Peregrine Falcons Released in Fargo

Four peregrine falcon chicks were successfully banded and named yesterday at Bank of the West in Fargo, N.D. The peregrine family makes their home in a nesting box on the side of the 12-story Bank of the West building at 520 Main Avenue in Fargo. Birders from around the country have been observing the falcons via a webcam at www.riverwatchonline.org.

The project partners invited the public to suggest names for the birds. The three male birds were named

· Maris, submitted by Jodie Hay of Fargo;

· Hunter, submitted by Julee Burchill of Fargo;

· Freedom, submitted by Loren Kramer of Fargo and his granddaughters.

The female bird was named Prairie Rose, a name submitted by Kim Duenow of Glyndon.

A banding crew including Genevieve Thompson, Audubon Dakota; Mark Martell, Director of Bird Conservation for Audubon Minnesota; Wick Corwin, Audubon Dakota Board Chair; Jacquelyn Fallon, and Bud Tordoff, University of Minnesota Raptor Center briefly removed the chicks from their nest, banded them and returned them to their home. This banding enables the birds to be individually identified, to study their dispersal and migration, behavior and social structure, life span and survival rate, reproductive success and population growth.

The young falcons are expected to leave the nesting box by late June or early July when they successfully fledge. Until then, their growth and activities can be watched and enjoyed via the webcam.

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