Ever since a camera was installed on the top of 367 Collins Street six years ago, bird lovers everywhere have watched a pair of peregrine falcons lay and hatch their eggs. Last year was particularly dramatic, when a young male rival challenged, and ultimately replaced, the resident male falcon. Now, the falcons are back, and there’s two eggs so far. Welcome to Season 2023 of Melbourne’s favourite peregrine pair. Catch the live stream here:
There’s also a north facing camera, which you can check out here:
Peregrine Falcons on 367 Collins
The live stream will take us on a journey from the laying of the first eggs, until the fledglings leave the nest later this year. Peregrine falcons mate for life, and they only breed once a year. They lay their eggs around the end of winter or the start of spring and their chicks hatch roughly a month later.
Ever since 1991, a pair of peregrine falcons have made the rooftop of 367 Collins Street their nesting home. As birds of prey, these falcons are territorial, so this is the only nesting site in Melbourne’s CBD. You can watch these birds live through CCTV footage in the foyer of the building, and on your computer screen at home.
This pair of birds is watched over carefully by a group of volunteers from the Victorian Peregrine Project, who are a part of the BirdLife Australia Raptor Group. These volunteers conduct field research and raise awareness to help with conservation efforts.
If you’d like to learn more about the birds, wildlife ecologist Dr Victor Hurley will discuss findings from nearly 30 years of field research on peregrine falcons across Victoria at a talk over Zoom on Thursday September 21. This seminar is free to attend.
Meanwhile, if you’re particularly invested in their lives, you can also join the Facebook group, 367 Collins Falcon Watchers, for some spirited discussion.