WATCHING BIRDS: The Great Backyard Bird Count starts today and lasts through Tuesday.

However, if you can’t be near a window, or if you’re itching to continue watching some birds after the sun goes down, there’s a couple of opportunities to watch them on your computer.

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection announced this week that the Harrisburg peregrine falcons are once again using the 15th-floor ledge of the Rachel Carson State Office Building to nest.

This is the 17th year in a row.

You can watch the falcons on the DEP FalconCam at the website www.dep.state.pa.us/dep/falcon/.

According to the DEP, “The current peregrine pair are a nearly 14-year-old male (band code *W/*V, black over red) that has occupied the nest site for 13 years and a nearly 8-year-old female (48/AE, black over green) that has occupied the nest site for five years.”

The agency explained that a younger male came to the ledge in early January, and the older male disappeared.

“After much speculation by dedicated falcon fans, the elder returned a few weeks later and reclaimed the nest site.” A similar occurrence happened when a younger female showed up, but the older female held off the competition.

The DEP anticipates the female to start laying eggs around mid-March.

Similarly, the Pennsylvania Game Commission, along with HDOnTap, Comcast Business and Codorus State Park, shares live footage of a bald eagle family that lives in Hanover.

Watch the eagles at the website www.pgc.pa.gov/Wildlife/WildlifeSpecies/BaldEagles/Pages/default.aspx. The page also has links to more information about bald eagle and eagle-watching tips.

If you plan to take part in the Great Backyard Bird Count, the folks at Kinzua Bridge State Park near Mount Jewett have invited people to count birds there from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday.