ST. LOUIS – After weeks of anticipation, viewers are watching live on Ameren Missouri’s Falcon Cam as Peregrine falcon parents care for their newly hatched chicks in Franklin County.
“To have chicks in the nest is always very exciting,” said Jeff Meshach, deputy director at World Bird Sanctuary. “And while nature can be harsh, we are hopeful these chicks survive to continue to grow the Peregrine population here in Missouri.”
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Meshach also noted that while the male falcon appears to be the same one as last year, he has confirmed that this is a new female. She was banded as a chick in Kansas City approximately seven years ago. The falcons began nesting activities in the box on Ameren’s property in March.
“Thanks to our longstanding partnership with World Bird Sanctuary and the Missouri Department of Conservation, Falcon Cam has been giving people an up-close look at Peregrine nesting behaviors,” said Julianne Randazzo, career environmental scientist at Ameren Missouri. “We’re glad we can provide an opportunity for a vulnerable species to nest. It’s one of the many ways Ameren is caring for our shared environment.”
Since the female Peregrine began laying her eggs on March 15, she and the male took turns keeping the eggs warm. Both parents will now venture out to find prey, primarily birds, to feed the growing babies. “The location of this nest site along the Missouri River, a major migratory bird flyway, should provide an abundant food supply of birds and bats,” said John Vogel, natural history biologist at the Missouri Department of Conservation.
The chicks will begin to fly after about seven weeks, then will learn how to hunt for themselves. Viewers can watch the chicks grow and develop via Falcon Cam, which will run until the last chick fledges or leaves the nest, typically in late May or early June.
While Peregrines were taken off the Federal Endangered Species list in 1998, they are considered a vulnerable species in Missouri. There are only about eight known pairs of Peregrines in the Greater St. Louis area. Ameren Missouri's Falcon Cam is an important tool for monitoring the breeding population.
Watch all nest activity and interactions live from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m. CDT seven days a week at AmerenMissouri.com/FalconWatch until the chicks have left the nest.
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