Post by librarylady on Jun 18, 2022 13:34:34 GMT
Fluffy, adorable, and nearly ready to leave momma’s nest and bore into a pigeon’s head with its razor sharp beak: Meet New York City’s newest peregrine falcon, born atop the Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge three weeks ago.
In addition to the Gil Hodges hatchling, Nadareski has documented 21 baby peregrines across seven other nesting locations this busy breeding season; including at New York Presbyterian Hospital, the Met Life Building, the David Dinkins Municipal Building and the George Washington Bridge, according to the DEP.
Peregrine falcons are considered the world’s fastest fliers, and can accelerate to speeds of more than 200 miles an hour when diving for their woebegone prey. But their speed was no match for the potency of modern chemicals, and the raptor reached the brink of extinction until the U.S. banned DDT in the 1970’s.
Breeding efforts in New York and beyond have helped the peregrine falcon population rebound and New York City is now considered home to the largest population of urban peregrine falcons of any place in the world. In 2019 there were reportedly 25 peregrine couples across the five boroughs.
