After a nervous 30-hour wait, a third peregrine falcon chick has joined its nest mates on a ledge high above the CBD.
Two chicks hatched at the Collins Street skyscraper early Thursday, but the third only emerged from its shell on Friday afternoon.
A peregrine falcon feeds one of its hatchlings on a ledge at 367 Collins Street in Melbourne’s CBD.
Dr Victor Hurley, founder of the Victorian Peregrine Project, said the new hatchling appeared to be fine after concerns were raised on Thursday evening about a large crack in its egg.
All three birds could be seen huddled together as their mother’s wing shielded them from the afternoon wind.
The small white chicks could be seen slowly moving about the nest under the brown-hooded falcon.
Peregrine falcons have nested near a ledge on top of 367 Collins Street since 1991, with a popular livestream of their habitat developing a legion of followers – particularly during Melbourne’s COVID-19 lockdowns – since it launched seven years ago.
Experts constructed a special box to assist the breeding birds, preventing eggs and hatchlings from sitting in water on the ledge.
Devoted followers have celebrated the new arrivals, with many expressing hope that Melbourne’s unpredictable weather would be kind to the chicks.
Hurley said the new hatchlings would be fiercely protected by their parents.
“The female was incubating those eggs through Melbourne’s hailstorms, so they can put up with some brutal conditions,” he said.
“The male has already brought food, so they’re pretty attentive and will have high rates of feeding over the next few days.”
Hurley delivered a webinar on Wednesday evening discussing 30 years of research into peregrine falcons.
He said it was wonderful to see high levels of interest from the community – whether they were a casual livestream observer or a falcon enthusiast.
“The livestream provides a sneak peek into a different world, I think that’s why it was so captivating during lockdown,” he said. “It’s pretty delightful to have a top-order predator in the banking district of Melbourne that isn’t human.”
The hatching is uplifting news for the falcons and their fans, who have followed the birds through highs and lows in recent breeding seasons.
In 2022, one of the peregrine falcon fledglings was euthanised after it was found with severe spinal injuries, likely caused by a midair collision.
The concussed raptor was discovered on the footpath near the city office building on Monday and taken to Melbourne Zoo’s veterinary department by Wildlife Victoria.
Later that year, a second male falcon lurked around the nesting birds, disrupting egg incubation and jeopardising that year’s brood.
Last year’s season was cut short when the female falcon stopped incubating the nest and her clutch of eggs was deemed unviable.
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