Fans of Rochester’s resident peregrine falcon pair, Nova and Neander, are eagerly awaiting the arrival of hatchlings as the birds incubate their latest clutch of eggs on top of the Times Square Building.
The raptors first moved into the nesting box in 2022. Unlike other peregrine falcons that have lived there both birds are unbanded, meaning scientists have little information about their origins or movements before they arrived.
According to June Summers, president of the Genesee Valley Audubon Society, this marks Nova’s fourth clutch of eggs since she began nesting in Rochester.
"As with all young mothers she's learned as she's gone along,” Summers said. “She's done really well."
While Nova has typically laid four eggs in previous years, this season she has laid three. The eggs are expected to hatch sometime in April.
An Urban Sanctuary for an Iconic Raptor
Like many birds of prey, peregrine falcons were victims of the harmful chemical DDT, and the species were nearly wiped out due to side effects from the insecticide in the mid-20th century.
Their numbers rebounded thanks to federal conservation efforts, but in the process, experts were forced to rehome them.
In the wild, peregrine falcons nest along cliffsides, scraping out shallow depressions to lay their eggs. When scientists were releasing captive-bred birds in the 1970s and 1980s, wild predators in their natural habitat posed a threat.
Wildlife experts with the US Fish and Wildlife Service had to consider alternatives, like releasing them in cities.
“Because some buildings look a lot like cliffs,” Summers said. “And it worked.”
Not only do urban facades provide a familiar feel, there are also plenty of other birds, which peregrine falcons hunt, and fewer great horned owls, which hunt falcons.
Now falcon nests can be found on city buildings and urban bridges across the state, and there are even some nesting wildly in the Adirondacks.
Despite this success, they remain endangered in New York, along with nine other bird species.
Nova and Neander’s nest is part of the R Falcon Cam project, a livestream and blog supported by the Genesee Valley Audubon Society and other community partners. The public can watch as the eggs incubate for about 30 days before hatching into eyasses and then follow their rapid growth and eventually their first flight.
Soon after, they will leave the Times Square Building nest to find homes of their own.
“Peregrine means wanderer,” Summers said. “Eventually, about six weeks after they learn to fly, they will leave.”
For now, the peregrine parents are busy preparing for their new arrivals. And birdwatchers and conservationists alike can tune in from around the world to see what happens next.
