PA Falcon Cam

Peregrine Falcon is the common name. The scientific name is Falco peregrinus. The name means "wandering falcon." Peregrines are a species of the order Falconiformes, family Falconidae, which includes 39 species of falcons.

The peregrine is one of six falcons found in the United States. The others are gyrfalcon, prairie falcon, merlin, American kestrel, and the aplomado falcon.

The peregrine falcon is cosmopolitan, meaning that the species is found around the world, from the Arctic to South America. The subspecies found in the Eastern United States is anatum, and referred to as the American peregrine falcon.

For more information about identification, life history and range of the peregrine falcon visit All About Birds - Cornell University

City life provides many benefits to peregrine falcons. Abundant prey such as pigeons, blue jays and other small birds are available throughout the year. A city's many tall buildings provide plenty of high perches and ledges that mimic cliffs where peregrine falcons commonly nest. The covered ledge at the Rachel Carson State Office Building provides the falcons shelter from severe weather. There is also less risk from predator great horned owls at an urban nest.

Of course, city life can pose some challenges for urban falcons, particularly when the young fledglings are learning to fly. Fledglings sometimes collide with nearby buildings or land in traffic. Staff from Department of Environmental Protection and Pennsylvania Game Commission work closely together to minimize disturbances to the nest. Each year, a team of volunteers conduct a falcon watch and rescue program to keep an eye on the young falcons as they take their first flights. Volunteers watch with binoculars and alert DEP environmental educators when a falcon may be in trouble. Staff capture, examine and then release the grounded fledglings.

Urban falcons can also face risks when they're exposed to environmental toxins like avicides sometimes used to control pigeons. They also face disease, primarily the potentially fatal trichomoniasis, a protozoan infection that is contracted when an infected pigeon is fed to the nestlings.

The evidence was undisputedly conclusive that DDT interfered with calcium metabolism in birds at the top of the food chain. With no mechanism to excrete or breakdown DDT, birds at the top of the food chain accumulated DDT as they ate smaller birds, which, in turn, ate insects exposed to DDT. This is called bioaccumulation. The interference with calcium metabolism caused thinning eggshells that broke easily.

Peregrine falcons, bald eagles and ospreys that are making an impressive comeback thanks to the environmental ethics and foreword thinking of people like Rachel Carson. It is a happy irony, indeed, that these peregrine falcons chose to reside on the Rachel Carson State Office Building in Harrisburg, which was named in her honor.

Peregrine falcons have made their home year after year on the 15th floor of the Rachel Carson State Office Building in downtown Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. They are followed by four cameras, including infrared for nighttime viewing, streaming full-time year-round to give the residents of Pennsylvania and the world a glimpse into the life of these magnificent creatures.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission manages all wild birds and mammals within the Commonwealth and oversees hunting seasons and bag limits, the authority and responsibility to oversee falconry has been vested by state law with the agency.