This falcon camera is brought to you by the DNR Nongame Wildlife Program, which has fostered the future of Minnesota’s rare and vulnerable wildlife for over 40 years. The program is largely supported by donations from people like you.
Rewind video for instant replay: Click anywhere on the orange timeline bar below the image to go back up to four hours. Click on the "LIVE" button to return to the live feed. Make the video full screen by pressing the double arrow in the lower right. To escape from full screen, press the ESC key, or tap "Done" on your mobile device. There is no audio available with this camera.
Welcome to the DNR FalconCam!
Peregrine falcons can be spotted at this nest box in downtown Saint Paul throughout the year. They are most active beginning in March with the start of the breeding season.
This site is highly desirable for the falcons because it provides a clear view of the Mississippi River. Peregrine falcons feed almost exclusively on birds, so this river corridor provides them with easy hunting, particularly during migration as birds journey along the Mississippi Flyway.
July 2024 update
The nesting season for the peregrine falcons in downtown St. Paul has come to a close with the successful fledge of the last chick. On Thursday morning, the Fourth of July, the younger and smaller chick flew for the first time, leaving the nest box behind. His inaugural flight was just a few days after his brother fledged.
Over the next weeks, the parent falcons will continue feeding and watching their young, protecting them from predators. Eventually, they will show them how to be a falcon--teaching them how and where to hunt for food. During this time, the adult falcons may occasionally visit the nest box and be seen on camera, which will remain on, but the chicks most likely will not return and ultimately will disperse to find their own territories.
They will make some missteps in these first days but, with time and practice, the two chicks should become ace flyers, accomplishing flights up to 200 miles-per-hour! We hope you enjoyed watching the peregrine falcon family this year. We are grateful for the donations made to your Nongame Wildlife Program that enable us to share this intimate view of one of the fastest animals on the planet. Thank you!
June 2024 update
The chicks were banded on Wednesday, June 12. DNR staff were there to document and assist with the banding, which was led by the Midwest Peregrine Society (MPS). Many thanks to Sentinel Properties who provided access to the nest.
During the banding, MPS identified both chicks as males. The chicks received silver USGS identification bands and field readable black and blue bands. The larger chick’s band numbers are 1947-56893 and W12. The smaller chick’s band numbers are 1947-56892 and W13. MPS acknowledged that one chick is larger than the other, but both birds appeared to be healthy and explained that the size difference is likely due to one outcompeting the other for food.
The unhatched egg and an adult feather were collected by the MPS, who will send these to the Chicago Field Museum for contaminant analysis.
Over the next few weeks, the chicks will develop their juvenile plumage, growing brown and tan feathers and eventually looking more like their parents. They will become more active, exploring their nest box and its immediate surroundings. When they are strong enough, they may even jump onto the ledge of the box where the adults perch.
May 2024 update
Three of the four eggs have hatched. The chicks hatched in the early mornings of May 21, 22 and 23. The parents began their brooding duties, but one chick was struggling to compete with their more developed siblings during feedings. On May 27, that chick unfortunately died. The female parent was observed moving the chick around the nest box, and when it became clear that the chick had died, she fed it to her other two chicks. Peregrine falcons feed almost exclusively on other birds, so although this scene was difficult to watch, the female took advantage of this loss as an opportunity to feed her other chicks a readily available meal.
Peregrine falcons are a species of special concern in Minnesota, and we hope that the two remaining chicks will continue to develop, thrive and eventually fledge their nest to grow the peregrine falcon population in Minnesota and beyond.
April 2024 update
A pair of peregrine falcons has an active nest and is tending eggs. This spring, the webcam has captured this pair of falcons demonstrating courtship displays and creating a nest in the gravel. Their first egg could be seen Thursday, April 11 and the second on Saturday, April 13. Falcons typically lay eggs in 48- to- 72-hour intervals.
The two adult falcons using this nest box have been identified by the Midwest Peregrine Society as an 11-year-old female and a 15-year-old male. This female falcon has nested in this box since 2016. The male, banded as a chick in 2009 in Indiana, is a new partner for the female.
As of April 22, 2024, four eggs have been laid. The eggs could begin hatching as early as May 17. Stay tuned!
2023 report
The adults at this location were identified in spring of 2023 as female 1907-02970, hatched in 2013 and a male, 1126-06335.
Four eggs were laid and two young hatched on May 19, 2023. Bremer tower (Sentinel Properties) tenants met the two male chicks when they were banded. Band numbers given were: 1266-14902 and 1947-56825 and the chicks successfully fledged in early July.
The female is a 10-year-old that originated from St. Cloud and the male is a 3-year-old that hatched from a nest box in Minneapolis.
Notes: This is live video of wild birds in the natural process of raising their young. Life and death struggles occur all the time in the natural world. DNR staff will monitor this camera and will evaluate incidents as they occur, but we do not plan or condone, any interference with this nest or its occupants.
Text MNDNR FALCONCAM to 468331 to subscribe to text updates.
About the DNR FalconCam
The DNR Nongame Wildlife Program streams video of peregrine falcons nesting on the top of the Bremer Bank Building in downtown St. Paul. With the help of the Town Square merchants and the Midwest Peregrine Society, the Nongame Wildlife Program is able to provide this unique opportunity to watch peregrines raise their young in an urban setting.
In 1987, a nest box was placed on the east side of the building and was first used by a pair of falcons in 1988. Several pairs of falcons have chosen this site as their home, producing 65 chicks through 2012. Several pairs have nested in the box and the current female has occupied since 2016.
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The DNR Nongame Wildlife Program thanks its partners in this webcam adventure: The Midwest Peregrine Society, Sentinel Properties and the Town Square building tenants.