The Sheraton hotel in downtown Hamilton has new feathered residents. Since April 26, three peregrine falcon chicks have hatched in the 18th floor nest.
“They seem to be extremely healthy, Pat Baker, senior monitor with Hamilton’s Falconwatch, told CBC Hamilton.
Falconwatch, the community group that monitors and protects the nest, is gearing up to protect those chicks as they learn to fly.
It’s unclear if the petite peregrines will have another sibling. McKeever laid a fourth egg, but as of publication, it does not appear to have hatched.
There is much speculation about it in Falconwatch’s Facebook group, but Baker said she and her team don’t know what will happen. She described events at the nest as “All very normal and very, very good.”
Peregrines have nested downtown since at least 1995
Peregrines have nested at the hotel since at least 1995, and throughout that time, Falconwatch, formally called the Hamilton Community Peregrine Project, has observed the nest using webcams and on-the-ground volunteers who monitor the birds as they learn to fly, or fledge.
If the young falcons get injured during that process or fall to the ground — as was the case three times last year — volunteers with rescue training retrieve them, get them any necessary care, and take them back to the nest.
The resident nesting pair is a female named McKeever and a male called Judson.
McKeever, showed up in Hamilton in January 2022 — shortly after Lily, the last resident female, died. She hatched on the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor in 2019 and is named after Kay McKeever from the Owl Foundation, the organization which works with Falconwatch to provide veterinary care.
Judson fledged in Buffalo, New York, in 2018, and is the son of Felker, who hatched in Hamilton in 2012. Judson is the grandson of Madame X and Surge, who nested on the Sheraton for 13 and nine years, respectively. He arrived in Hamilton in mid 2021.
McKeever and Judson have fledged eight chicks together: Auchmar, Balfour, Dundurn, Wynnstay, Delta, Gibson, Kirkendall and Stipley.
Banding to take place mid-May
Falconwatch works with the Toronto-based Canadian Peregrine Foundation and Environment Canada to band chicks every year for conservation and identification purposes, as well as screen them for parasites. This year, Baker said, they plan to do so on May 15. Banding is also when the birds are named.
Peregrine falcons, which can move faster than any other species on Earth, were once endangered in Ontario, largely due to the pesticide DDT. The bird of prey is now considered a species of special concern in the province, meaning they could still be at risk.
Other groups, such as one in Windsor, Ont., also monitor peregrine falcons. Ontario’s recovery strategy for the species includes promoting community monitoring.
A Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks page states one unnamed partner promoted a volunteer fledge watch and found those who participated “increased survival of young Peregrine Falcons from 47 to 79 percent in one year.”
Watch starting slightly earlier this year than last
Baker suspects that due to construction, there’s been a shift in the wind downtown. Last year, she said, chicks fell from the ledge earlier than anticipated. This year, she said, the watch will have volunteers on the ground a couple days sooner to accommodate, likely starting around May 28.
Falconwatch pays two students to work with them during fledging and is currently seeking donations to help cover that, Baker said. They’re also looking for prospective volunteers to register for an orientation session that will take place around May 23.
“We seem to be getting a bit more interest this year, which is encouraging, and we’ll know when we start seeing how the shifts fill up.”