SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Love is in the air atop PG&E’s San Francisco headquarters, where a pair
of peregrine falcons laid their first egg of the nesting season just in
time for Valentine’s Day.
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A peregrine falcon guards the first egg in her nest atop PG&E's San Francisco headquarters. (Photo: Business Wire)
The egg made its appearance in the nesting box late Tuesday, and is
visible via the live, high-definition falcon webcam PG&E maintains on
the building’s 33rd floor.
Bird lovers can catch a glimpse of the falcons nesting by watching our
live webcam at www.pge.com/falconcam.
If all goes well, the lovebirds, nicknamed Val and Cupid in honor of
today’s holiday, will lay another egg in about two days. They could
produce up to four eggs in this season’s clutch.
The parents will begin the month-long incubation period after the female
lays her second-to-last egg. The mother and father will take turns
sitting on the eggs and hunting for food.
In May 2017, another falcon pair laid four eggs in the nest. Three of
the eggs hatched, producing two females and a male named Steph, KD and
Iggy after Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and Andre Igoudala of the
world-champion Golden State Warriors. All three baby falcons
successfully fledged the nest in July after scientists with the
University of California-Santa Cruz Predatory Bird Research Group banded
them for tracking.
Glenn Stewart, director of the group, called the Valentine’s Day arrival
the “perfect” timing, though he also said he’s “quite certain” the egg
marks the earliest-ever Bay Area peregrine falcon laying on record.
“Very exciting – it begins again!” Stewart said.
The research group has watched as nearly 40 baby falcons have taken
their first flights from PG&E’s headquarters since 2007.
The PG&E webcam garnered roughly 100,000 visits during 2017’s nesting
season.
The fastest animal species on earth, peregrine falcons have a top dive
speed of 200 mph. They feast mostly on other birds, including pigeons
and seagulls.
Between World War II and the 1970s, the peregrine falcon population
nearly disappeared due to toxic chemicals. But thanks to the Endangered
Species Act and the good work of groups like the one at UC-Santa Cruz,
there are now about 300 pairs of peregrine falcons in California.
For two decades, PG&E has supported the recovery of California's
peregrine falcon population, which was once near extinction. This
includes more than $270,000 in grants – including $10,000 in 2017 – to
the Santa Cruz Predatory Bird Research Group’s community outreach and
education programs.
About PG&E
Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E
Corporation (NYSE:PCG), is one of the largest combined natural gas
and electric utilities in the United States. Based in San Francisco,
with more than 24,000 employees, the company delivers some of the
nation’s cleanest energy to nearly 16 million people in Northern and
Central California. For more information, visit www.pge.com/
and pge.com/news.
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180214006511/en/
Source: PG&E Corporation