The Port Authority’s Staten Island Bridges team in partnership with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation was recently able to safely band its 107th peregrine falcon chick.
For the past 20 years, our teams have helped to protect the birds that soar high above our bridges, including the Bayonne Bridge. The peregrine falcon is one of the world’s most widespread birds of prey and features a body that grows from 13 to 23 inches in length with a wingspan of 29 to 47 inches. They have also been recorded at blinding speeds of up to 242 miles per hour in hunting stoop mode.
These falcons can also breed in regions across the world, ranging from the Arctic tundra to the tropics, as well as right here in an urban environment, successfully taking advantage of the region’s tall structures, such as our bridges. This year’s peregrine falcon nesting has brought a glimmer of hope while the region continues to persevere amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The birth of the newest chick, once an endangered species, reassures us that we, too, can come back stronger. Join us in welcoming the newest arrival to the bistate region, aptly nicknamed “Chick Cotton.”
It’s nice that we care for birds of prey. But we continue to destroy their natural habitat which also provides a home for THEIR prey. Enough of the BS. Environmental conservation needs to get serious or else were all doomed.