Meet the proud dads of some remarkable peregrine falcons.
This past Father’s Day, the two impressive falcon fathers were seen keeping watch over their hatchlings in an empty nest nestled high above the Hudson River.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey marked the occasion by highlighting these new fathers who’ve made their homes near the George Washington and Bayonne Bridges.
“Both Falcon dads monitored, brought food, and guarded their growing families from the heights of the region’s iconic bridge,” the agency noted.
Each father is devoted to their feathered chicks that hatched a few hundred feet in the air this spring.
Combined, the two fathers have five chicks—four males and one female, to be precise.
While the chicks haven’t been named yet, they have been banded. This helps conservationists keep tabs on their health and overall population trends.
The nest towers were designed to imitate the cliffside environments these endangered birds typically inhabit.
Interestingly, another trio of falcon chicks was born a few weeks ago, perched 693 feet above the Hudson at the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, which connects the city to New Jersey.
The mother has been quite busy, as both parents share responsibilities in hunting and feeding their young. She incubated the eggs until they hatched last month.
Currently, there are estimated to be about 3,000 peregrine falcons in North America; however, their numbers have been steadily increasing over the past ten years.
“Each hatching signifies a victory in the ongoing efforts to protect Peregrine Falcons in New York,” officials said.
The chicks will stay with their parents in their high-rise home for now, gradually learning to fly and hunt on their own.
