“Hatch Day” Returns to BAMPFA, with UC Berkeley’s Famous Falcons Predicted to Welcome New Chicks on Wednesday, April 24

Hatching Will Be Livestreamed on BAMPFA’s Massive Outdoor Screen Throughout the Day

(Berkeley, CA) April 9, 2024—The Bay Area’s favorite pair of peregrine falcons, Annie and Archie, are incubating a clutch of four eggs that are due to hatch on Wednesday, April 24—a momentous occasion that will be presented live on the massive outdoor screen of the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA). This highly anticipated “Hatch Day” screening will spotlight the latest additions to this beloved family of peregrine falcons, who have become local celebrities since they began nesting in UC Berkeley’s Campanile bell tower in 2016. BAMPFA will present this free, family-friendly livestream presentation from 9:00 AM through 7:00 PM on April 24, the day that experts predict the eggs are likely to hatch.

This occasion marks the third time that BAMPFA has livestreamed this perennially popular event for Bay Area audiences, which it offers in partnership with the UC Berkeley Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, Berkeley Public Library, Golden Gate Raptor Observatory, East Bay Regional Park District, Institute for Bird Populations, and Native Bird Connections. A team of falcon experts will be on site to share their real-time insights with visitors at an information booth stationed near the outdoor screen, which is located in downtown Berkeley on the corner of Addison and Oxford Streets. From 11 AM to 2 PM, the table will feature a live falcon specimen that is currently undergoing rehabilitation treatment under the care of Native Bird Connections. Interviews with the falcon experts are available on request and can be scheduled by emailing afox@berkeley.edu or calling 510-642-0365.

The female member of the Campanile couple, Annie, has cycled through multiple mates since establishing her nest in Berkeley eight years ago; her latest partner, Archie, joined the family earlier this year, just in time for the mid-March breeding season that precipitated the current clutch of eggs. During her residency in the Campanile, Annie has given birth to eighteen healthy chicks, all of whom have flown off to start their own nests after reaching maturity. 

Like many future parents, Annie and Archie have been posting periodic updates about their expectant family online. Fans can follow the latest updates on Facebook and Twitter/X @CalFalconCam, as well as Instagram and TikTok @CalFalcons. For those unable to attend the BAMPFA screening in person, a livestream video of Annie and Archie’s nest will remain available 24/7 at calfalcons.berkeley.edu.

Posted by afox on April 09, 2024