It's become a Melbourne tradition: every spring, we get overly invested in the journey of skyscraper dwelling falcons, and their new hatchlings. We were overjoyed when, back in October last year, Melbourne's most famous birds of prey hatched three fluffy bundles of joy in their Collins Street high rise nest. Just six weeks later, the three fledglings flew the nest. The livestream was switched off, and falcon watch was finished for another year. But, it turns out that the story didn't end there. In fact, the most dramatic part was yet to come.
Just a couple of days after the hatchlings took their first flight, one of them got into a sticky situation. Somehow, the falcon fledgling became stuck behind a glass balcony screen on a CBD skyscraper. Thankfully, it was reported to Wildlife Victoria, who were able to come to the rescue.
But, when the rescuers tried to release the falcon in Fitzroy Gardens so it could freely fly away, it couldn't flap one of its injured wings. So, the falcon was taken to Melbourne Zoo's vet clinic to be examined, and then it was moved to Healesville Sanctuary's Raptor Rehabilitation Centre. There, it received special care until it was flying fit again. It was freed in the Yarra Valley in early December, so it could fly off to flourish in the wild.
Peregrine falcons have been nesting at 367 Collins Street since 1991, with the building becoming the bird's favourite spot to lay their eggs. A livestream of their nest began in 2016, but went viral during the pandemic lockdowns (when we genuinely had nothing better to do than birdwatching).
The skyscraper is the only known peregrine falcon nesting site within Melbourne’s CBD, meaning the building plays an unexpected and important role in the ongoing breeding success of these rare birds. And fun fact: they're known as the fastest animals on Earth, with the ability to fly at speeds of more than 320 kilometres per hour.
When the falcons return to their nest later this year, you can watch every second of their journey via the Peregrine Falcons at 367 livestream. Or if you're an avid falcon fan, head over to the 367 Collins Falcon Watchers Facebook page (where members of the public submit some of the most exciting or cute scenes from the stream, plus information on the birds).
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