Baby Falcons Tagged For Tracking After Birth Atop Nassau University Medical Center

NEW YORK(CBSNewYork) -- It was a spectacular and often unseen sight on Long Island.

Baby falcons were tagged and tracked under the watchful eye of their mother, and it was no easy task.

State wildlife biologist Christopher Nadareski wasn't taking any chances when he cautiously removed two baby falcon chicks from an improbable nest 17-stories above the street on top of the Nassau University Medical Center.

Nadareski used a safety line to hang on while keeping a close eye on the birds' clearly agitated mother.

"Peregrine falcons are known for their aggressive nature, protecting the young, protecting the nest site, battling off potential intruders to the nest," he said.

Nadareski and a team of biologists risked the high-wire act on Wednesday, so they could tag the newly born boy and girl falcons, named Connor and Isabella, CBS 2's Dana Tyler reported.

The newborns bring the number of falcons born on the hospital ledge since 1977, to 65.

As Nadareski explained, the bands won't hurt the birds. Good luck explaining that to young Connor who squawked the whole time as the tracking bands were placed on his claws.

In the past falcons born on the ledge have been tracked as far away as Alaska, but some don't even leave town.

"If they survive after they hatch out, they actually will stay around the New York metropolitan area," Nadareski explained.

Despite preservation efforts falcons remain an endangered species, according to Nadareski. He warned against getting too close to the birds since they are predators, known for their speed in attacking.

"They're known as the fastest creatures on earth for their downward projections, their bullet like dives when they fold their wings going after their food," he said.

After tagging the birds Nadareski cautiously crawled back onto the window ledge to put the babies back in their nest behind a wooden box.

The birds will take off from the ledge in about two weeks. Researchers will track where they go.

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