We have lift-off! Melbourne’s skyscraper peregrine chicks take to the sky | Melbourne
Born atop a 35-storey building in Melbourne’s CBD, three young falcons took flight for the first time, and their takeoff was recorded live for the world to see.
Three peregrine falcons (two females and one male) escaped late last week, and footage of their first flight was posted on Instagram by the non-profit organization Bird Life Australia. The last hawk took flight for a second time shortly after 9 a.m. Saturday, after crash-landing the previous day and returning to the ledge.
The headline read: “A trio of peregrine falcons finally took their first flight over the Melbourne CBD after weeks of watching them grow on 24-hour livestream, with a young falcon opting for a dramatic landing before making a successful flight a few days later.”
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“For the next few weeks, the baby birds will stay close to the city. Their parents will continue to feed them until they are confident enough to make their first hunt, and then they will fly out into the world.”
Three pied chicks hatched in late September and early October, and thousands of people watched them. 24 hour live broadcast It was installed on a ledge 150 meters above Melbourne’s 367 Collins Street as part of the Victorian Peregrine Project (VPP), founded by peregrine expert Dr Victor Hurley in partnership with the building’s owner, Mirvac.
“They are a little slow to overwinter, which is a good thing because the longer it takes, the wing feathers are still growing, so the greater the wing surface area,” Hurley said. “[The parents] “Significantly reduce the amount of food they provide and the number of meals they can eat,” he said.
“So they’re lighter. Having bigger wings is like having training wheels… It was notable that they were a little slow in the initial phase, but not excessively so, only three or four days later than I expected, which of course adds to the tension and drama.”
Hurley said the birds felt confident when they flew and landed safely at another building on Saturday. He said hawks usually don’t return to the ledge after flying.
“I loved watching this reunion today! It made me shed a few tears!” one YouTube commenter said.
“I’m amazed, I will miss them. This home made me laugh so much with their personalities,” wrote another.
The livestream, which ends on Monday, has been held annually since 2017 and the nest was first discovered in the 1990s. A Facebook group for Falcons fans has more than 56,000 members.
In the penultimate round of the Bird of the Year competition held in October, the peregrine falcon rose from 28th place in the first round to 14th place after the falcons hatched, but this was not enough to advance to the final round. Ultimately, the tawny frogmouth took the championship this year.
Live streaming will return next year when the breeding season begins again.
“But good luck for now, young hawks,” Bird Life Australia said.
