WOBURN (WBZ-AM) -- Some Falcon chicks had their first trip out of their nest Monday, and WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Bernice Corpuz was there to document it.
After their busy morning, the four chicks are back in their next on a rocky cliff about 75 feet above the ground. A crew from the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife rappelled halfway down that cliff, bringing the chicks down in a canvas bag to be tagged.
The chicks' mother stood nearby, making a lot of noise as the workers carried her babies down the cliff. Three males and one female were tagged.
Assistant Director Tom French is in charge of the state's endangered species program.
"They were listed as endangered," French said. "They were completely gone from the entire Eastern United States in 1966 ... they're still scarce, there are not many of them, but they're secure."
Peregrine falcons have since been downgraded to "threatened." French said they'll soon be downgraded again to "special concern" in Massachusetts. So far this year, over 30 falcon chicks have been tagged in the state.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Bernice Corpuz reports