DNR FalconCam returns with improved camera, sound
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The broadcast of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources’ FalconCam has started for the season, and a pair of falcons have already started preparing a nest.
More exciting, however, is how sharp the view is from the upgraded camera. And for the first time in 16 years, the web feed will also feature sound.
The high resolution camera was installed in December near the top of the Town Square Tower building in downtown St. Paul.
The nest was originally installed in 1987 on the east side of the building. A pair of falcons first used the nest in 1988, and the DNR says the site has been the nesting home for 93 falcon chicks through 2025.
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The original camera was installed in 2010, allowing viewers a chance to watch falcons raise their young each year. It’s one of the first live streams the DNR Nongame Wildlife Programs launched to help spread conservation awareness.
“We’ve known for a couple of years that we wanted to replace the FalconCam camera,” said Elizabeth Nault-Maurer, a communication specialist for the Minnesota Nongame Wildlife Program. “We had these conversations back in around 2023, maybe 2024, but when the EagleCam nest fell, that kind of threw our plans for the FalconCam in a bit of disarray.
“Once we got the new EagleCam installed, we pivoted right back to the FalconCam.”
The previous camera lacked the capability to capture sound, and provided a slightly limited view of the nest with a washed out, keyhole-like framing of the interior of the box.
Nault-Maurer said with the first season, the team is still fine-tuning the sound capabilities for the new camera. The capacity to capture sound and a much more crisp view of not only the nest, but a view of downtown St. Paul, will give fans of wildlife live streams a lot to be excited about.
Arcadia returns for a 10th season. More to learn about the male
Fans of the FalconCam may recognize the female, Arcadia. She has returned for the season, and has used the same nesting box in downtown St. Paul since 2016. She was banded in 2013 at a nesting box at the state prison in St. Cloud.
The DNR said they are still learning more about the male, and will provide updates on the FalconCam website.
“He’s still a mystery to us!” Nault-Maurer said. “We’re still waiting on a chance to identify that male to see if he’s the same as past seasons, or if this is a new fellow she’s invited into the nest box.”
Currently the pair are preparing for the nesting season. They have already formed a nest by digging a shallow bowl in the gravel, called a “scrape.”
In a typical season, falcons will lay three or four eggs, taking about two to three days between each egg to lay the next. The eggs can take about 30 to 35 days to incubate and hatch.
And they’ll grow quickly after hatching. The chicks will take about 35 to 40 days before they fledge and leave the nest for good. They can live up to 20 years in the wild, and can start raising young after by year one.
Last year, Arcadia and her mate hatched three eggs around May 21, with the two males and one female falcons leaving the nest by late June.
The livestream of the nest supports peregrine falcon conservation efforts in Minnesota. In the 1970s, the raptor species almost went extinct throughout North America. Populations have since been restored, with state and nonprofit efforts like the Midwest Peregrine Society, the DNR’s Nongame Wildlife Program and local falconers.
“Minnesotans should feel a lot of pride when they watch the FalconCam and when they see peregrine falcons out in the wild, because this was one of our species that we were at the risk of losing,” Nault-Maurer said. “And we would not have been able to do that without Minnesotans sharing their passion for peregrines with us.”
