Peregrine Falcon Webcam - Poughkeepsie and Highland, NY
Falcons Nesting on the Mid-Hudson Bridge
Peregrine Falcons are nesting on the Mid-Hudson Bridge, which carries State Routes 44 and 55 over the Hudson River, between Poughkeepsie and Highland, NY. Thanks to a partnership between the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, the New York State Bridge Authority and the New York State Department of Transportation, you can view a current image of nest activity from a nest box located beneath the bridge.
The Mid-Hudson Bridge Spanning
the Hudson River between
Poughkeepsie and Highland, NY
The first nest box on the Mid-Hudson bridge was put up in the late 80's by "Project Soar " through a program sponsored by the Museum of the Hudson Highlands. However, it was not until 1996 that peregrine falcons nested on the Mid-Hudson Bridge. Since then, falcons have nested on the Mid-Hudson Bridge every year, except 2001.
Banding Peregrine Falcon Chicks
at the Mid-Hudson Bridge
In 2000, the New York State Bridge Authority and the New York State Department of Transportation installed a network of cameras on the Mid-Hudson bridge to monitor traffic. This provided an opportunity for the Department of Environmental Conservation, the Bridge Authority and the Department of Transportation to work together on a peregrine camera for the bridge. Department of Environmental Conservation purchased the camera and other necessary equipment with funding from the Hudson River Estuary Program, and Bridge Authority staff installed and set up the equipment. The Department of Transportation helped with planning and provided some of the funding for the Mid-Hudson bridge camera network.
The Mid-Hudson Bridge is an ideal location for the falcons as there are plenty of pigeons and other birds in the area, and the height of the bridge provides an excellent lookout for hunting. The 300-foot high towers are good take off spots for the falcons to ambush their prey from above as well as spot intruders before they get too close. The male does much of the hunting once the young are born. He gives the food to the female and she feeds it to the young. When the young are old enough to eat on their own, the female joins the male in hunting to feed the fast-growing young. Both parents can be seen fiercely defending their territory around the bridge from larger birds. The female is the larger of the pair.
More about Peregrine Falcon Webcam - Poughkeepsie and Highland, NY:
- Mid-Hudson Bridge Falcon Nest - Webcam photographs of Peregrine Falcon nesting at the Mid-Hudson Bridge between Poughkeepsie and Highland, NY.
