Follow her journey: Baltimore falcon spotted atop building in Virginia
Updated: 6:08 PM EDT Sep 6, 2018
Jennifer Franciotti
News Anchor, Reporter
WEBVTT VIRGINIA. JENNIFER: CHECK OUT RICHMOND, VIRGINIA’S NEWEST TOURIST. KELANI IS A YOUNG PERIGRINE FALCON ON VACATION FROM BALTIMORE. SHE WAS SPOTTED ON THE DEPARMENT OF RECREATION’S FALCON CAM DOWN THERE MONTHS AFTER LEAVING HER NEST ON THE 33RD FLOOR OF THE TRANSAMERICA BUILDING NEAR INN HARBOR. >> FLEW ALL THE WAY DOWN TO RICHMOND. WE KNEW THAT BECAUSE THE U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, A PARTNER OF OURS, BANDED HE JENNIFER: AND MY, HOW SHE’S GROWN. HERE SHE IS WITH HER SIBLINGS, BORN TO BALTIMORE’S OWN BOH AN BARB THIS SPRING. YOU WATCH NATURE IN ACTION THANKS TO FALCON CAM ON THE CHESAPEAKE CONSERVENCY’S WEBSITE FROM THE FIRST EGG TO THE WHOLE FAMILY. WHAT’S GREAT ABOUT THIS STORY IS THAT PERRIGRINE FALCONS WERE COMPLETLY ELIMINATED FROM THE CHESSAPEAKE BAY IN 1970 DUE TO A CHEMICAL CALLED DDT. JENNIFER: JOEL DUNN IS THE PRESIDENT AND CEO OF T CHESAPEAKE CONSERVATORY. HE SAYS IT WOULD TAKE UNTIL THE MID-1980’S BEFORE ANOTHER FALCON WOULD REPRODUCE HERE. SINCE THEN DESCENDENTS HAVE BEEN , REARING THEIR YOUN >> REPOPULATING THE CHESAPEAKE BAY WITH PERIGRINE FALCONS. BRINGING BACK THE MAGIC OF T WILDLIFE. JENNIFER: AND FROM HER EARLY BEGININGS AT THE TRANSAMERICA BUILDING TO RICHMOND IT LOOKS LIKE THIS COULD TURN INTO A LOVE STORY. KELANI MIGHT BE DATING >> THEY’VE HAD A MALE ON THE DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION A RECREATION IN RICHMOND ON THEIR CAMERA WITHOUT A MATE. SO OUR HOPE IS THAT KELANI WILL BECOME HIS MATE AND A STAR OF RICHMOND’S WILDLIFE CAM DOWN
All birds have to leave the nest at some point, but it's not very often we find out where they go -- until a Baltimore falcon was spotted in Virginia.The newest tourist in Richmond, Virginia, Kelani, is a young peregrine falcon on vacation from Baltimore. She was spotted on the Department of Recreation's falcon camera months after leaving her nest on the 33rd floor of the Transamerica Building near Baltimore's inner Harbor. "Kelani flew all the way down to Richmond, and we knew that because the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service, which is a partner of ours, banded her," said Joel Dunn, president and CEO of the Chesapeake Conservancy. Kelani was born to Baltimore's own Boh and Barb in the spring."What's great about this story is peregrine falcons were completely eliminated from the Chesapeake Bay in 1970 due to a chemical called DDT," Dunn said. Dunn said it took until the mid-1980s before another falcon reproduced in Maryland, and since then, descendants have been rearing their young. "(The birds are) repopulating the Chesapeake Bay with peregrine falcons, bringing back the magic of the wildlife," Dunn said. From her early beginnings at the Transamerica Building to Richmond, it looks like this could turn into a love story, as Kelani might be dating. "They've had a male on the Department of Conservation and Recreation building in Richmond without a mate this year, and so our hope is that Kelani will become his mate and a star of Richmond's wildlife cam down there," Dunn said.
All birds have to leave the nest at some point, but it's not very often we find out where they go -- until a Baltimore falcon was spotted in Virginia.
The newest tourist in Richmond, Virginia, Kelani, is a young peregrine falcon on vacation from Baltimore. She was spotted on the Department of Recreation's falcon camera months after leaving her nest on the 33rd floor of the Transamerica Building near Baltimore's inner Harbor.
"Kelani flew all the way down to Richmond, and we knew that because the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service, which is a partner of ours, banded her," said Joel Dunn, president and CEO of the Chesapeake Conservancy.
Kelani was born to Baltimore's own Boh and Barb in the spring.
"What's great about this story is peregrine falcons were completely eliminated from the Chesapeake Bay in 1970 due to a chemical called DDT," Dunn said.
Dunn said it took until the mid-1980s before another falcon reproduced in Maryland, and since then, descendants have been rearing their young.
"(The birds are) repopulating the Chesapeake Bay with peregrine falcons, bringing back the magic of the wildlife," Dunn said.
From her early beginnings at the Transamerica Building to Richmond, it looks like this could turn into a love story, as Kelani might be dating.
"They've had a male on the Department of Conservation and Recreation building in Richmond without a mate this year, and so our hope is that Kelani will become his mate and a star of Richmond's wildlife cam down there," Dunn said.