Melbourne quake rocks squawking mother falcon out of nest

A falcon flies away and leaves its nest with eggs unattended after experiencing tremors from a magnitude 6.0 earthquake that struck near Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, September 22, 2021, in this still image from video obtained via social media. MIRVAC via REUTERS

A magnitude 6.0 earthquake startled the residents of Melbourne on Wednesday morning – including one rare peregrine falcon mother shaken from her nest, full of eggs.

A live video stream of the nest, tucked into a ledge on an office building in the city’s central business district, caught the moment the temblor struck, causing the spooked falcon to leap from her nest to the edge of the building, and then dive off it with a squawk.

The quake was one of Australia’s biggest on record and damaged some buildings in the country’s second-largest city, though there were no reported injuries.

The video was provided by Mirvac Group, property manager for the 34-storey building known as the Optus Centre, located on Collins Street. A breeding pair of falcons have nested there since 1991, according to Mirvac’s website for the building.

The 367 Collins Street Falcons Live Stream was started four years ago by the Victorian Peregrine Project, one of Birdlife Australia’s Raptor Group initiatives.

Despite the mother’s initial scare, she returned to the nest minutes after the shaking ended, resuming her crouch over the several eggs that appeared undisturbed by the rumbling.