For thousands of peregrine falcon fans, Saturday was “Hatch Day.”
The first chick from the resident campanile falcon pair’s four eggs emerged in the wee hours of Saturday morning. The second egg hatched around midday Saturday, and the third early Monday morning. A fourth egg is probably not going to hatch — it has shown no cracks — according to UC Berkeley’s media relations reporting.
Sean Peterson and Lynn Schofield are the humans behind the popular avian couple’s “Cal Falcons” webpage, which links to an active Twitter feed, Tiktok, Instagram, and Facebook page for falcon fans. A 90-minute live chat and Q&A with Peterson, Schofield, and veteran falcon watcher Mary Malec streamed on YouTube on Saturday and is available HERE.
Annie laid the first egg on March 10, according to Cal Falcons, which relayed the event on the group’s live feed. The second egg emerged on March 12, with the last two laid March 15 and March 17.
Annie and Grinnell have nested on top of Cal’s historic bell tower since 2017, according to the Cal Falcons team. This year’s brood is their fifth in this location. A public contest to name the young chicks will be held in May, UC Berkeley reported.
Peregrine falcons outside cities nest on top of cliffs; in urban environments, tall buildings are a common substitute. According to the Audubon Society, fledgling birds are typically between 39 and 49 days old at their first flight.
Last week in San Francisco, a brood of peregrine falcon chicks began hatching atop the PG&E building at 77 Beale St. Falcons have nested on that building for years, and a camera operated by the Predatory Bird Research Group in Santa Cruz tracks their movements year-round.