Hamilton. MCKeever & Judson.

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BANDING THIS MORNING
Wednesday May 15, 2024 (9am) - At around 11am our chicks will have a visitor on their ledge. A climber will be collecting the chicks in a specially designed compartmented case, which assures their safety, and then they will be brought inside the Sheraton Hamilton Hotel, for weighing and banding. The climber will remain on the ledge, so that the parents never have a chance to see that the chicks are "missing". The chicks will be returned about an hour later, and the peregrines will fuss for maybe another half hour, then forget this ever happened. The chicks won't be hungry when we pick them up. The adults are feeding them quite well (photo).

2024 Banding Video.<---Klik

31-5
Sad news, and a trigger warning: With the passage of time, it has become obvious that Westdale passed away sometime early Thursday afternoon. Review of webcam archives shows hints that she was ill for a day or so before. Please take note that birds do not think like humans. They will not grieve as we do. Once a chick dies, in their thinking it just disappears, and the body left behind is no longer "family". For wild birds, it is natural for them to take advantage of any food source nearby. Eating deceased young allows for a low effort food source for the whole family and prevents the body from starting to decay in the nest - which could lead to various other health risks. We believe we may have already observed some behavior of the adults and chicks beginning this process. As much as is possible with our human emotions, we try not to feel upset by this. This is quite natural. But if this is something you would prefer not to see, we suggest not watching too closely if you notice any of the other birds in that far corner.

campic Hanny