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Thursday July 16, 2015 - Falconwatch Coordinator Lucia Jara reports: The chicks decided to visit the nest this morning. At 06:05 both were there, squawking quite a bit and requesting breakfast. A bit later they returned to their favourite roof, the BDC. What seemed to be a quiet morning turned into an exciting one at 06:45. While both youngsters were on the BDC logo, hiding from the sun, a pigeon flew by the building, way below where the falcons were. McMaster went after it, and shortly after Barton joined in. I lost sight of them behind Fairclough, but when both birds landed on the ledge under the "r" of the Sheraton sign McMaster was certainly holding something. Barton tried to get it from her but got kicked out of the ledge by her sister. Shortly after McMaster took off, flying around the Sheraton towards Stelco. Barton met her mid-way and, after lots of talon touching, successfully took the meal from McMaster. It was a great scene to watch - both youngsters flying together, holding on to the same pigeon. Finally Barton let go, and McMaster headed south towards the escarpment, not to be seen again until 08:15 when I found her napping on the southwest corner of BDC. Barton, meanwhile, flew back to the nest ledge where she stayed for over three hours, allowing the camera to capture this great picture of her.

When I came back at 17:00, there was no sign of either chick. Lily, however, was on the southwest corner of BDC. Barton flew in from the south at 18:30 and landed on the BDC logo, but I didn't spot her sister until 19:01, when McMaster joined her on the northwest corner of BDC. It looked like the chicks had done some exploring. Later in the evening, as it got cooler, more flights were made. Closer to 21:00 the girls were getting pretty loud, sounding as they wanted dinner. Perhaps Lily is going to take a break and let them get some food.

Tuesday July 14, 2014 - Falconwatch Coordinator Lucia Jara reports: At dawn McMaster and Barton were on the northwest corner of the BDC roof. Around 06:00 Lily flew to the north side of this roof with a small meal, prepped it, and then dropped it right where the chicks were standing. After breakfast, both chicks went exploring. They headed southwest, flying high and far from where I was watching, until I completely lost sight of them. At 06:45 McMaster landed back on the northeast corner of BDC; Barton was later spotted on the southwest corner. The long trip had not tired them, though. At 06:50 the pair started flying around the Sheraton-BDC area, practicing talon touching. For the rest of the morning the sisters spent a lot of time on the BDC roof or flying around BDC. The rain, heavy at times, certainly did not stop them from having fun.

At 17:00 two birds were seen flying, once again southwest, until they were out of sight. A couple of minutes later Lily landed on the north BDC logo with some food which had already been prepped. Mom sat alone next to the food and waited for the girls to come back for dinner. This didn't happen until 18:30, when McMaster landed on the logo and Lily finally took off. Barton, on the other hand, was not seen until 19:30. The chicks spent the rest of the evening flying around, and decided on a change of scenery by spending some time on the Stelco roof. At 19:51 I had a lovely surprise - Barton came visit me on the southwest corner of the 24th floor of Stelco. She is certainly a unique Peregrine Falcon, with beautiful golden stripes on her head! It was very satisfying to see her so healthy and grown up! At 20:34 Lily brought dinner briefly to the Sheraton and then shortly after was moved to BDC where both chicks fought for it. In the picture Lily is just taking off with the meal while McMaster and Barton watch. The girls will most likely explore the city even more tomorrow!

In the evening Barton and McMaster were again on BDC, Barton on the north logo and McMaster on the northeast corner of the roof. They moved around quite a bit, but mostly landed back on the same building making my job pretty easy. At 18:10 some talon touching was seen. Later on the chicks decided to explore a bit more and take longer flights. At 19:00 McMaster was spotted under the "S" of the Sheraton Hotel sign with a small meal. I had lost sight of her for a couple of minutes, so as I did not see any adults around it is possible she caught it herself! Barton joined her at 19:47, allowing us to get this picture. Later on, the girls returned to their now favourite roof, BDC, and stayed to enjoy the sunset from there.

This afternoon when I returned, I found Barton alone on BDC. She soon took flight, soaring high in the sky and disappeared out of sight above Stelco. At 17:35, Lily appeared on the nest ledge and stayed there until 20:05 when Barton flew in. She appeared to be eating a scrap of meat. These two images show front and back views of Barton. It appears that she has managed to remove the yellow tape placed on her right leg on banding day (leading to some confusion on the part of the website text editor). Barton then flew to BDC, Fairclough, Stelco and back to the BDC. She stayed on the northwest corner of BDC until almost 21:00, eating a large meal by herself. I don’t know if she got the meal herself or not. McMaster, on the other hand, did not make an appearance at this time. Perhaps she went off exploring or even hunting? It’s clear that the girls have become increasingly independent and are spending more time away from home. As sad as this is for us Falconwatchers, it means the girls are growing up!

Saturday, July 10, 2015 – Falconwatch Coordinator Laura reports: When I arrived at 05:30 this morning I found McMaster and Barton snuggled up together on the north side of BDC. By 06:00, both were up and stretching. Barton flew off and didn’t reappear until 07:20. When she came back, she flew around BDC trying to get McMaster to join her; the pair then flew off together, flipping and talon touching. The sisters flew together for over ten minutes, going so far away from the Sheraton that they were barely visible using binoculars. McMaster, shown at left in my drawing, doesn’t fly as much as her sister, and again today she landed long before her sibling. Barton, on the other hand, flew south to chase a pigeon! Hunting lessons have begun!

Throughout the afternoon the chicks remained quiet and cool on the BDC building. Close to 17:00 they both took some easy flights, but they were just waiting for the sun to move out of their way. At 19:30 they made it up for the rest of the day, with lots of talon touching and some flights accompanied by an adult. Lily brought dinner at 19:43 and this time McMaster was in charge, but not for too long. The food was shared between then pair, each holding on to a part until it was completely gone. Later on they continued to practice their talon touching and enjoying the cool evening after such a hot summer day. The picture shows Lily and Barton visiting the nest ledge together right before we were leaving. Lots of squawking was heard! It was nice to see one of the teenage girls back at their first home.

The all day street watch has come to an end and I want to thank everyone who came out and helped us keep an eye on these two beautiful chicks. It's wonderful to see such passionate volunteers work as a team and I am very thankful I got the chance to work with all of you. The city of Hamilton is lucky to have you as citizens and guardians of their downtown Peregrine Falcon nest. You should all feel proud of yourselves!

Laura and I will continue to report daily for at least the next week.

Around 14:30 both chicks got very active again, taking off together and practicing talon touching. The flights were long and it looked like they were catching some pretty sweet thermals as we barely saw any flapping. Later on, as the day got even warmer, they decided to rest on the BDC logo and roof. Ossie posed for a picture when he visited the nest ledge for 10 minutes at 16:35. Lily made a last drop of food at 20:25 on the west BDC logo. At first it looked like the chicks were fighting over the meal, but after a while they were both eating at the same time. It seems like the girls have grown up so fast. Looking forward to their first hunting sessions.

Thanks once more to the volunteers who came out today. We need full coverage for another few days, so all help is greatly appreciated.

The picture shows both adults in the nest ledge at 14:16, occupied with what appeared to be digging. This "maintenance" is a normal thing the adults do after the youngsters leave the nest. It was soon interrupted when a maintenance worker was spotted on Fairclough. The parents quickly flew around that building, squawking angrily until the worker left. While this was going on the sisters watched from the south west corner of Stelco, where they stayed for the next three hours.

At 17:00 the pair took off again and flew for the longest time so far! McMaster landed after ten minutes in the air, and Barton after fifteen. Partway through their flight, a parent even came to join them! It was breath-taking to watch the birds flip and dive in the air. For the remainder of the evening, the sisters switched between perching on Stelco's northwest and southwest corners and flying together. When we left, one of the sisters was on Stelco and one had flown to the west BDC logo.

Thanks once more to the volunteers who came out today. We need full coverage for another few days, so all help is greatly appreciated.

Tuesday July 7, 2015 - Falconwatch Coordinator Lucia Jara reports: Today we had an exciting morning that included a possible midair transfer of food from an adult to a chick! McMaster carried the meal to the Fairclough building and ate almost all of it while Barton watched. The two youngsters did quite a bit of flying together in the early morning when it was still cool. At 09:30 both landed on the west face of Fairclough, and 30 minutes later they decided it was the right spot to pancake and rest. As it got sunnier they moved further into the roof and kept napping. At 10:55 they decided to do some more flying and they flew around the Sheraton area buildings for almost 20 minutes, over and over practicing their talon touching technique. Around 11:30 Barton visited the nest ledge briefly and we were able to capture this picture of her. By noon the air had gotten extremely humid and warm and they decided to take a break on BDC. At 14:34 an adult brought food to the north BDC logo. Barton quickly flew there and the adult took off. McMaster tried several times to land where her sister was but did not succeed. Barton had this entire meal for herself and didn't share a single bit.

Sunday, July 5, 2015 - Falconwatch Coordinator Laura Sun reports: Each day the sisters amaze us with how much their flying skills have improved! Today was no exception, as they performed some stunning aerial feats! The day started with a food drop at Standard Life around 07:45; McMaster appeared to have eaten most of it. After some light flying that included the stop on the Standard Life window washing apparatus seen in the picture, by 09:30 the pair had settled down on the Sheraton, Barton on the "o" and McMaster on the upper roof. Barton then moved to a window ledge where she took a brief nap, but by 11:20 both fledglings had taken off, Barton going for a long flight with a parent while McMaster flew around the area several times before landing on the upper grating of Stelco.

Friday, July 3, 2015 - Falconwatch Coordinator Lucia Jara reports: After a busy busy Wednesday of long and numerous flights, the girls decided to take it easy today. At 09:00, when Lily brought a large breakfast to the west corner of the nest ledge, Barton took over the food immediately (image) and was being extremely protective of it. McMaster watched this from the top of the Fairclough building but skipped the meal. A few minutes later she flew to the southwest corner of the upper roof of the Stelco tower and enjoyed the view. Later on Lily joined Barton in the nest, but she kept chasing her own mother away! At 09:45 Lily finally succeeded. The morning continued with McMaster making some flights around the familiar buildings: Fairclough, BDC and the Stelco tower. On one of her takeoffs she decided to go exploring, flying north east, and we all lost sight of her for about 45 minutes, but then she flew back to the south west corner of Stelco. During this time Barton was napping and digesting the big meal she had received. McMaster really seems to enjoy the Stelco tower's roof, as she spent a fair amount of time on it yesterday and today. Certainly the best view of the city!

During quiet periods Falconwatch Coordinator Laura Sun has been sketching the Peregrine chicks at various moments. Here are two of her drawings.

As the day went on Barton kept practicing her flights, going back and forth between the roofs of the Sheraton, BDC and Fairclough. At 10:22 Barton decided to join McMaster in the nest. This was the first time the two sisters were together after Monday early morning. An extremely cute scene to watch! They pecked and pushed each other and finally decided to snuggle and nap right next to each other. After a couple of hours of bonding and napping Barton took off once again to practice flights and landings, this time joined by Ossie, who came in to fly with her. In the meanwhile Lily spent some significant Mom and daughter time with McMaster in the nest.

Wednesday, July 1, 2015 - Falconwatch Coordinator Laura Sun reports: What a day! Even after her eventful morning Barton was still very active at noon, jumping around, flapping and walking the building ledges after flying to the uppermost roof of the Sheraton. Mum and Dad stayed nearby, watching both McMaster, who was still on the Thomson building's third and uppermost roof, and Barton, who by then had flown to the Fairclough building and back. Today, Barton showed us what an outstanding and adept flier she is, nailing all her landings and actively exploring all the surrounding buildings. The picture shows her just about to take off from the Standard Life roof at 09:35. At 17:20 she finally decided to land on the Standard Life building after she saw Ossie there preparing food on the south centre ledge. Barton ate hungrily, often trying to pull the food completely away from Ossie.

Wednesday July 1, 2015 - During the night McMaster left the Fairclough building. At 07:50 this morning diligent Falconwatchers found her across King Street on top of the Thompson building (left photo). She seems well and is probably looking forward to her first food in more than 48 hours. In the meantime, Barton flew to the Standard Life Building, and then up to the top of the Fairclough Building (right photo). IT IS A HAPPY CANADA DAY!

Tuesday June 30, 2015 - Falconwatch Coordinator Lucia Jara reports: Both chicks have now made their first flight! McMaster spent the night on the 10th floor of the Fairclough building, leaving all of us quite worried, but we were relieved to have found her on the same spot this morning. This changed to concern during the day as she did not go anywhere. Barton, on the other hand, spent the night in the nest by herself and had quite a relaxing morning. Having all meals to herself, she walked around the ledge, groomed herself, did some flapping and helicoptering and napped for a while. Both Lily and Ossie were around all day, making sure both chicks were safe and sound. They both spent long periods of time on the Stelco tower where they could watch Barton and McMaster. At noon, Lily became extremely agitated when she saw a man walking on the Fairclough's roof. We could see her flying in circles around the man, and making really loud noises. A very protective mother!

In the afternoon, McMaster was still on the Fairclough building and Barton started taking her flapping and helicoptering to another level. We could see her practicing on and off. At 16:30 one of the adults started flying close to McMaster, tried to land on the ledge below her but failed. They seemed impatient and worried for her. As this was happening, Barton decided to take over the show and took off at 16:34, heading towards the Stelco tower. (The image shows her just a second before she lifted off). After bumping into a tower window she turned around and headed back to the Sheraton roof. Her landing was perfect, and we could tell hitting the window had not hurt her. Barton then began running around on the roof, pecking at stuff and completely amused at the amount of available space she had. She later started moving around the ledges, from East to West, North to South, and vice-versa, making us change positions on the ground in order to keep her in sight at all times.

The evening got quieter as the chicks became less active. McMaster was still in the same spot on Fairclough when we all left at 21:00, and Barton was on the south west corner of the upper roof of the Sheraton. Hopefully McMaster will fly tomorrow when there is a team to keep an eye on her! We look forward to Barton's next stop. Lots of flights to come – stay tuned!!! Happy Canada Day everyone!

Monday, June 29, 2015, 22:00 - Falconwatch Coordinator Lucia Jara reports: McMaster’s first flight may have been even longer than we first thought. When the volunteers started looking for her a bird spotted on the old Revenue Canada building, a block west of the Sheraton, flew to the east, in the direction she was finally located. The left picture shows McMaster just as she left the ledge at 05:24:20. The right image shows Barton, apparently surprised, just 9 seconds later. Thanks to Falconwatchers Deborah, Leah, Monica and Andy for their hard work locating our first flier.

Although most of us thought Barton would feel encouraged to follow her sister's wing flaps, she either enjoyed having meals to herself and decided to relax, or felt lonely and sad and chose to stay in the nest. She stretched her wings and exercised a bit around 10:00, but it did not last long. When Lily brought in some food soon after this, she seemed to be extremely excited and would not let her Mom have any!

While the day continued to be fairly quiet - except for Ossie chasing off a much larger Osprey - McMaster had us all on our tiptoes throughout the afternoon and into the evening as she flapped her wings periodically at her perch on a sloped window ledge on the Fairclough building. Lily and Ossie spent a fair amount of time on the 20th and 22nd floors of the Stelco tower where they could keep an eye on both McMaster and Barton at the same time. No food was brought to McMaster, and she was still there when we all went home at 21:00. We really hope she stays in that same spot for the night, but chances are she will not! Tomorrow could be an interesting morning trying to spot McMaster if she has flown again, while doing our best not to miss Barton's first flight. Lots to come in the next few days!

Monday, June 29, 2015, 11:00 - Falconwatch Coordinator Lucia Jara reports: At 05:24 this morning - in the dark - McMaster left the nest ledge on her first trip away from the Sheraton. She must have made a really strong flight because Falconwatch volunteers found her on the roof of the west CIBC building, where she stayed for a while. Around 08:00 she flew again, this time to a 10th floor window ledge on the King Street side of the Fairclough Building, where she is now. A third flight today is likely. Barton is doing well, though a bit lonesome. Stay tuned!

Sunday, June 28, 2015 - Falconwatch Coordinator Laura Sun reports: The day started foggy and rainy, with the chicks squawking and the parents flying in and out of the nest, though without food. At 09:30, Lily flew to the southwest corner of the 24th floor on the Stelco Tower and began to groom herself. She was magnificent! Back at the nest, the hungry chicks had to wait until 10:38 for food. At that time, Lily brought a small pigeon and spent time plucking away feathers on the "h" of the Sheraton before going to feed her chicks. Barton was extremely excited, and even tried tugging the food away from Lily! Even more surprising was how little Lily wasted food. She even happily swallowed a pigeon foot whole! For the majority of the afternoon, as the weather improved, Barton and McMaster were pancaking, or just grooming themselves and resting on the ledge.

A very interesting sight was seeing the chicks grab little rocks from the ledge into their claws, as if they were snatching up prey! At 19:30 Ossie, who had evaded us most of the day, finally made an appearance, bringing dinner with him! The picture shows McMaster grabbing it from him. Ossie left and looked on from an adjacent ledge but after a while, deciding that McMaster had hogged the meal long enough, he swooped back in to take the food and let Barton have some. Although the chicks have not yet flown, they are spending more time on the very edge of the ledge and flapping much more often. It won't be long now!

Saturday, June 27, 2015 - Falconwatch Coordinator Laura Sun reports: Today was one of the rainiest days the chicks have experienced so far, but that barely fazed them! They started their morning with a really early feeding at 04:30 - caught on camera by a Falconwatcher getting ready for her 05:00 to 07:00 shift - and another at 08:10. As the day went on, they kept busy flapping and grooming themselves. McMaster was seen "pancaking", a term we use to describe Peregrines when they are resting, laying down spread eagled on their bellies. At 13:35, Lily flew to the Sheraton with lunch. She was first only feeding Barton, but after a few minutes McMaster grew impatient and worked her way up to her mother, eager to be fed as well. The picture shows Barton walking east as Lily feeds McMaster in the background. After the meal, the chicks rested and their parents hung around on the letters of the Sheraton. Some rain is good for the chicks because it helps clean away the city’s dust and grime, but I’m sure they felt today’s amount was a bit ridiculous!

As we have observed on other nights, towards 19:00 the chicks began to flap their wings, exercising their muscles. However, we noticed that they often kept their wings open, as if getting used to the lift and practicing gliding on wind currents. We are highly anticipating a first flight! As the thunderstorm started at 20:10 the chicks' activity declined, and when we packed up for the night, the parents had not returned from hunting.

Friday, June 26, 2015 - Falconwatch Coordinator Lucia Jara reports: Both chicks decided to again take it easy and save their energy for another day. After an early meal around 05:00, they did not start flapping much until 09:00. At 09:35 they were sitting on the ledge preening each other's white downy feathers in order to leave room for the "grown up" feathers that will come in handy as they start flying. Although it was a calm and quiet day overall, McMaster did significantly more flapping than her sister. Lily and Ossie stayed close by throughout most of the day. Both adults spent a fair amount of time on the Stelco tower, and both of them came to the 24th floor where I could see them at very close proximity. THEY ARE ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL!

At 16:50 Lily brought some food to the nest, this time not only feeding the chicks but also taking some time to eat herself, which I had not seen in previous feedings. Later in the evening two men were spotted walking on the Standard Life building roof, looking like they were doing maintenance. Quickly one of the adults was seen flying furiously around the Sheraton building and being extremely loud. They are very protective parents. As the chicks get older, their first flights get closer and closer. The great team of volunteers and I look forward to watching one of them!

Thursday, June 25, 2015 - Falconwatch Coordinator Lucia Jara reports: Today was calm and quiet for McMaster and Barton. After two meals in the morning, one very early at 05:00 and the other around 08:45, the girls decided to nap and hide from the sun for the rest of the day. Lily and Ossie stayed close by. As the girls snoozed, the adults watched from different angles until Lily decided to join them around 14:30. She landed in the nest without food and tucked in under the ledge right next to McMaster. As time went by she moved around, sometimes waking the chicks up, sometimes joining them in their naps. The interaction of Lily and the two girls was very lovely to watch. In the picture McMaster is the bird on the left, with Barton snoozing on her back. The white over Barton’s eyes is a membrane that closes when they sleep.

Although there was not much action overall today, there was an interesting incident over at the BDC building. Ossie landed on the BDC logo with some food around 16:15. A few minutes later he walked to the opposite end of the sign, leaving the food alone, and stayed at the new location for a couple of hours. He did go back to the food but soon flew off, leaving his catch behind. This is the first time this season we have seen one of the adults store food for a future meal. The day ended with Lily dropping some food in the nest and admiring her pretty girls from right above it. McMaster (white tape) turns 41 days old tomorrow and Barton (yellow tape) 40, which means first flights are about to happen. Stay tuned!

Wednesday, June 24, 2015 – Falconwatch Coordinator Laura Sun reports: Today was filled with flapping, feeding, and basking under the hot summer sun. Early in the morning, at 06:10, the chicks were fed for the first time. McMaster and Barton continued flapping as the day progressed, as can be seen in the picture taken at 09:12. A light lunch was served when Ossie brought in a small sparrow for the two chicks to share. The hot afternoon kept activity to a minimum, with Ossie and the chicks resting under the overhang for quite a while.

Around 19:00 the chicks became active once more! They were flapping furiously and dashing along the nest ledge. At times it almost seemed like they were going to fall off! McMaster would start to flap first, and then Barton would soon follow. There was some helicoptering as well. The visitors who came for the Hamilton Naturalists’ Club Wednesday Night Walk enjoyed a warm welcome and good views of all four Peregrines through telescopes and binoculars. Unfortunately they just missed the excitement that began when Lily flew in to the “o” on the Sheraton sign with a pigeon so big she took almost an hour to pluck and prepare it. It seemed as though she was not going to share any with her impatient, screeching chicks. Finally, just after 21:00 when we were about to pack up for the day, Lily finally swooped into the nest and started feeding her very hungry youngsters.

A visitor from the past: Today the falcons shared the downtown area with the Hamilton Big Brothers - Big Sisters "Over the Edge" event, which saw close to 50 brave souls rappel 26 stories from the roof of the Stelco building down its east side to ground level. One of the “Edge” volunteers was Angela Wilson, who was the Coordinator of Falconwatch in 1998. Angela and Senior Monitor Mike Street enjoyed catching up and reminiscing about the early days of Falconwatch.

Tuesday, June 23, 2015 – Falconwatch Coordinator Lucia Jara reports: The image at left, taken around 16:15 Tuesday, shows very clearly why Falconwatchers do what they do. Aren’t they two good looking Peregrines?

Today was more of a "meal" day than a flapping and helicoptering day for both Barton and McMaster. Having had numerous meals throughout the day, which has not been the case recently, the girls sat around the ledge and napped, flapping once in a while, but mostly just observing their parents. Lily and Ossie took the show. At around 09:00 both of them came to the nest at the same time with food for the chicks! This happened again a few hours later. A bit after that feeding Ossie took some food and flew to the steeple of St. Paul Church, which in past years has not been a popular spot for any of the Peregrines.

In the afternoon we saw Ossie once again chasing a Turkey Vulture, and Lily spending hours watching the chicks from the window ledge just west of the nest ledge where the chicks are located. Later on Ossie joined her for quite a while, watching from the far west ledge, and then departed heading east. When we left at 21:00 Lily had been watching the chicks from the letter "n" of the Sheraton sign for at least an hour, and was still there.

Lucia Jara was the Director of the McMaster Farm Stand, managing a team of customer service representatives and volunteers, raising awareness about local food, and participating in campus events. She also brings field experience, collecting ecological data at the Dundas Valley Conservation Area. Lucia will be working 4 days a week.

Laura Sun is an experienced camp counsellor and coordinator, managing staff and volunteer jobs, the weekly camp schedule, and leading outdoor excursions. She has also held a host of volunteer positions in her community, working with the library and the YMCA. Laura will be working 3 days a week.

June 19, 2015 - McMaster and Barton are just over a month old, and already they are nearly full adult size. The pair are shedding their white chick down, replacing it with dark brown juvenile flight feathers. Accompanying this process, you will see a lot of preening and cleaning. For the moment, McMaster is noticably farther ahead in this process, and darker than her sister. You will also see leg stretches, like the one desmonstrated by Barton at left, and more and more exercising of their wings. Flapping. Lots and lots of flapping. Which, of course, makes falconwatchers sit forward in their seats.... The official on-street Falcon Watch begins on Monday, June 22.

June 10, 2015 - Experienced Falconwatchers always hope that the date of the first chick getting up on the ledge will be delayed as long as possible. Not so this year! At what may be the youngest age ever for a chick to perform this manoeuvre, either McMaster or Barton did it on Monday afternoon, with Mom right there looking on. What it means is that the annual Falconwatch on-street operation will be starting soon.

June 4, 2015, 13:30 - Today's banding went very well. The two chicks weighed in clearly as females, McMaster at 728g (left) and Barton at 730g (right). Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources biologist and bander, Anne Yagi, found the pair to be quite feisty, a good sign. The adult Peregrines were upset, as can be expected, but stayed clear of climber John Millar and safety man Chris Phinney.

McMaster was named for our new on-site partner, McMaster University's downtown health campus, which has just opened across King Street from the Sheraton. Barton continues our practice of naming birds after major Hamilton neighbourhoods. The image at left, taken at 12:47, shows the chicks' first feeding after all the disturbance this morning. Stay tuned - here they grow!!!

June 4, 2015 - In the picture, taken at 06:47 today, Lily is giving one of the chicks breakfast.

Around 10:00 this morning the chicks are going to get a visitor and go for a little trip. About an hour later, after being weighed, gendered, banded and named, they will be returned to the nest ledge. Lily and Ossie will make their displeasure known, and both will be right there to check on the little ones as soon as the climber clears the nest ledge after the return trip. It may be necessary to turn one of the cameras away for a while to allow the climber to get back to the lower Sheraton roof, but the second camera will be watching throughout the operation. We will update the webpage with names and details as soon as possible. If you are downtown you can catch all the action at our display window near food court and Hamilton Public Library entrance in Jackson Square.

Tuesday, May 26, 2015 – Just like kids everywhere, our chicks are growing quickly. In this image, taken two days ago, it’s easy to see that their heads are now above the ledge. It won’t be long before they are looking over it!

The Hamilton Community Peregrine Project is pleased to announce that with the cooperation and assistance of Real Properties, the managers of Jackson Square, the 2015 Falconwatch display window is again in operation, but IN A NEW LOCATION. The window is on the rear wall of Jackson Square, just left of the entrance to the Hamilton Public Library, past the food court area. Another way to find it is to go to the old window location, turn around and walk straight ahead until you come to the new location. We have multiple screens operating, as well as pictures, text updates and information on Peregrines. Please feel free to stop by whenever you are in the mall.

Saturday, May 16, 2015 - Tonight around 7:15 we saw two little beaks reaching up from behind the parapet edge to demand their share of the meal being delivered by Lily. With luck we'll see one more chick within the next day or so, and then we will find out whether there was a fourth egg hidden from our view....

Friday, May 15, 2015 - We are catching tiny glimpses of white fluff that are unmistakably chick down. It already appears dry and white, so most likely the first hatching occurred sometime earlier in the day, when the adults were seen 'fussing' about the nest. Look in the bottom right corner of this photo and you can just see a small patch of white. It's not stray fluff. Lily doesn't feed fluff, At 5:30 this afternoon she brought a meal to the nest, and was clearly feeding it to a chick just out of sight of the camera (photos in Favorites Gallery). We have zoomed in the camera a little bit to see what other glimpses we are offered. With luck, we may get some hints as to how many chicks are hatching. It could be another day or so before they all have hatched.

Saturday, April 25, 2015 – The Sheraton Hamilton Peregrine nest mystery - three eggs or four? – continues to keep Falconwatchers wondering as the incubation period drags on, as it always does. Based on the date the first egg appeared, a chick should hatch around May 15-20, though it’s hard to say for sure, especially since this may be the first time Lily has laid eggs. Lily and Ossie are paying close attention to keeping the eggs warm - 'shift changes' on the eggs are very quick, taking 10 to 30 seconds at most. Reminding us of the late Surge, Ossie is definitely doing his full share of incubation (photo).

It should be pointed out that because the ledge parapet is in the way, hatching may not be directly visible on camera. We will easily be able to infer this, however, when Lily starts fussing or the adults bring food to the scrape. If chicks don't occasionally poke their heads out, it will be only a matter of weeks before they start wandering up and down inside the ledge.

The city is watching too – Lily, Ossie and Madame X got front page coverage in yesterday’s Hamilton Spectator. We’ve had no further word about Madame X, but hope to hear. Many Falconwatchers have asked when the display window will be operating. We are still trying to make arrangements. Stay tuned!

Tuesday, April 14, 2015 - This morning Ossie turned the eggs and once again we were treated to the sight of a new egg. As can be seen in the photo, the egg on the right has not picked up a coating of powdery white rock dust yet, so it was likely laid within the last 24 hours. But is it really the third egg, or could it be the fourth? Falcons are generally fairly regular about their laying, and there has certainly been enough time between last Thursday's second egg and this one, that it seems reasonable that there could have been another egg laid that we have not yet seen. The arrangement in this photo is also highly suggestive of a grouping of four, with the possible fourth egg just out of view below the middle one. For now we can confirm we have three, but how many will the final total be? Hatching will likely be similarly 'screened' by that parapet edge, so the guessing game will probably continue until the chicks are big enough to start moving up and down the ledge. Without doubt it's going to be an interesting and exciting year!

Thursday, April 9, 2015 - Today at 3:24 we caught a glimpse of two eggs underneath Ossie (photo). Given the way the scrape is partially obscured, we can't be certain how long the second egg was there before being rolled into view, but most likely it was laid within the past 24 hours.

Tuesday, April 7, 2015 - Around 5:30 last night, Llly started sitting continuously in the spot she's been favoring the past few days, at the near end of the ledge. Various bits of fidgeting and turning had us convinced that she had laid the first egg of the 2015 nesting season. At first, the egg was not visible, even when she left the scrape for food this morning, but falcons tend their eggs and turn them frequently, and so at 11:41 Lily rolled a beautiful brown egg (with a white falcon-poop 'racing stripe') into view. The position of this scrape is going to make it difficult to count eggs, so there will be somee suspense for a while yet!

Tuesday, March 31, 2015 - In the past few days the frequency of visits to the nest ledge have increased, with more 'inspections' of the possible scrape sites in the ledge. The birds seem to be favoring a location close to the near end of the ledge, but one or another are still occasionally seen in the traditional spot at the far end. It looks like we really won't know for sure until Lily lays her first egg. We have not seen any overt signs of mating, but courtship is in high gear, with Ossie bringing meals to Lily, as can be seen in this photo from 11am. And Lily is occasionally seen waggling her tail in an inviting manner, so the signs are good. Keep a close eye on that ledge!

Monday, March 16, 2015 - Hamilton's latest arrival now has a name! Some serious detective work was needed to verify that a minor discrepancy in the banding database was indeed just a clerical error. Today, with the assistance of Barb Baldinger and Karen Cleveland from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, we were able to confirm the identity of the new female Peregrine at the Sheraton Hamilton nest as "Lily", hatched in 2010, at the Grand Haven Board of Light & Power plant, in Michigan. The Michigan DNR was kind enough to forward to us some photos of Lily when she was banded by biologist Nik Kalejs. Lily was named by the students of Holmes Elementary School as part of a fund-raising effort which saw them raising $500 towards the costs of the banding programme there. They will be proud to know the falcon they named looks like she is going to make a name for herself here in Hamilton! Our best wishes are with Lily and Ossie for a successful breeding season!

Sunday, March 15, 2015 - The saga continues! It appears that sometime on Thursday or early Friday Madame X was displaced by another female Peregrine, a bird that had been seen on a building at McMaster University several times in the previous week. Since Friday, the bird keeping company with Ossie at the Sheraton nest has a plastic leg band which is bright green over black, not Madame X's very faded black over red. Through adroit use of the zoom feature "Cameraman" Charles has been able to read the letters on the new female's band. She has tentatively been identified as a falcon from Michigan. We hope to know more tomorrow. In the meantime Falconwatchers and area birders have been asked to keep an eye out for Madame X, in case she was injured during the transition. Stay tuned!

Thursday, March 12, 2015 - "Ossie" is "Ossie". Thanks to many sources we have been able to confrim that the new male at the Sheraton Hamilton nest is indeed "Ossie". What we have been seeing on the cameras in the last week or so appears to have been "Getting to know you" behaviour. This is normal in the bird world, and now Madame X has accepted his presence. The next stage in the process is about to begin. Stay tuned!

Wednesday, March 11, 2015 - Based upon a slightly blurry look at leg bands this afternoon, we have tentatively identified the new male at the Hamilton nest as a bird that was banded in 2012 at the William Osler Hospital in Etobicoke. His parents were Hurricane (male) and Chessie (female). This is "tentative" until we can get a clearer look at the bands, to be sure that the upper character is the letter "O" and not the number "0", as it is the former that identifies him as Ossie. So for now, that's what we'll be calling him. Welcome to Hamilton, Ossie!

In the past day, Ossie and Madame X have been seen together on the nest ledge for the first time, and today, just for a moment, the new male was seen down in the actual scrape at the end of the ledge! Clearly Madame X approves of this new companion, and is showing him where she traditionally nests!

Thursday, March 5, 2015 - The Hamilton Community Peregrine Project regrets to advise all Falconwatchers that Surge has died. Although apparently well when first seen at the Ontario Veterinary College (OVC) this morning, while being examined he suddenly expired. A post-mortem examination will be conducted to see if it is possible to learn what caused his death.

On 24 January 2015 Surge was found injured on the ground near the HMCS Haida National Historic Site at Hamilton Harbour. He was taken in by Animal Control and then transferred to the Owl Foundation in Vineland for care. It appeared he had been in a fight with another bird. His right nostril was punctured, there was damage to his right cere (the skin between beak and head), and he had a scratch on his cornea. He remained under the care of experts at the Foundation as they monitored how his injuries could affect his eating. Surge weighed in at a very healthy 781 grams when he was being assessed. They thought he was a female at first he was so big! Subsequently Surge was taken to OVC for an eye exam, which showed that any damage incurred in the fight had healed well. Until two days ago he remained under care at the Owl Foundation while the damage to his beak healed. (2006 photo of Surge courtesy of Ryan Laird Iverson)

Hatched and banded in Etobicoke in 2002, Surge spent at least part of the 2004-2005 seasons trying to establish a nest at the Burlington Lift Bridge. In 2006 he replaced the male Newbie at the Sheraton Hamilton nest. He and Madame X fledged three healthy chicks that year, and 22 more in the years up to and including 2013. In 2014 two eggs were laid but failed. A second laying of a single egg also failed. Many of the chicks fledged by Surge and Madame X have settled and successfully nested in or near other cites in Ontario, upper New York state, Pennsylvania and Ohio.

Donations for Surge have been generous and are still being accepted to help defray the new veterinary care costs. We sincerely thank everyone who has donated in Surge's name.

Friday, February 20, 2015 - Falconwatch has had quite a week, with news on three fronts.

Surge: Surge is doing well. The Owl Foundation has shaved a portion of his beak to lessen the chance of something he eats disturbing the rest of the beak in the crack area. He is still on pieces of food, but it is hoped that he can start on whole quail in a few days. If the beak is stable after several days of whole food, he will be transferred to the larger enclosure to fly and restore muscle tone. The prognosis is good but only time will tell. Given the situation at the nest ledge, if and when Surge is well enough to be released that location will be determined carefully beforehand. (Photo courtesy of The Owl Foundation)

Nest Ledge: YES! There are two adult Peregrines at the nest ledge. As far as we can tell, one is Madame X and the other presumably a male. All that is known of the second bird at the moment is that it seems larger than Surge and has a very bright white chest. Needless to say, we will be keeping a close eye on this Peregrine in hopes of getting a solid identification from any bands that might be present.

Technology: With help from our friends at the Sheraton and a visit by a Fibernetics technician, a broken wire has been replaced and the camera feed to the Internet restored. The birds seemed to know it - they were not seen downtown during three visits Wednesday, but there they were on Thursday! As yet, they only visit the ledges infrequently, but it is our hope to get the camera zoomed in and read any leg bands that might identify the newcomer. Thank you for all the support we've received thus far! Stay tuned!

Monday, February 2, 2015 - Thanks to one of our dedicated Falconwatch volunteers, Surge made a safe trip to the Ontario Veterinary College in Guelph for a thorough check up. Good news! The scratch on his eye is healing and his vision looks good. There's also no sign of abnormal beak growth, but he's sticking with a diet of cut up quail for at least another week before moving to whole quail. When he switches to whole prey and the rehab folks think it's okay, he'll be given a long outdoor enclosure called a flight cage. This will give him lots of space to flex those wing muscles in preparation for release. Thank you for all the support we've received thus far! Keep those falcon sightings coming so we have the best information on how to plan for his release. (Photo courtesy of The Owl Foundation)

Sunday, January 25, 2015 - Update on Surge....after being cleaned up, his injuries don't look as severe as initially thought. As long as everything heals up nicely Surge should be back on his feet in about three weeks! (Photos courtesy of The Owl Foundation)