‘Salinas Falcon Cam’ captures live footage of newly hatched peregrine falcons
By Ariana Araiza
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SALINAS, California (KSBW) — Newly hatched Peregrine falcons are now calling downtown Salinas their new home after the first pair of falcons hatched Monday afternoon.
The parents, Alice and Sal, named after their location on Alisal St., were first spotted in the downtown area back in 2021 when volunteers and the Predatory Bird Research Group at U-C Santa Cruz discovered an unhatched egg.
In hopes of keeping the falcons coming back to their familiar spot, the falcons were provided a nesting box fit for incubating fertilized eggs. This allowed for a few successful egg hatches, but for the first time, the falcons’ newest hatching has been all caught on live camera.
“So far everybody loves it. I think it’s the best thing in the world. Everybody is really excited to see it. The bird, the bird people love it. I guess this link has already gone out in the wild where some of the schools in Santa Cruz are already looking at this camera live for their classrooms,” Greg Hamer, volunteer for the Peregrine Falcon camera said.
The footage can be found on YouTube under ‘Salinas Falcon Cam’. Footage shows when the Falcons laid a clutch of four eggs a month ago, with the first pair “pipping, “also known as hatching, on Monday. The third falcon can be seen making its first appearance early Tuesday morning, while the parents are still waiting for the fourth and final egg to hatch.
Researchers say this camera allows for a more intimate sighting of wildlife, which allows the community to learn more about the species and to connect with animals living among them.
They also want the public to know that fledgling season will happen soon, so if you see any of the banded offspring on the ground, give Salinas Animal Control or the Bird Research Group at U-C Santa Cruz a call.
The parents Alice and Sal, pay homage to their location on Alisal St.
Peregrine falcons are known to be the fastest animal in the world. Previously endangered under the Federal Endangered Species Act in 1971, conservation and recovery efforts helped remove the species from the Federal list in 1999 and the California list in 2009.
So, to catch sight of this species on camera or in person is an exciting sight to see.
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