ON / Hamilton - Sheraton Hotel - 2008-21

[carly]

FOUR ON THE FLOOR ONCE MORE!!

May 10, 2010 - Lead monitor Audrey Gamble reports: At 12:18 today Madame X and Surge completed what has become an annual Mother's Day Weekend event - successful hatching of four apparently healthy chicks. In the image at left, taken at 14:37 this afternoon, it looks like X and Surge (back to the camera) are congratulating each other on a job well done, so far. In the background, although not totally discernable as separate individuals, are the four chicks. Congratulations, Ma and Pa!

Now the fun begins. Banding will be in about 3-4 weeks - watch how these little ones grow in that time. Stay Tuned!

[Alison]

A view of the chicks:

 

[The Peregrine Chick]

Not sure how many peregrine nests on cliffs I've seen with vegetation like that though!!!

[carly]

THREE!!

May 8, 2010 - At 14:25 today Surge brought in some food and Madame X stepped onto the upper ledge, providing a clear look at three fluffy white chicks, as seen in the image at left. Today's high winds seem to have bent the weed a bit to the south, providing a better view of the nest corner, and we hope that it will not move back. Getting ready for Number Four - stay tuned!!

(I like the greenery, makes it look more natural.  YOu can almost pretend they are on a cliff site and not a concrete slab..well if you ignore the glass windows   )

[The Peregrine Chick]

Shows you what a great source of fertilizer poop art is!! 

[sami]

Hmmm, another site that could use a gardener. Makes it difficult to see chicks. I don't recall seeing sites with that much greenery in the past - is it new or just worse this year?

[Alison]

Congratulations to Madame X and Surge!

Haven't seen the chicks yet, but both parents are staying close to home:

[carly]

FIRST CHICK OF 2010!!!!!

May 6, 2010 - Lead monitor Audrey Gamble reports: The long wait IS over for Madame X and Surge. The image at left, taken at 10:02 this morning, clearly shows the first young Peregrine of 2010 in the Sheraton Hamilton nest. As of noon the presence of the chick and the three remaining eggs was confirmed by telescope. This is one year to the day, and almost to the minute, of the first chick's appearance last year. We are on our way!!!

[carly]

STILL FOUR EGGS

Tuesday May 4 - Lead monitor Audrey Gamble reports: I had a clear view of four eggs this afternoon when Madame X left the nest to chase away, you guessed it, another Peregrine. A third falcon was in the neighbourhood again. I wasn't sure if the outsider was a juvenile but its behaviour and its interactions with the adults were the same as with the juvenile a few weeks back. The stranger flies around after Surge in a non aggressive way and when he lands the bird tries to land close to him. Surge flies off, flushing the intruder into the air and gives chase, but doesn't attack. Madame X joins in, Surge retreats to tend the eggs and Madame X chases the intruder out of the area. Knowing the extent of injuries that adult Peregrines can inflict on one another and on precocious juveniles in a territorial rivalry, I have to say that the adults are being uncharacteristically mild mannered.

[carly]

ALL QUIET ON THE SHERATON FRONT - THAT PESKY WEED!

 April 17, 2010 - There hasn't been much action since our last update a week ago, unless of course you consider our weed's growth to be a form of action. Every year since this ugly piece of vegetation first appeared we have tried to remove it but, as you can see, so far without success. We even tried once in the middle of winter using a long tree pruner and a metal wire snare, but no joy. There's not much we can do until Banding Day, except to hope that our view of the eggs will not be completely impeded. This is almost the hardest part of Falconwatch - it's tough to see the adults sitting day after day through all types of weather. The image at left shows Surge when he stopped in for a brief visit with Madame X around 9:40 this morning. The good news is that if all goes well we should see some white fluff balls around Mother's Day. Keep that thought in mind folks, and stay tuned.

Our thanks to the Sheraton Hamilton for putting off needed repairs to the sign at the King Street roof edge. Having workmen up there at this critical time in the breeding process could have been very dangerous for the birds and the workers, so the job has been postponed until after the chicks fledge.

[carly]

FOUR ON THE FLOOR ONCE MORE!!!!

 April 10, 2010 - Lead Monitor Audrey Gamble reports: Once again Madame X has laid four eggs in the Sheraton Hamilton nest. The wet and cold weather has kept her very close to the scrape all week, and it was cold and windy up there again today, but at 13:35 she left the nest and let us have a good look the four big brown bruisers in the image at left! What pulled her off the nest was the need to chase the juvenile Peregrine, who is still hanging around. Surge had visited the nest just before Madame X departed but he must have stayed close by. When she took off after the youngster, he appeared out of nowhere to tend the eggs. This is the second time we have seen her leave the nest to pursue the stranger. Then, obviously pumped full of adrenaline, and just because she could, Madame X knocked the stuffings out of a passing Turkey Vulture. We have had a lot of TVs through the downtown the last few days but they have not gotten a rise out of our birds until today. When MX was chasing the immature I had a sense of them being similar in size, so the visitor could be a female?

[Alison]

From the site:

Last week we reported that a juvenile Peregrine Falcon keeps dropping in to the Sheraton/Stelco area. We suspect that it is one of last year's birds, but so far have not been able to confirm identification. While this has been going on in Hamilton, however, Falconwatchers in Cleveland, Ohio have also had a juvenile Peregrine drop into their site on a bridge over the Cuyahoga River, which runs through the city. The intruding bird has been identified as our very own Durand, fledged from the Sheraton nest last summer. What is it about our birds and bridges?

Glad to hear that Durand has been sighted (at the site belonging to Rocky and Lara), and maybe another of last year's juvies too.

[carly]

TWO EGGS AND A HELPER (MAYBE?)

 April 1, 2010 - Earlier today we were able to see that Madame X is now incubating two eggs. Although the time spread between the first and second egg has been longer than normal, this may only indicate the change in the weather. Madame X and Surge are not used to balmy temperatures in late March and early April! The photo at left shows Madame X and the first egg (brown spot at bottom right) at 11:15 yesterday. While the adults' shadows may block the camera's view of the eggs, they are easily visible by telescope from the Stelco Tower when the adult moves away from the scrape (which seems even deeper this year than last).

We can also report that a juvenile Peregrine Falcon keeps dropping in, landing on various buildings and hanging around until Surge chases him/her off. Is this one of last year's chicks come back to help Mom and Dad? (This is know to happen with Crows.) Stay tuned!

[Alison]

One adult on the ledge:

 

[Alison]

Hamilton has apparently had a visitor -- Quest from Rochester.

From Imprints on March 14:

The past few days have found Quest continuing her westward move. She spent a couple of days in Port Colborne, in pretty close proximity to the Archer Daniels Midland mill where Freedom had been the resident male until 2009. Then yesterday he headed north to the Royal Botanical Gardens in Hamilton.

Of course, Hamilton has a resident Peregrine pair, Madame X and Surge. According to Hamilton resident and Falconcam fan David Bevan, Madame X is very territorial. Hopefully Quest won’t get herself into any trouble while she’s touring along the west end of Lake Ontario!