McKeever and Judson, the falcon couple residing at the Sheraton Hotel in downtown Hamilton, have welcomed three new chicks. The first chick emerged on April 30 at approximately 7:30 p.m., followed by two more overnight. Mother McKeever fed her offspring their first meal around 6:30 a.m. the next day. By Friday afternoon, there was one egg yet to hatch.
The Hamilton Falconwatch, a dedicated volunteer group overseeing the falcons at this nest since 1995, utilizes a webcam to monitor these birds of prey. Once the chicks begin to fly and practice their skills, volunteers patrol the downtown streets in shifts to assist if the chicks encounter any difficulties.
Pat Baker, the senior monitor at Falconwatch, informed CBC Hamilton in March that the group has successfully assisted over 75 chicks in fledging. Typically, the group bands the chicks in late May for conservation purposes. This process involves experts attaching markers to the young birds’ legs inside the hotel. The chicks usually start flying in June, marking the peak activity period for Falconwatch.
McKeever and Judson have made the 18th floor of the hotel their nesting site since 2022, having raised a total of 14 chicks, including Charlton, Lawfield, Simcoe, and Winona. McKeever hails from Windsor, Ontario, born 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 nested at the Sheraton for 13 and nine years, respectively.
Once endangered in Ontario due to DDT pesticide use, peregrine falcons, known as the world’s fastest animals, are now considered a species of special concern. Ontario’s recovery strategy for this species includes promoting community monitoring by organizations like the Hamilton Falconwatch and similar groups in Windsor. In 2024, the Canadian Peregrine Foundation noted that urban peregrines, aided by such groups, were surpassing their rural counterparts in productivity.