"Melbourne's star couple returns to heights and this year has laid four eggs."
Originally published in Global Voices in Spanish
A pilgrim hawk female starts the flight. Image courtesy of Sally Randall, published in the Facebook Group 367 Collins Falcon Watchers.
A couple of Pilgrimage hawks He has been returning for over 30 years to a building on Collins 367 Street in Melbourne, Australia, to reproduce. A web camera allows you to follow the nesting live during the 24 hours a dayfrom laying eggs to hatching, the growth of chicks and their first flights. These annual visitors have conquered many followers and have become an expected attraction every season. The owners of 367 Collins Street proud to welcome them:
Peregrine Falcons are birds of prior known for their ability to fly at extremely high speed (in excess of 320 kilometers per hour) aging them the title of the fastest animal on earth. Since 1991, a pair of Peregrine Falcons has been observed in a nest on the roundtop of 367 Collins Street. As home to the only known pilgrim falcon nesting site within Melbourne's CBD, the building plays a surprisingly important role to the ongoing breeding success of these rare and fiercely territorial birds.
Pilgrimage hawks are rapacious birds capable of reaching speeds above 320 kilometres per hour, which has been worth the world's fastest animal title. Since 1991, a couple have been observed in a nest on the roof of 367 Collins Street. As the only known site for nesting this species in the central financial district of Melbourne, the building plays a surprisingly important role in the reproductive success of these rare and ferociously territorial birds.
The Conservationist Organization Birdlife Australia celebrated his return to Instagram.
The HORAAAAA...
The live camera of the pilgrim hawk of Melbourne REGRESA in 2026!
Melbourne's favorite high star couple is back for another season, and this year they've laid four eggs!
Prepare to see how the chicks are born and how their parents raise them on the heights, far from the hustle and bustle of Melbourne's urban life. That's a full-time job!
The Sydney marine eagles chamber also returns live!
Look at both live cameras through the link in our biography!
With 9 to 5 from Dolly Parton as background music, obviously the care of eggs and chicks is a task that has no schedule.
Social media users have adopted their own names for the couple: M24 for the male and F24 for the female. Following your activity can generate quite anxiety. Kirsty Greenwood was one of the spectators who lived him in the first person in Facebook:
M24 caused a bit of watcher anxiety yesterday (Sep 8) by not showing up until 11: 26am, then, as if to make up for it, he woke up F24 at 5: 05am today! She left the eggs at 5: 07am for the first changover of the day. M24's first slot was really short however, with F24 returning to the eggs just three minutes later at 5: 10.
Yesterday, M24 caused some anxiety among those following him (8 September) because he did not appear until 11: 26. As if I wanted to make it up to you, today you woke up F24 at 05: 05! He left the eggs at 05: 07 for the first relief of the day. However, M24's shift was very short: F24 returned just three minutes later, at 05: 10.
Another user was surprised by the apparent instinctive knowledge of these birds on the breeding:
It amazes me to sometimes think how much knowledge must be hard-wired into these animals' DNA. I mean... not one teaches them need to roll their eggs to ensure the embryo gets enough albumen and don't stick to the shell. But... they just know. F24 stands to preen and think 'I may as well do a roll and a shuffle while I'm up.' Pretty awesome I reckon.
Sometimes I wonder how much knowledge must be incorporated into these animals' DNA. Because... no one teaches them to turn the eggs so that the embryo gets enough albumin and doesn't stick to the shell. They just know. F24 stands up and thinks, "Since I'm standing, I might as well turn and accommodate the eggs a little." I think it's amazing.
It's not always the same couple. In 2024, The Guardian reported on a new female who occupied the nest during the reproductive season:
The amount of eggs deposited on the outgoing has also aroused great interest in social networks. In Bluesky, SK Hideaways considered three to be a whole parental complication:
# 367CollinsSt.
Congrats to mum & dad on egg # 3. The delivery seemed almost certainly less for mum. But dad puzzled to get himself on top of all 3 eggs. He got there in the end ~ plenty of time to practice.Courtesy Victorian Peregrine Project - 124; Melbourne, Australia # raptors # birds # pilgriminefalcons
- SK Hideaways (@ skh4birdies.bsky.social) 2026-08-29T03: 11: 06.690Z
Collins 367 Street Hawks
The mom puts the third egg in a hurry.
Dad solves the incubation problem.
28 August 2026
- - - -
Collins 367 Street.Courtesy Victorian Peregrine Project - 124; Melbourne, Australia
However, a quarter would soon come. Mazz @ 1984 celebrated the news in @ aus.social account at Mastodon:
Post by @ CaringKinderSociety @ aus.socialView on Mastodon
Oh, a fourth egg!
The live transmission of the 367 Collins Street hawks can be seen on YouTube. The channel exceeds 30,000 subscribers and hundreds of people connect simultaneously.
The newly renovated lobby The building also seems to have been inspired by these birds:
Lobby inspired by the pilgrims' hawks on Collins 367 Street, Melbourne. Screenshot from a video of FDC Building posted on Facebook. legitimate use.
In addition, in 2025, Dr. Ann Jones of Australian Broadcasting Corporation Science released an hour-long documentary on some of Melbourne's birds, including the pilgrims' hawks.
It is an exceptional look at the private life of these birds, to the point that thousands of people have connected to live transmission year after year.
For six weeks, they have seen the chicks increase their weight by 30, look at the city and finally start the flight for the first time.
Since the web camera was installed in 2016, it has been very interesting to observe the reaction of the public.
The online community has responded very positively. We have a very respectful Internet corner, whose members are simply interested in what these birds do. It's extraordinary and I think it shows that people want to be close to nature and that, even if they can't live there, at least they want to experience that closeness and know what's still there.
Without a doubt, those who followed these hawks were awaiting the live broadcast to see the hatching of the eggs and accompany the chicks until their first flights.
