A falcon’s eye view of progress on the new Tappen Zee Bridge
Bridge construction has sometimes been called theatre, with many acts and players building up to a finale. There is no better place to watch good theatre than from a prestigious box seat.
This is especially true for the new Tappen Zee Bridge that is taking shape across the Hudson River in the US state of New York. In this case the box seat is just that – a box that sits high atop the old bridge, and it is occupied by a pair of peregrine falcons and their three babies.
The family can be seen on-line thanks to a live stream from a web-cam, the Falcon-Cam. The comings and goings of the parents and the grabbing for food by the chicks are clearly visible by <%$Linker:2 External <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary /> 0 0 0 oLinkExternal clicking here Visit new ny bridge gallery page false http://www.newnybridgegallery.com/falconcam.php false false %>.
The chicks, two females and one male, were recently tagged with identifying bands by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. The bands placed on their ankles allow identification of chicks and the tracking of their health and migration habits.
The New York State Thruway Authority in cooperation with conservation and environmental groups put the box there last year. It will be relocated from the old bridge when the new bridge, which is taking shape right beside the old bridge, is nearly finished and the old bridge is demolished.
The nest box on the Tappan Zee Bridge is one of many installed on New York’s skyscrapers and bridges to foster growth in the falcon population. While there may have good conservation credentials to placing a falcon box on the bridge, there is also a good maintenance reason for it, according to the authority.
Peregrine falcons feed on other birds including seagulls, starlings and pigeons whose acidic droppings can deteriorate surfaces.
This is especially true for the new Tappen Zee Bridge that is taking shape across the Hudson River in the US state of New York. In this case the box seat is just that – a box that sits high atop the old bridge, and it is occupied by a pair of peregrine falcons and their three babies.
The family can be seen on-line thanks to a live stream from a web-cam, the Falcon-Cam. The comings and goings of the parents and the grabbing for food by the chicks are clearly visible by <%$Linker:
The chicks, two females and one male, were recently tagged with identifying bands by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. The bands placed on their ankles allow identification of chicks and the tracking of their health and migration habits.
The New York State Thruway Authority in cooperation with conservation and environmental groups put the box there last year. It will be relocated from the old bridge when the new bridge, which is taking shape right beside the old bridge, is nearly finished and the old bridge is demolished.
The nest box on the Tappan Zee Bridge is one of many installed on New York’s skyscrapers and bridges to foster growth in the falcon population. While there may have good conservation credentials to placing a falcon box on the bridge, there is also a good maintenance reason for it, according to the authority.
Peregrine falcons feed on other birds including seagulls, starlings and pigeons whose acidic droppings can deteriorate surfaces.
