San Francisco's most adorable raptors just got easier to stalk, as the webcam Big-Brothering their every feathered move just got a pretty sweet upgrade.
We've been big fans of the peregrine falcon family that roosts on the 33rd floor of PG&E's 77 Beale Street headquarters for quite some time now. And this year, the energy giant took a break from burning their substations and fighting its conviction for the fatal San Bruno blast to upgrade the camera they (well, we all) use to spy on the birds to, they write, "enhance the viewing experience for the thousands of falcon fans around the world who enjoy the bird’s-eye view (pun intended) of this spectacle of nature."
Right now that spectacle mainly involves sitting, as a PG&E spokesperson say that a mother and father falcon are presently guarding three falcon eggs. The duo "take turns sitting on the eggs or hunting for food," because while humanity has yet to achieve equality between the genders, birds have that stuff nailed.
"If all goes well," the PG&E spokesperson says, "hopefully there should be another egg by the end of the week, followed by incubation, and then hatching in early June."
As of publication time, that hope had been granted -- while watching the camera today, I saw mom or dad hop up and four eggs were revealed. Check it out:
Or, wait, is that five? I just zoomed in, I think I see five!
OK, that was actually kind of exciting! And now it's available to view in "HD quality picture and audio" on this page right here.
And if you get bored, you can always scroll down to read the history of the falcon nests at PG&E HQ: The birds have been showing up since 2004, prompting the power company to partner with the UC Santa Cruz Predatory Bird Research Group. Last year, the nest produced three baby falcons, named Talon, Grace and Flash by members of a kindergarten class at Lakeside Elementary in Los Gatos. Here's hoping that this year, some kids somewhere will get to name five chicks, because god knows we all need some sign that everything is not terrible in this world to keep us from all retiring to our own nests and never leaving them again.
Previously: Citywide Productivity Plummets As SF Peregrine Falcon Cam Goes Live
