Cuomo Bridge Falcons: 1 Egg Hatches, 3 Remain

TARRYTOWN, NY — One down and three to go.

The first peregrine falcon egg to hatch occurred just before 8 a.m. Monday high atop the Gov. Mario M. Cuomo Bridge.

Thruway Authority officials confirmed the hatching on Twitter and added there are still three eggs in the nest.

The female raptor laid two eggs March 22 followed by a third March 24. A fourth egg was laid over the March 26-27 weekend.

Peregrine falcons can lay up to five eggs in the early spring, according to experts. It typically takes about a month for the eggs to hatch if the chicks — or eyases, as they are called — are viable.

The chicks will be raised in the man-made nest box, which is more than 400 feet above the Hudson River. It was built into the bridge and was designed specifically for the falcons, according to a Thruway spokesperson.

Members of the public can keep an eye on the family of raptors via a webcam installed in the box to document the falcons' lives.

It's important to remember, though, that the falcons are wild birds and the way they act reflects what happens in nature. Officials said some of their actions may be unpleasant to watch, and it is possible that some of the fledglings may not survive into maturity.

The high vantage point of the nest is ideal for the falcons to scour for and dive after prey.

Peregrine falcons can reach speeds of more than 200 miles per hour in a controlled dive, making them the fastest member of the animal kingdom, according to experts.

At one point in the past, falcons were considered endangered, but they were removed from the endangered species list in 1999, after being in decline since the 1970s due to egg-shell thinning by pollutants such as DDT.

Progress on the falcons and their eggs can be followed on Twitter.

SEE ALSO:

• Falcon Lays 2 Eggs High Atop Cuomo Bridge
• Cuomo Bridge Falcons: Now There Are 3 Eggs
• Cuomo Bridge Falcons: Another Egg Appears In Nest