Canadian Peregrine Foundation -- Hamilton archives 2001

The Canadian Peregrine Foundation

HAMILTON HOME PAGE ARCHIVES

2001

Wednesday June 27, 2001
Mark Dietrich reports (from Lansing, Michigan): Stelco attempted to nest in a new location this year. She chose a drainage area on the twelfth floor of the Michigan National Tower in Lansing. We had another bad storm (seems like a storm does her nest in every year) and the nest was abandoned, leaving one egg that went to our DNR research center for analysis.

I did not see the peregrines after the nest was abandoned about six weeks ago. I assumed that they were using another area for feeding, which they have done in the past. I just got a call from one of the people that have been watching our birds for a couple of years and I confirmed that the peregrine we saw had a GREEN leg band on the left leg. We have looked up his band number, and found that he is Alimak, a one year old male from Alma, Wisconsin.

Sunday June 24, 2001
Mark Nash reports: Both Hamilton fledglings are in the air and doing well - for the details, visit the Hamilton Naturalists' Club Falcon Watch News by clicking here.

Sunday June 17, 2001
Mark Nash reports: It would appear that there is action at the Hamilton nest, and notes have been posted in the news section about their first fledgling Hal, who took flight yesterday - for the details, visit the Hamilton Naturalists' Club Falcon Watch News by clicking here.

Sunday June 3, 2001
Marcel Gahbauer reports: Early this afternoon, David Pfeffer observed the two adult peregrines in Hamilton perched side by side on the Standard Life building. A definite size difference was noticed between the two, indicating that Madame X's current partner is a male. Whether this bird is the same one previously thought to be a female, or a different one yet again, is not certain.

Monday May 28, 2001
Mark Nash reports: Hamilton banding - 10:30 am. Two chicks (fathered by Dad), but being raised by another male and Madame X. First chick 628 grams, female, 21 days old; second chick 645 grams, male, 23 days old. Banding was done by Bruce Duncan, assisted by Anne Yagi. Rock climber John Millar accessed the nest ledge to retrieve and return the chicks. Also in attendance were Mike Street and other members of the Hamilton Naturalists' Club, as well as Laurie Ham and Amil Kiriakos of the Hamilton Sheraton Hotel, and reporters from the Hamilton Spectator.

Tuesday May 8, 2001
Marcel Gahbauer reports: Mike Street of the Hamilton Naturalists' Club has informed us of some very peculiar developments at the Hamilton nest site. A prolonged aerial battle took place near the nest site on April 27, involving three birds, two large birds of almost equal size and a third, smaller peregrine. Madame X eventually returned to the nest and resumed brooding. Later examination of video tapes and webcam photos from the Hamilton Community Peregrine Project camera clearly showed that the second adult at the nest is not Percy. The unidentified peregrine, possibly female because of its size, has a single aluminum band on its right leg and no band oat all on its left. Percy's aluminum band is on his left. Looking back, HCPP volunteers have concluded that there have been no confirmed sightings of Percy for at least one week before the fight, and possibly longer. There are still two peregrines attending to the nest ledge regularly, and they appear virtually identical in size, suggesting that they are both females. The second large bird was photographed on the nest ledge the day before the battle, so the speculation is that the smaller bird in the fight may have been Percy, trying to regain his territory. The identity of the second bird will remain a mystery until volunteers can obtain the numbers on the aluminum band. It is very unusual for peregrines to tolerate the presence of an intruder, especially one of the same sex, so it is of great interest to learn the identity of these two peregrines. In the week after the fight Madame X incubated the eggs almost all the time, but did allow the other large bird to take over for short periods. The first hatch occurred on May 5 just before 3 pm. The second hatch came between dusk Sunday, May 6 and dawn Monday, May 7. To date, the new adult bird (Newbird?) has been bringing food, but only Madame X has actually transferred food to the chicks. This is important because it shows that there is still some separation between the two adults.

Friday April 13, 2001
Marcel Gahbauer reports: The Canadian Peregrine Foundation's Hamilton Webcam is once again up and running. Click here to view the current images (available through all daylight hours). Most of the time you will see either Percy or Madame X incubating the eggs, but on occasion when they trade positions, you may be able to catch a glimpse of the four eggs. For the time being we have zoomed in the camera quite close, since Percy and Madame X will almost always be on or near the eggs until they begin to hatch in early May; once the chicks begin moving around we may zoom out a bit to ensure they remain within camera range.

Wednesday March 28, 2001
The Hamilton Naturalists' Club (Mike Street) reports: The Hamilton Naturalists' Club and the Hamilton Community Peregrine Project are very pleased to advise that as of 8AM today, March 28, 2001 the Hamilton Peregrine Falcons are incubating one egg! This is the seventh year in a row Peregrine Falcons have set up housekeeping at the Sheraton Hamilton Hotel.

The male, Percy, first appeared in Hamilton in 1994. The female, known for the moment as 'Madam X', is the third female at the nest, replacing 'Mom' (1995-1998) and 'Toledo' (1999-2000). HCPP members are trying to read the bands on Madam X's legs in order to identify when and where she was born.

Sunday March 25, 2001
Marcel Gahbauer reports: The Hamilton peregrines have continued to show interest in the traditional nest ledge on the Sheraton Hotel in downtown Hamilton, and we expect the first egg to be laid before long. Watch for an announcement soon on the reactivation of the Hamilton Webcam.

We have also received some good news from Mark Dietrich in Lansing, Michigan about Stelco (from the 1997 Hamilton nest). She and her mate, and unbanded (presumably wild) male have returned to Lansing for the fourth year. The first sighting of the pair together was on March 9. They have been unsuccessful with nesting attempts in the past, but this year a nest box has been installed on the Capitol building (where Stelco tried to nest the past two years). We are all hoping that they will finally be able to raise a family this spring. Check out the Hamilton Photo Gallery for a great new photo of her.

Friday January 19, 2001
The Hamilton Naturalists' Club (Mike Street) reports: Yesterday's report about the passing of the Peregrine Falcon "Toledo" has resulted in news that a second Hamilton Peregrine was also found dead by a roadside late last fall. This bird has been identified as 'Phoenix", the second male fledged from the Hamilton nest in 1998. He was found in Haldimand County around the 4th Concession between the Cheapside and Sandusk Roads. It appears likely that "Phoenix" was the male of the pair of Peregrines which were seen several times in June 2000 at the nearby Nanticoke Generating Station.

While this is more sad news, it does add to the developing body of knowledge about Peregrine Falcon recovery in Ontario. It is obvious that some of the youngsters are quite happy to remain close to their birth locations after fledging.

Thursday January 18, 2001
The Hamilton Naturalists' Club (Mike Street) reports: The Hamilton Community Peregrine Project and Hamilton Naturalists' Club regret to report the death of "Toledo", the mother of Hamilton's Millennium Falcon chicks. MNR biologist Anne Yagi has confirmed that a dead Peregrine Falcon found on a roadside in the Hamilton Area last fall was identified as Toledo. In 1999 Toledo replaced Percy's previous mate "Mom" and they successfully reared two foster chicks after Toledo's own eggs failed to hatch. The 2000 nesting season brought Toledo maternal success as she and Percy hatched and reared four chicks.

On a cheerier note, the Peregrine Falcon population clearly recognizes the merits of the Hamilton nest site on the Sheraton Hotel. Local observers have reported the presence of two peregrines all winter. One bird is considerably larger than the other and it is believed that they are Percy and a new female. The birds are often seen in close proximity to one another (even to within a few feet) and have been seen to exchange food, all of which imply a preamble to courting behaviour. We will continue to provide updates as breeding season progresses.

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