By NICK BUGLIONE
Since nesting at the hospital in 1996, they¹ve given birth to 31 offspring, making them one of the more successful and productive pairs of these federally-protected birds in the metropolitan area.
Affectionately titled after the nearby parkway and NUMC¹s old name, Meadow and Brook recently welcomed the two newest additions to their family just over four weeks ago.
Wildlife specialists from the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, which have closely monitored the two falcons over the last several years, banded the feet of the newborns last Tuesday, so they can track them after they leave the nest.
Banding the birds allows the DEP to keep a long-term record of their life span and how they reproduce in the future.
³In the New York metropolitan area, we have falcons that have winded up as far west as Wisconsin, down the Atlantic coast in Virginia, and some have come back and settled right here,² said Chris Nadareski, DEP supervisor of wildlife studies. ³So we¹re doing quite well.²
Nadareski returns every year to band the chicks, hoping that the fiercely territorial mother and father are away from the nest. But they were home May 24, and squawked loudly as he approached the nest. ³I¹ve been attacked many times [by peregrine falcons],² said Nadareski, who luckily wasn¹t this time. ³I wear a hard hat just in case.²
In nearby New York City, there are only 16 pairs of peregrine falcons and only eight were successful in mating this season, he said.
Meadow and Brook have mated successfully every year since 1997, when a nest box was placed on the ledge for them to live in. Although the pair was active in courtship the year before, they didn¹t have adequate nesting for their eggs. They¹ve since given birth to as many as four young in a year.
³They¹ve been extremely successful,² Nadareski said. ³It¹s an ideal structure for them to nest in. There¹s enough available food around, such as pigeons and song birds, and they prefer to hunt over open areas and there¹s plenty of that on Long Island.²
The two new chicks, both females, appear to be in good health, Nadareski. Shelley Lotenberg, NUMC spokeswoman, named them Marissa and Samantha, after her nieces. ³For us it¹s exciting every year to find out how many babies they had,² Lotenberg said.
Over the next two and half weeks, Marissa and Samantha will learn to fly. Four to eight weeks after that, they¹ll learn to hunt and eventually leave the nest.
Peregrine falcons have a high mortality rate in their first year of life, so if one of the two chicks makes it to adulthood Nadareski would be happy, he said.
Breeding season for the peregrine falcon, which mates for life with the same partner, begins with courtship in February and March. Egg laying usually occurs as early as March, though it can be delayed as late as April. Incubation takes about 30 days.
Since they nest at high altitudes, the towering NUMC building on Hempstead Turnpike makes for the perfect home.
Demonstrating a strong fidelity to both their mates and nesting area, peregrine falcons in this region usually live no longer than 14 or 15 years.
Adult males measure 15 inches from head to tail, while the females stand about 18 inches tall, with a wingspan of 3 1/2 feet.
The falcons have the ability to dive at prey, which consists strictly of other birds such as pigeons, at speeds in excess of 200 miles per hour.
DDT and the ingestion of other contaminants led to the sharp post-World War II decline of peregrine falcons in the eastern United States.
Comments about this story? NBuglione@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 236.
