FRANKLIN COUNTY, Mo. — A pair of Peregrine falcons are caring for their newly hatched chicks, and all of it is being documented live thanks to an Ameren Missouri camera.
The male falcon appears to be the same one that was viewed on the same Ameren camera in Franklin County camera last year with a new female partner, according to World Bird Sanctuary Deputy Director Jeff Meshach. The female was branded as a chick in Kansas City seven years ago.
The falcons reportedly began nesting activities in the Ameren box in March, located along the Missouri River, which is a major migratory bird flyway.
“To have chicks in the nest is always very exciting,” said Jeff Meshach, deputy director at World Bird Sanctuary. “And while nature can be harsh, we are hopeful these chicks survive to continue to grow the Peregrine population here in Missouri.”
The falcons were taken off of the Federal Endangered Species list in 1998, in part due to the types of boxes like the one displayed on the live camera being set up. The birds are still considered a vulnerable species in Missouri with only around eight known pairs of the falcons in the St. Louis region.
The live stream can be viewed from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m. seven days a week until the chicks have left the nest, Ameren said. Click here to see the live stream.
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