Newest 'Nestflix' reality TV chicks take first flight - What is the peregrine falcon livestream?

Glued to their TV screens, cheering for their favourite trio on a reality TV channel, Australians jumped up in joy as they saw them achieve a new milestone. The three newest stars of Nestflix, a peregrine falcon livestream, spread their wings and took their first flight recently. The livestream shows falcons breeding, raising their young ones and fighting for occupation. It started during the COVID pandemic and acted as a source of connection with the outside world. Australians had been watching the three falcon chicks for weeks, waiting for them to attempt their first flight. They started hatching at the end of September and were seen running around, flapping their wings, since then. They live on top of a 34-storey building in Melbourne. The male chick was expected to fly first, followed by his two sisters a week later. Now they have finally flown, with two of them taking off on their first attempt, with the third crashing back onto the ledge, before making a successful flight.

How did Peregrine falcon livestream start?

According to BirdLife Australia, the chicks are not likely to go great distances for the next few weeks and will stay close to the city, relying on their parents for food. The livestream follows peregrine falcons living on top of fights, cuckolds, births, breakups and earthquakes, courtesy of its stars - the ones who live at the top of the office building at 367 Collins Street. It started in 1991, as the Victorian Peregrine Project to protect the species. Dr Victor Hurley, founder of the Victorian Peregrine Project, says the birds are teased by their mother with pigeons in her talons to fly to push them to fly and lose weight.

A nest box was placed on the rain gutter around 1992, where three chicks were born. The first birds caught on camera bred there in 1993 to watch the birds and their chicks. Sometimes, you have to see the falcons locked in battle to gain hold of the territory. In 2017, a webcam was installed and "Nestflix" was broadcast live on YouTube. It has exploded to such a scale that there is also a Facebook fan page with more than 50,000 members.

Peregrine falcons engage in battles for territory

Over the years, an estimated six or seven different pairs of falcons have occupied the nest. Dr Victor Hurley says that peregrine falcons are extremely territorial and keep their nests at least 1.6km away from each other. This has also led to some spectacular fights over the nesting site as "floaters", peregrines who don't yet have a partner or own territory, have launched raids to gain hold of the nest. There was an instance when a younger falcon fought the original father and replaced him during the incubation period. Typically, he could have eaten the chicks, but instead gave them their first feed.

Most Peregrine falcons don't survive the first year

These predatory birds had gone nearly extinct in Australia, but have staged a comeback since the 1980s when DDT and other chemicals were banned. They can be seen on the livestream fighting each other for territory. Dr Hurley says these birds have a 60% mortality rate in the first year, which means survival is tough, albeit this is common among predators. Once the new chicks make their first prey, they'll fly away a great distance to avoid inbreeding as they start their own families.