New Info!

•June 11, 2009 • Comments Off on New Info!

Ok, a quick post just to update on two developments!

A pair is definitely active in Pilsen and have been ID’d at the old nesting site. The adult male has been confirmed to be “Lyn” (unnamed), b/g L/N (2000; Broadway, Chicago, IL). The adult female is new to our area. Her name is Amazon, b/g R/38, and she’s a young little thing! She was born in 2008 at the WEPCO Oak Creek Power Plant in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. The pair seems to be hanging around by the nest box, but there’s no sign that they nested this year.

It does my heart good to see that Lyn has found a new mate after losing Bryanne last year. Mary tells me that it’s a very good sign for nest season that Lyn is introducing Amazon to his nesting ledge this season. I would really love to see those two successfully nest next year. I may have some more information tomorrow as Mary and I plan to go out to the site and have a look for ourselves!

A few days ago, I had another pleasant surprise when I heard from last year’s St. Mary’s monitor, Kevin. He had a really nice picture of a pair of adults on the top ledges of St. Mary’s. It was great to see the pair confirmed and even better to hear from Kevin!

Another Midwest Peregrine Falcons group member, Profiles of Nature submitted some great pictures of the Uptown family, including a really excellent picture of the Uptown chicks. They are very, very close to fledging, as you can well see in the picture. They aren’t the only ones! We have a number of nests with young ready and raring to go.

I’m buckling my seat belt now!

Posted in Chicago Pilsen, Chicago St. Mary's, Chicago Uptown Theater

The Last Nest!

•June 10, 2009 • Comments Off on The Last Nest!

HelenYesterday, we did our last official chick banding of the 2009 season. I say last official, because if one of the MCC chicks (who haven’t appeared on the ledge as of yet) ends up on the ground, we’ll band it. But, I have to hope every year that all of the MCC chicks will fledge without grounding, so there you go. But back to this last nest!

I’ve mentioned in this blog that Mr. M and Helen, 2007 & 2008’s Field Museum/South Loop birds, did not return to the Field Museum this year. Let me give you a bit of history.

Continue reading ‘The Last Nest!’

Posted in Chicago MCC, Chicago South Loop

Mary Update #2

•June 5, 2009 • Comments Off on Mary Update #2

Here’s a Mary update, sent 6/5/09

Hi Everyone!

Banding has occurred at a number of sites. New cliff site found in Alton, IL. I have removed from the list a number of sites that have been inactive for over a year such as Bloomington.

Please send me any sightings or questions (mhennen@fieldmuseum.org .) If you notice any mistakes, please let me know. Final days for the webcams before the birds fledge. Be sure to check out them out at http://www.epl.org/falconcam/ and http://www.earthcam.com/usa/illinois/midwestgen/

Mary

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Posted in Chicago Lake Shore Drive, Chicago Lakeview, Chicago Loyola, Chicago MCC, Chicago North Broadway, Chicago Other Locations, Chicago Pilsen, Chicago River, Chicago South Loop, Chicago South Wacker, Chicago St. Mary's, Chicago St. Michael's, Chicago UIC, Chicago Uptown Theater, IL Calumet River, IL Evanston, IL Hyde Park, IL Other Locations, IL Waukegan, Mary Hennen Report

Meeting People

•June 4, 2009 • Comments Off on Meeting People

I wanted to mention this in it’s own post rather than burying it in the UIC banding wrap-up. At the end of the UIC banding, a young woman approached me and introduced herself. It turns it that Diane (Bintie on Flickr) reads this blog and has also posted UIC pictures to my Flickr group Midwest Peregrine Falcons. We chatted for a good long time and I made her promise to post her photos from that days banding (she did, too! Go take a look!). It was so nice to talk to her and great to have yet another friend by way of the falcons!

I’ve met a LOT of new people working on this program. I think I’ve said before that it’s one thing I love about this whole adventure. I’ve met building engineers, prison guards, wildlife rehabbers, photographers, EPA people, security people, property managers, CEOs, politicians, teachers, lawyers, writers and on and on and on. Often times, there would be no reason for our lives to ever intersect. Yet, here we are, meeting each other because of a really neat common interest and an urge to help a fellow planet inhabitant regain it’s footing and thrive.

So, I wanted to let everyone know that you have enriched my life greatly and I’m very glad to have met each and every one of you! I look forward to many years of peregrine watching for all of us!

Posted in Uncategorized

UIC Banding

•June 2, 2009 • Comments Off on UIC Banding

RosieToday marked my first ever banding trip to my alma mater, the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). Considering I spent four years in the Behavioral Sciences building, which sits in the shadow of University Hall, the east campus’ tallest building and home to the UIC peregrines, that fact actually surprises me. But only a little.

Fact is, for as long as I’ve been part of the Chicago Peregrine Program, so has UIC graduate student Isabel Caballero. Isabel does part of her research here at the museum and is also member of the peregrine program. Her dissertation involves a DNA analysis of population structure and subspecies composition of reestablished Peregrine Falcon populations in the Midwest, a fascinating topic to be sure. As she is on campus most days of the week, she’s the logical choice to monitor the UIC birds! So, there’s never been a need for my presence at UIC, since Isabel is quite good at verifying the adults every year.

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Posted in Chicago UIC

Wacker Banding

•June 1, 2009 • Comments Off on Wacker Banding

She's squawking from INSIDE THE HOUSE!Today, we visited Wacker, another of my favorite falcon sites. Wacker is the oldest peregrine nest in Illinois, having been occupied since 1988. Because of this, Mary has long standing relationships with a number of people on the engineering staff, so I have to say she always seems very excited to do this banding.

In preparation for the banding, I’d spent some time Sunday downloading and printing a number of pictures. Mary had specifically requested I bring the two photos Sean took of building engineer Fred and his son when they visited us at the museum last year. I was happy to do so and also selected two of my favorite Joe pictures and a picture of Rahn and this years chicks.

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Posted in Chicago South Wacker

Sicko

•May 31, 2009 • Comments Off on Sicko

Ok! I’m finally updating the blog today. My apologies for my tardiness, but I do have a good reason this time. On the 17th of May, Sean and I spent a lovely, sunny day out and about monitoring the St. Mary’s and MCC sites. Sean had been sick with a cold and had missed two days of work the previous week, so Sunday was his first day out in the fresh air. As for me, I felt GREAT…until Sunday night.

Long story short, I caught Sean’s cold and lost my voice. No big. I felt sort of lousy, but not bad enough to stay home from work, so I made it through Thursday. By Thursday afternoon, my voice was completely gone and my throat felt swollen shut. My husband and co-workers began hinting that maybe I should see a doctor. I told them not to worry, it was just ebola. But, Friday things had gotten worse, so I went to the doc.

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Posted in Chicago MCC

Uptown Banding

•May 29, 2009 • Comments Off on Uptown Banding

Ceiling DetailThank goodness I’m finally healthy enough to attend a banding! I was afraid I was going to miss the whole danged thing this year. Right in time, too. I’d HATE to miss the Uptown Theater banding most of all.

As always, Dave the caretaker was outside the door of the theater when Mary, Katrina (Lincoln Park Zoo vet tech) and I arrived. I genuinely like Dave, so it’s a pleasure to catch up with him every year. While we were doing just that, Matt, Kanae (longtime Uptown monitor) and John (Brookfield Zoo vet tech) arrived. The banding team complete, we prepared to go into the theater, but Dave stopped us, saying that he had two more guests on their way.

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Posted in Chicago Uptown Theater

Evanston and Broadway Bandings

•May 27, 2009 • Comments Off on Evanston and Broadway Bandings

Evanston BandingWell, I’m still too sick to attend any bandings, alas! But, I do have the skinny on both from Mary.

Evanston had three girls and one boy. The library generally names all of the chicks, hence the long tradition of excellent literary names. This year, Mary asked that the restaurant across the street, The Celtic Knot, be allowed to name a chick. She thought this was appropriate since we’ve used their outside seating area as a peregrine watching stand every year. Anyway, here’s the names:

Ean (F, b/r 03/E): This was the name the Celtic Knot submitted. It is the Gaelic name for “bird” – appropriate since Ean is, indeed, a bird!

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Posted in Chicago North Broadway, IL Evanston

Waukegan Banding

•May 26, 2009 • Comments Off on Waukegan Banding

Waukegan BandingI did not attend the Waukegan banding today, but I have the chick info! Waukegan had four chicks: three girls and one boy. Mary told me that Waukegan decided to go with either Celtic or Gaelic names, so I looked them up and this is what I think they mean.

Cara (F, b/r 00/E): This means “dear” or “beloved” in both Celtic and Gaelic.

Neala (F, b/r 01/E): This means “champion” in Celtic and “ruler” in Gaelic. Either way, it’s a good name for a peregrine female!

Ealga (F, b/r 02/E): This means “noble” in Gaelic.

Kevan (M, b/r 10/D): This means “gentle” in Celtic and “handsome” in Gaelic. I bet they were going for the Gaelic translation.

This was the first banding, so the score stands: females (3), males (1)!

Posted in IL Waukegan

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