Community Corner

Baby Falcons Nesting Above The Throgs Neck

Two baby chicks call an MTA Bridge their home.

Two Bay Terrace’s newest community members are also the ones with the best view.

Two baby peregrine falcons are nesting above the Throgs Neck Bridge. The little birds hatched in May in their parents’ boxes, and are being cared for by the New York City Department of Environmental Protection’s Wildlife Studies division.

Both female, they were named “Skye” and “Bayside.”

Find out what's happening in Bayside-Douglastonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Maintenance workers give the avian family some space from mating season, until the chicks can fly, since the mother falcon can become aggressive during those tender periods.  

“We provide the nesting boxes and give the DEP wildlife expert access to check the eggs and band them but our primary goal is to just let them be,” said Verrazano-Narrows Maintenance Superintendent Daniel Fortunato.

Find out what's happening in Bayside-Douglastonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The MTA’s falcon program began in 1983. Peregrine falcons nearly went extinct in the 1960s, according to the program, because of pesticides in the food supply. They are still on the State Department of Environmental Conservation’s endangered birds list.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

More from Bayside-Douglaston