Falcon eggs relocated from precarious perch

Story Highlights

• Peregrine falcons George and Gracie laid their eggs under SF Bay Bridge
• Scientists feared chicks would be killed by cars or drowning when they tried to fly
• Biologists took three eggs out of the nest to an incubator on Friday
• Hope is that George and Gracie will lay more eggs in a safer place

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SAN FRANCISCO, California (AP) -- A peregrine falcon shrieked from above as scientists snatched three eggs from a precarious nest under a bridge, to save the chicks from a possible deadly fall or car collision when they hatch.

University of California-Santa Cruz biologist Brian Latta on Friday removed the eggs from a narrow beam beneath the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge about 200 feet above San Francisco Bay.

"It's the most dangerous place in the world for them," said Latta.

Latta moved in after the mother bird left the father alone to defend the nest, a two-inch depression in a wind-blown pile of dirt.

Peregrines are known for their ferocity when their nests are invaded, and the male parent swooped and circled as the eggs were removed.

"When the female comes back, he's going to have a lot of explaining to do," Latta said.

The parent falcons, dubbed George and Gracie, had nested for years on the 33rd floor ledge of a downtown skyscraper, where they raised several clutches of chicks.

The pair relocated to the bridge this year at the same spot where George hatched in 1999 and was rescued in a similar operation before he was old enough to fly.

If the eggs were allowed to hatch under the bridge, crosswinds could send the fledglings plummeting into the bay or hurtle them under the wheels of passing cars when they left the nest for their first flights.

George and Gracie are celebrities among San Francisco bird watchers, who followed their progress in past years via a Web camera near the previous nest at Pacific Gas and Electric Co.'s city headquarters.

The peregrine falcon, which can reach speeds of more than 200 mph in its hunting dive, has taken up residence in many U.S. cities. Tall buildings replace the steep cliffs that are the birds' natural habitat, and pigeons provide a plentiful source of food.

Scientists hope the removal of the eggs from the Bay Bridge nest will prompt George and Gracie to return to their old nesting site and lay new eggs within a few weeks.

A digital monitor detected a heartbeat in two of the three eggs, which were packed in foam in separate plastic tubes after the rescue.

Biologists at the university's Predatory Bird Research Group planned to incubate the eggs and turn the hatchlings over to adoptive peregrine parents until they are ready to return to the wild.

The peregrine falcon was removed from the federal government's endangered species list several years ago but remains fully protected under California law.