Photography: Courtesy of the 367 Collins Street livestream
Just over a month after the Collins Street peregrine falcon laid her first egg, a total of three eggs have hatched healthy chicks. One still appears to be unhatched.
A live webcam was installed in 2017 to keep tabs of the handsome falcon family in its nest, which is located on the 33rd floor of 367 Collins Street in Melbourne.
A crack was first visible on one of the eggs on 30 September, as captured by eagle-eyed viewers in the 367 Collins Falcon Watchers Facebook group.
Birdlife Australia volunteer Doctor Victor Hurley first installed a nesting box at the site in 1992, and around a dozen pairs of peregrines have taken shelter there since. Last month he received a work permit and travelled from his Mildura home to undertake a reno of the nest via crane.
“In their minds, the CBD is essentially a canyon and this ledge is a large concrete cliff.”
Peregrine Falcons are birds of prey known for their capability to fly at extremely high speeds (in excess of 320km per hour) earning them the title of the fastest animal on earth. Since 1991, a pair of Peregrine Falcons has been observed in a nest on the rooftop of 367 Collins Street. As home to the only known peregrine falcon nesting site within Melbourne’s CBD, the building plays a surprisingly important role to the ongoing breeding success of these rare and fiercely territorial birds.
