FalconCam faithful viewers can again rejoice as a pair of familiar faces were spotted in new homes. The former Fort Wayne peregrines, Carla (2020) and Flash (2019), were identified by their leg banding numbers on Birds Around the World cameras and are again capturing the attention of their former viewers.
Now located in South Bend, Flash (2019) was identified by his leg banding identification.
Indiana continues to band chicks before they can fly, allowing peregrines who once called the Fort Wayne skies home to be identified in new locations. And for one of these two raptors, that is relatively close to his former nest.
Just a little over two hours from Fort Wayne, Flash was spotted in 2022 in a nest box atop the City-County Building in downtown South Bend. Initially paired with the resident female, Maltese, their first nesting season in 2022 resulted in four eggs, none of which hatched. The following year, Flash and an unbanded female hatched two chicks, Elaine (female) and Skip (male). Currently, the pair have produced two eggs this nesting season.
Spotted for the first time in late-2023, Carla has moved to the University of Pittsburg’s campus, on top of its Cathedral of Learning. The 42-story building supports peregrine instinct to nest on cliffs, using their keen eyesight to spot prey from a distance. And the higher they are, the farther they can see. This spring is her first nesting season, which so far has resulted in three eggs with an unbanded male, Ecco.
The University of Pittsburg's newest resident, Carla (2020) was recently spotted and identified by her banding.
Both Carla and Flash share peregrine parents, Moxie and Jamie, who currently reside on the roof of the Indiana Michigan Power Center in downtown Fort Wayne. In their current nesting season, Moxie has laid four eggs. Historically, the pair has not produced more than four eggs in one nesting season. Incubation timing is roughly three weeks from when an egg was laid, lining up mid-April for the first chick to hatch.
You can view the eggs and proud parents by going to I&M’s live webcam: www.IndianaMichiganPower.com/FalconCam. This live feed offers a 24/7 view of the nest box and is a partnership between I&M, Soarin’ Hawk Avian Rescue and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources. To see live feed of Carla and Flash, visit: https://www.aviary.org/birds-habitats/live-streams/.