Ever since the 1970s, a cast of peregrine falcons has made their home 33 floors above downtown Baltimore. They’ve mostly kept to themselves, but for a few fish and wildlife workers checking in now and then.
But starting this week, grounded Baltimoreans can watch the falcons without disturbing them. The Chesapeake Conservancy has launched a new webcam of the nest.
Watch live
The falcons are located atop the Transamerica Tower at 100 Light St.
Falcons almost disappeared in the 1970s, but have rebounded thanks to a breeding and release program. Here’s how they got to downtown Baltimore, according to the building that houses them:
In 1978, the Cornell labs at the U.S. Army base in Aberdeen released Scarlett, a peregrine falcon. As many peregrine falcons do, Scarlett searched for a tall manmade structure for her nesting location. She discovered and selected 100 Light Street as a suitable cliff. For the past thirty years, peregrine falcons have occupied the southwest corner on the 33rd floor of the 100 Light Street building.
On the tech side, Chesapeake Conservancy Executive Director Joel Dunn credited Skyline Technology Solutions and Cogent Communications for helping with the project.
We kept an eye on the cam for most of Tuesday afternoon, and found that two falcons were mostly hanging around the nest. They were a bit camera shy.
The Conservancy also runs an osprey cam on the Eastern Shore. It’s currently being repaired as a result of damage from a winter storm, but you can watch the best moments from 2013 below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2pot0Jeu48
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