There is a peregrine falcon nest on the roof of the Union County Courthouse in midtown Elizabeth.
A pair of falcons started building a nest in 2005 but were not successful because of windy conditions. The NJ Department of Environmental Protection suggested adding something to act as a wind shield so the County installed a dog house ot the roof.
A pair of falcons has raised their babies in the dog house every year since then. The NJDEP has banded the baby falcons once they were old enough and has reported that the banded birds have been found all around New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. In some cases, the offspring of the Union County birds have raised chicks of their own.
The same pair of falcons nested on the roof of the Courthouse from 2006-2015. Last year, they had 4 eggs and all 4 were hatched. A new pair of falcons has taken up residence on the roof this year. According to her band, the mother falcon was born at the Throgs Neck Bridge in New York in 2010.
Peregrine falcons are endangered in New Jersey due to loss of habitat as well as residual DDT usage.In the 1960s, there were no falcons in New Jersey at all – in fact, there were no falcons east of the Mississippi River. Currently, there are 24 nesting pairs in New Jersey thanks to conservation and reintroduction efforts of the 1980s.
Union County is one of only two places in New Jersey with a live webcam observing peregrine falcons – the other is in Jersey City. On the roof of the Courthouse aretwo cameras – one inside the nest and one outside the nest. The camera inside the nest has been disabled temporarily because workers couldn’t clean the camera without disturbing the chicks. Once the chicks have fledged, the camera will be online again. The second camera, outside the nest, shows a view of a roof. You can see the dome-shaped dog house on the right.
Visitors to the webcam can often see the chicks moving around by the door to the doghouse or around the roof. You might even get lucky and catch one of the falcons flying onto or off of the roof. 
In 2015 only 24 nesting pairs of peregrine falcons were reported in all of New Jersey. Of that total, only 16 are known to have made their homes in buildings like the County Courthouse. Union County participates in a banding program with wildlife experts from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. Thanks to the partnership, offspring from the County Courthouse pair have been observed around the tri-state region, where they have raised chicks of their own.
The same pair occupied the County Courthouse nest from 2006 to 2015. Last year they had four eggs, beating the statewide average of 2.25 young per active nest. They also hatched all four to achieve a 100 percent success rate, well above the average rate of 71 percent. Earlier this year a new female took up residence in the nest. Leg bands indicate that she was born in a nest located at Throgs Neck Bridge in New York City in 2010. The new Falcon Cam live stream includes two cameras. One provides a view of the nest interior. This camera also provides an infrared video image at night.
A second camera enables observers to track the falcons’ behavior while perched outside of the nest. An audio feed will also be available later this year. With the Falcon Cam, Union County becomes one of only two places in New Jersey with a live peregrine falcon web link. The other web cam is located at a nest in Jersey City.
Until recent years, the peregrine falcon population was in steep decline along with other birds of prey due to habitat loss and the pesticide DDT. By 1964, peregrine falcons disappeared completely from New Jersey and all other states east of the Mississippi River.
Peregrine falcons were one of the first birds to be the focus of conservation efforts after the 1960’s. In the 1980’s an intensive re-introduction effort began in the tri-state region. Since 2000 the New Jersey population has stabilized at approximately two dozen nesting pairs annually. For more information about peregrine falcons, visit the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Division of Fish & Wildlife.
In 2015 only 24 nesting pairs of peregrine falcons were reported in all of New Jersey. Of that total, only 16 are known to have made their homes in buildings like the County Courthouse. Union County participates in a banding program with wildlife experts from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. Thanks to the partnership, offspring from the County Courthouse pair have been observed around the tri-state region, where they have raised chicks of their own.
The same pair occupied the County Courthouse nest from 2006 to 2015. Last year they had four eggs, beating the statewide average of 2.25 young per active nest. They also hatched all four to achieve a 100 percent success rate, well above the average rate of 71 percent. Earlier this year a new female took up residence in the nest. Leg bands indicate that she was born in a nest located at Throgs Neck Bridge in New York City in 2010. The new Falcon Cam live stream includes two cameras. One provides a view of the nest interior. This camera also provides an infrared video image at night.
A second camera enables observers to track the falcons’ behavior while perched outside of the nest. An audio feed will also be available later this year. With the Falcon Cam, Union County becomes one of only two places in New Jersey with a live peregrine falcon web link. The other web cam is located at a nest in Jersey City.
Until recent years, the peregrine falcon population was in steep decline along with other birds of prey due to habitat loss and the pesticide DDT. By 1964, peregrine falcons disappeared completely from New Jersey and all other states east of the Mississippi River.
Peregrine falcons were one of the first birds to be the focus of conservation efforts after the 1960’s. In the 1980’s an intensive re-introduction effort began in the tri-state region. Since 2000 the New Jersey population has stabilized at approximately two dozen nesting pairs annually. For more information about peregrine falcons, visit the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Division of Fish & Wildlife.