Hamilton Falcon Banding, June 18, 2013 at the Sheraton Hamilton Hotel.

Climber Chris Phinney descends the front of the Sheraton Hamilton Hotel to retrieve the chicks, which are taken inside for weighing and banding.

Chris remains on the ledge as the capture box is raised, so that the adults cannot see that the chicks are missing. Madame X makes repeated attacks while Surge watches from the top corner of the building in the background.

Inside the 17th Floor Club Lounge of the Sheraton, the first chick is weighed.... 858 grams. A female!

Say hello to "Laura", named for Laura Secord, a heroine of the war of 1812 (which included several noteworthy battles whose 200th anniversaries are being observed this year).

Anne Yagi, of the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, checks Laura's crop.

Laura gets her silver USFWS band.....

She's not entirely happy about this!

Laura is given a large number band (S over 30) to help identify her at a distance. A quick drink cools her down....

Laura's silver band has temporary red tape on it to help identify her during her first flights.

The second chick is much smaller, only 422 grams, because it is nearly a week younger....

Measurements of the leg raise serious doubts as to this chick's gender, so a female band (slightly larger) is used, but we won't know the actual gender until the chick is full grown.

Applying the silver USFWS band....

We had hoped to name a chick Tecumseh, but the name had been used just a week before for another chick in Windsor.

So with 'gender ambiguity' in mind, we named the chick "Brock", in honor of the British general.

Brock's large letter band (S over 31).

Brock's silver band had blue tape applied (not shown)

Syed Gardezi, manager of the Sheraton Hamilton Hotel, and our host for the day, is given a quick lesson in the proper way to hold a Peregrine chick.

One of our Falconwatch coordinators, Cheryl Dobell, holds Brock....

Laura

Brock

Returned safe and sound, 45 minutes later, the chicks are quickly joined by Madame X, who stays on guard until long agfter the climber has gone away.