Falcon Cam
| The Evanston Public Library FalconCam In 2009, the falcons once again nested at the library. It was the same pair (Nona and Squawker) that nested here in 2007 and 2008. This year there is a Yahoo Group for posting and sharing news and observations of the Evanston Peregrine Falcons. It's called the Evanston Peregrine Falcon Watch and all are welcome:
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2009 FalconCam Blog Contemplating flight  Aldo ready to fly  Ean |
2009 Saved Images:
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Update — 6/19/2009 We are happy to report that all four chicks have fledged. They have been spotted on various rooftops around downtown Evanston. Yesterday, Aldo somehow made it into the BASEMENT of the Carlson Building. Fortunately, Deborah (the human) was around to rescue him and get him back in the sky. | |
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Update — 6/4/2009 This observation from Deborah: "I've just checked last year's observations, and the first sighting of chicks up on the nest pillar ledge was on 6/7 (courtesy of Kay) and it's worth noting that in 2008, the chicks hatched out on the exact same ratio as this year: three on 5/7/08 and one on 5/9/08 (cf. to three on 5/5/09 and one on 5/7/09). So it won't be long before their horizons expand from the heights of the pillar ledges, and they get their first good look at their natal territory." | |
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Update — 6/2/2009 Videos of the banding have been uploaded to YouTube. Nona and Squawker's four eyases were banded (Black over Red)as follows:
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Update — 5/27/2009 The Library peregrine falcons were banded, sampled and named today. Their names are:
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Update — 5/13/2009 The chicks will be banded (and named!) on Wednesday, May 27 at 10:30 a.m. Join us for the festivities! | |
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Update — 5/7/2009 Looks like all four eggs have hatched. Four chicks! | |
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Update — 4/3/2009 Nona laid her fourth egg between 4:12 & 6:24 PM, after what appeared to be a prolonged labor today. | |
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Update — 4/1/2009 Three eggs! No foolin'. :-) | |
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Update — 3/29/2009 Two eggs. | |
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Update — 3/27/2009 We have an egg! The nesting pair have been showing interest in the same nesting site as last year for some while; this evening the first egg appeared. The mother should lay two or three more over the next few days, at which point the pair will start sitting consistently. | |
Falcons at the Library Banding, 2004 Peregrine Falcons nested on the Library for the first time in the summer of 2004. That year there were four eggs, but shortly after the eggs hatched the female broke her wing leaving the male to raise the chicks on his own. Only one chick successfully fledged, the other three succumbed to malnourishment and disease. The female with the broken wing received veterinary treatment and now appears in nature education programs.  Chicks in the nest - 2005 In 2005 the same male returned to the Library with a new mate and three chicks fledged successfully. In the fall of 2005 the male broke his wing; despite treatment the wing did not heal and he had to be euthanized. 2005 marked the debut of the FalconCam. The Evanston Review had an article about the falcons: "Falcon family thrills a rapt library crowd" (Evanston Review, June 30, 2005)  Dashiel, Robinson and May on banding day. 2006 was another good year. Four eggs were laid in mid April, three chicks hatched in mid May and all three fledged successfully between June 27 and 29. For a short while they were seen around Evanston, but they soon dispersed, and their current whereabouts are unknown. On Monday June 12, 2006 staff and volunteers from the Field Museum banded and took blood samples from the chicks, and they posed for a photograph. One of the three chicks is female and two are male. They were named:
 In 2007, there were four chicks, three males and one female. The birds were named:
In 2008, there was one male and three females [Correction: Mistress Hussey turned out to be male, so there were actually 2 males and 2 females. He was presumed female at the time of banding because there was some doubt as to gender, and Mary Hennen of the Field Museum always errs on the side of female to prevent any chance of a still growing leg becoming constricted by the smaller male band.] The chosen names were:
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More on Peregrine Falcons
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