Urban Dwellers

Peregrine falcons are found nearly worldwide and prefer to live on cliffs with open hunting areas below. Two of the most exciting locations to see them are at the tip of the African continent near Cape Town, South Africa, and on the cliffs at Lands End near Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. They have become well-established in urban areas, finding skyrises and bridges quite suitable substitutes for craggy rocks. A large number of webcams have been established in towns and cities worldwide to allow researchers to observe the birds for scientific studies and to increase public understanding and appreciation of this beautiful species.

Of the two dozen pairs of peregrines located in the Greater Bay Area, the most well-known are San Jose’s City Hall falcons and George and Gracie in San Francisco, whose nestcams have resulted in media publicity throughout the region and nationally. In 2005, PG&E partnered with the Predatory Bird Research Group to establish a nestcam on the 33rd story of PG&E headquarters, where the pair nested and fledged three young. In 2006, they moved across the street and fledged another son. In the spring of 2007, they moved their nest to the Oakland-Bay Bridge and laid three eggs. On March 31, the eggs were rescued by the Santa Cruz group and will instead be incubated and hatched in Santa Cruz and then released along the Santa Barbara coast. Visit www2.ucsc.edu/scpbrg/falconcamera.htm for updates.