three camera views, including one with night vision.

There was only one camera inside the box in 2010.

Peregrine falcons have been nesting at the TELUS tower for about 12 years.

Last year, three of the five eggs laid by Perry were destroyed and eaten by the pair.

The last two eggs wouldn’t hatch.

Later in the summer, Alberta Fish and Wildlife replaced the two eggs with two chicks.

The falcon webcams can be found at www.reddeeradvocate.com.

People can also go to http://www.ustream.tv/channel/rdrn-pefa-external for the external view, http://www.ustream.tv/channel/rdrn-pefa-nightvision for one view of inside of the box and the chatroom, and http://www.ustream.tv/channel/rdrn-peregrine-falcon

The Red Deer River Naturalists can also be found at http://www.rdrn.fanweb.ca/rdrn_home_page.htm

ltester@www.reddeeradvocate.com