The daily life of a wild peregrine falcon family in downtown Boise is once again on view via a web camera in the nest box. This is the eight year the webcam has provided a bird’s eye view of the nest on the 14th floor of One Capital Center, 10th and Main streets in downtown Boise. The webcam is available at: http://peregrinefund.org/webcam-peregrine.
This year, the camera was started on April 11 with four eggs already in the nest. Peregrine eggs are typically incubated for an average of 34 days before hatching which means the first chicks should make an appearance at the beginning of May.
Since 2003, breeding peregrine falcons have used the nest on the building that simulates the high, steep cliffs the falcons use in the wild. When in a dive, peregrine falcons are the fastest members of the animal kingdom, reaching speeds as high as 200 miles per hour. They use that speed to prey on other birds. Downtown Boise provides a plentiful supply of pigeons, mourning doves, starlings and other species.
Once an endangered species, the peregrine falcon was restored through the release of captive-bred young by The Peregrine Fund. It was removed from the endangered species list in 1999, but the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and individual states continue to monitor peregrine population numbers.
In 2009, Idaho removed the falcon from its list of state threatened species. Like all birds of prey, the falcons remain protected by state and federal law.
Peregrines were essentially gone from Idaho by 1974. Starting in 1982, captive-bred falcons were released into the wild in Idaho and nearby states. In 1985, the raptors were again documented as a breeding species, and releases were discontinued. Eight falcons were released in downtown Boise in 1988 and 1989. Today, there are about two dozen breeding pairs scattered around the state.
The web camera is sponsored by The Peregrine Fund, Idaho Fish and Game and Fiberpipe Data Centers.