Nesting Atlanta falcons viewable online

ATLANTA — The Atlanta falcons are can be seen on live video, but these are not the ones with the footballs and they’re not just seen on Sundays.

These are the real things, a pair of peregrine falcons who are nesting — not inside the Georgia Dome with their NFL namesakes, but high atop the SunTrust Plaza Tower.

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources camera at www.georgiawildlife.com/FalconCam is streaming live video of a two falcons. The project was delayed after the raptors switched nesting sites this spring, but now they’re starting a new family in their home more than 50 stories above downtown Atlanta.

Last week, the parents were taking turns incubating three eggs.

There are two ways to view the falcon family. DNR’s Wildlife Resources Division and project partners provide have video streaming free of advertisements at www.georgiawildlife.com/FalconCam. The video stream also is available on Ustream (www.ustream.tv/georgiawildlife). The latter includes advertisements, but also features a chat option, DNR officials noted.

Jim Ozier, program manager with Wildlife Resources’ Nongame Conservation Section, said the nest cam provides an opportunity for people worldwide to observe firsthand the “private nesting life of these iconic birds,” which have been re-established to their former range in the eastern U.S. after having been extirpated by the widespread use of DDT.

Peregrines aren’t new residents of Georgia’s capital. They’ve been nesting on balconies at SunTrust Plaza Tower since 1997.

“Despite the fact that these urban falcons and their offspring face formidable odds, they survive and thrive,” said Jeff Haidet, chairman of McKenna Long & Aldridge, an international law firm with offices overlooking the nest sites. “It’s a fascinating process to observe, and we’re always pleased to help support the DNR’s mission to bring the falcon nesting experience to the public.”

A streaming camera added in 2013 and other upgrades were provided through a grant from The Environmental Resources Network (TERN), friends group of the Nongame Conservation Section, and key support from McKenna Long & Aldridge. The Garden Club of Georgia Inc. is also a project partner, DNR officials said. HDOnTap provides streaming services.

DNR officials noted that live-streaming wildlife is a challenge. In this case, the falcons are nesting in a planter opposite from where the camera was first set up. DNR moved the camera, but will be videoing temporarily from inside the building to avoid disturbing the birds during a sensitive point of the nesting cycle. That affects the view and does not allow audio, but still provides a unique window into the world of possibly the fastest animals on Earth, DNR officials said.

Peregrines have been clocked “stooping,” or diving, on pigeons, ducks and other birds in flight at more than 200 mph. The raptors were removed from the federal list of threatened and endangered species because of a successful population recovery effort, but they are still state-listed as rare in Georgia.