McKeever and Judson, the falcon couple residing at the Sheraton Hotel in downtown Hamilton, have welcomed three new chicks. Hamilton Falconwatch, a volunteer organization overseeing falcons at this nest since 1995, reported that the first chick hatched on April 30 at approximately 7:30 p.m. The other two chicks hatched overnight, and by 6:30 a.m. Friday, mother McKeever fed her offspring their first meal. Another egg was still awaiting hatching as of Friday afternoon.
The Hamilton Community Peregrine Project, also known as Falconwatch, utilizes a webcam to observe these birds of prey. Once the chicks start flying, volunteers patrol downtown streets in shifts to assist the chicks if they face any challenges. Falconwatch has aided in successfully fledging over 75 chicks, as mentioned by senior monitor Pat Baker in a previous interview with CBC Hamilton.
Banding of the chicks usually occurs in late May, where experts affix identification markers to their legs for conservation purposes inside the hotel. The fledging typically begins in June, marking Falconwatch’s peak activity period. McKeever and Judson have been nesting on the hotel’s 18th floor since 2022, raising a total of 14 chicks, including recent ones named Charlton, Lawfield, Simcoe, and Winona.
McKeever was born in Windsor, Ontario, on the Ambassador Bridge in 2019, while Judson fledged in Buffalo, New York, in 2018. Judson is the descendant of Madame X and Surge, who previously nested on the Sheraton for significant durations. Peregrine falcons, recognized as the fastest animals globally, were once endangered in Ontario due to DDT pesticides. Though now categorized as a species of special concern, they are no longer endangered.
Ontario’s recovery strategy for peregrine falcons involves advocating for community monitoring by groups like Falconwatch in Hamilton or similar organizations in Windsor. In a 2024 statement, the head of the Canadian Peregrine Foundation in Toronto credited these groups for the urban peregrines’ higher reproductive success compared to rural counterparts.