South Bend Peregrine Cam Indiana

[AlisonL]

The pair at the South Bend nest are now Maltese,  banded black/red 47/V, and her unbanded mate Zeus.

They raised three chicks this year, all of whom fledged successfully. All three have continued to visit the nest.

Here is one of the chicks yesterday:







https://www.southbendin.gov/residents/content/peregrine-falcons

[AlisonL]

Recently, the three chicks were harassed by a drone:

Drone encounter worries South Bend falcon watchers

SOUTH BEND — The city’s new peregrine falcon chicks had a nasty encounter last week with an unidentified drone.

According to local raptor rehabilitator Carol Riewe, the three chicks were flying above Washington Street downtown about 7:30 p.m. Wednesday when a recreational drone suddenly appeared from the west.

“All of a sudden this object came flying in from the west, this silvery object with little red lights all over it,� Riewe said. “It was a drone, and it stopped right over us.�

The birds, less than 2 months old and still novice flyers, darted at and even chased the device, Riewe said, before it finally disappeared off to the east.

“We were most upset because we were afraid there would be an injury,� she said, adding, “I would say somebody in the area has a drone, and is doing something which is illegal.�

Riewe said this is the first such incident she is aware of since falcons began nesting here, first atop the Tower Building and now atop of the County-City Building, more than a decade ago.

“Of course that doesn’t mean it hasn’t happened,� she said.

While the peregrine falcon is not an endangered species, it is protected under state law, said Linnea Petercheff, an operations staff specialist with the Indiana Department of Natural Resource, Division of Fish and Wildlife.

“So there is a state law that prohibits the take of one, and the definition of take includes to harass,� Petercheff said. “So if the drone was used in a manner in which it harassed the parents or young, it could be considered a violation.�

The same law also prohibits the use of drones for hunting purposes, Petercheff said.

A knowing or international violation of the law is a Class C misdemeanor, she said, punishable by up to 60 days in jail and a $500 fine.

It also is illegal to fly a drone just about anywhere west of the river in South Bend, including downtown, because of its proximity to the airport, according to rules adopted by the Federal Aviation Administration.

Petercheff said state conservation officers have been contacted to investigate the incident, but admits it will be difficult to identify the owner of the drone.

Encounters between birds and drones have become increasingly common in recent years as sales of the gadgets continue to rise, with birds sometimes attacking and disabling the devices in mid-air.

Video of one such attack, involving an eagle, has been viewed on YouTube more than 6 million times.

Petercheff said she is aware of only a few such encounters in Indiana, but expects more as the devices, costing as little as $500, gain in popularity.

She said it’s important people understand the law and the potential harm to wildlife from the careless use of the devices.

“It could be upsetting to the birds to the point where it affects the parents’ ability to feed their young, or it could knock a fledgling out of the nest,� Petercheff said. “So there is an issue there of harming an animal or bird or harassing it to the point where it affects its welfare.�

http://www.southbendtribune.com/news/local/drone-encounter-worries-south-bend-falcon-watchers/article_20cca811-3ce4-552c-8444-244c40c56223.html

This problem with drones is only going to escalate. They are way too dangerous to be around birds.