News: Radisson Peregrines

[GCG]

Thanks Carly for sharing this with us! 

[RCF]

 

[carly]

From the Midwest Peregrine Society FB Site (https://www.facebook.com/Midwest-Peregrine-Society-354352871260525/):

Celebrating 33 years of Success

On this date, the Midwestern US celebrated their FIRST successful hatch of a wild peregrine falcon, who would survive long enough to fledge. Not only did "Maud" survive long enough to fledge, but she survived and was a successful breeding female in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Maud hatched and fledged from the Multifoods Tower in downtown Minneapolis. Her parents were both hacked birds (mother was MF-1, who was released at Multifoods Tower in 1986 and dad was Billy Ray, who was released at Weaver Dunes near the Mississippi River in 1983). She was the only egg to hatch from the clutch produced in the wild, so she had two siblings added to her nest box for companionship.

Maud, we salute you!

[The Peregrine Chick]

Falcons have four new mouths to feed
26 May 2011 / Winnipeg Free Press

The city's most popular peregrine falcons have four new mouths to feed.  Princess and Ivy, who live in a wooden nest box on the roof of the Radisson hotel, saw the last of their eggs hatch early Thursday morning. All the babies are doing well, says Tracy Maconachie, coordinator of Manitoba’s Peregrine Falcon Recovery Project.

"Everyone seems fine," says Maconachie. "They’re feeding."

There’s a live-streaming "falcon cam"  that captures every peep coming from the nest. Two years ago, there were over one million pages loads in a single month.

Maconachie says people become addicted to watching the birds' development.

"People get caught up. The birds have personalities. The chicks develop very, very fast. Every day there’s something going on."

Maconachie is posting videos so falcon fans can see what feedings are like.

There is another pair of breeding falcons in Brandon. Their eggs are expected to hatch in early June.


WFP article: Falcons have four new mouths to feed (link inactive)

[bcbird]

Just back from a brief holiday, and found the link is still active. Thanks, TPC. 

[Liz]

Missed it, if anyone finds a link perhaps you could post it as it would be nice to see 

Dennis, if you can't find it on CBC, ask your oldest grand-daughter - bet she can! lol

[Linder]

Very interesting news report. 

[The Peregrine Chick]

Today's CBC Manitoba News at Six

http://www.cbc.ca/video/#/News/Canada/Manitoba/1304130959/ID=1918221403
(don't know how long the link stays live but it looks like for a few days)

Story runs from 10:07 to 12:22.
Note that they do replay video from the 2008 TLC rescue attempt.

[msdolittle]

What a great picture on the Cam .... very nice, and thanks

[photosbydennis]

Missed it, if anyone finds a link perhaps you could post it as it would be nice to see 

[moka]

Great interview TPC.........what an interesting classroom you have kinderchick!.......and truly love the streaming video of Princess and Ivy.  Good job CBC, TPC, ES, and Dennis (for all the wonderfull still pictures.)

I totally agree. Great job kinderchick

[Doreen]

Great job! 

[Ellie]

Great interview TPC.........what an interesting classroom you have kinderchick!.......and truly love the streaming video of Princess and Ivy.  Good job CBC, TPC, ES, and Dennis (for all the wonderfull still pictures.)

[Liz]

Yippee for the camera and SOUND!!  Just saw Kinderchick (and TPC, of course) on CBC news. 

[The Peregrine Chick]

Popular CBC 'Falcon Cam' goes live
CBC News - 10 May 2011

CBC is once again teaming with the Peregrine Falcon Recovery Project to offer a bird's eye view of Manitoba's famous nesting peregrine falcons.

The popular 'Falcon Cam' went live online Tuesday, offering continuous views of two Winnipeg-based birds in their nesting box on the roof of the city's Radisson Hotel. The birds, Princess and Ivy, are incubating four eggs which are expected to hatch later this month.

A second camera is being brought online soon, where viewers can also watch another pair of peregines — Hurricane and Brooklyn — in Brandon, Man. They too have four eggs. And, for the first time, the Winnipeg camera also includes audio.

Various pairs of peregrine falcons have been nesting on the Winnipeg hotel ledge since 1989. Peregrine pairs have nested in Brandon since the early 1990s.

The Peregrine Falcon Cam has been popular among online viewers. In 2009, the nesting birds drew more than 2 million views.

The peregrine falcon is considered the fastest creature on Earth, reaching speeds of more than 300 km/h in a dive, with nostrils so adept at breathing during its dives that scientists mimicked the function for use in fighter jets.

In Canada and the United States, it is illegal to kill peregrines or disrupt their nests.


http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/story/2011/05/10/mb--peregrine-falcon-cam.html

[Kinderchick]

Winnipeg falcons hatch 4 chicks
CBC News (May 2010)

There are four new falcon chicks in Winnipeg, hatched this week on the rooftop of a downtown hotel.  The downy white chicks can be viewed live via webcam — dubbed the Falcon Cam — attached near the nest.  The camera is a project involving CBC Manitoba, Shaw Cable Systems and the Peregrine Falcon Recovery Project.

Various pairs of the peregrine falcons have been nesting on the hotel since 1989 and the webcam has been there since 2006, enabling people around the world to observe the tender and sometimes tragic first few weeks of the new families.

The parents of many of those chicks over the years, Trey and Princess, were together since 2004 and at least one of their offspring has survived every year and has been spotted nesting elsewhere in the city.

But this time around, Princess has a new mate, according to Tracy Maconachie, a conservation biologist who has co-ordinated Manitoba's Peregrine Falcon Recovery Project for 17 years.  Her partner now is Ivy, who has been living in west Winnipeg since 2007.

"If all goes well, this will be his first successful nest and her sixth," Maconachie said.

Like a soap opera plot, Ivy's ex-mate, Jules, also has a new mate in her life by the name of Beau. They are living on the city's west side.

The third known peregrine pair in the province is in Brandon. The female, Hurricane, has been there for some time but she, too, has a new boyfriend, named Brooklyn, said Maconachie.

Struck by tragedy

The genders of the latest falcon brood won't be known until they are banded in a few weeks.  They are living in a nestbox perched 30 storeys above downtown on the Radisson Hotel. That is the original nesting location, although between 2007 and 2009, Trey and Princess set up on a ledge jutting out from the hotel's 13th floor.

In June 2008, heavy rains flooded the ledge and drowned three chicks. A Winnipeg firefighter rappelled down the side of the building in a dramatic rescue attempt to pluck the chicks from the water but was too late.  Condolences for the falcons were posted on the Falcon Cam's comment section by people from Australia, Japan, the United States, Canada and the U.K.

And in 2007, one of four chicks belonging to the same falcon pair fell to its death from the rooftop nestbox.

In 2006, one chick was killed when it hit a building on its inaugural flight.

All three chicks from 2009 survived to leave the nest, although one learned a hard lesson when it tested its wings for the first time.  She flew off the Radisson Hotel onto the nearby St. Regis Hotel, and then discovered gravity as she plummeted straight down to the street pavement.  She was not terribly hurt and was returned to the nest by Maconachie.  Over the years, the falcons have experienced spring, snowstorms, ice storms and fierce windstorms, but they continue to come back.

The chicks will be dependent on their parents for food until some time in July, when they will learn to hunt on their own and permanently leave the nest.  Until then, the Falcon Cam will be streaming live, 24 hours a day.

Click the link at the top right of this page or look for the Falcon Cam in the list of CBC Manitoba features on the website.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/manitoba/story/2010/05/26/mb-falcon-cam-chicks-hatch-winnipeg.html?ref=rss#ixzz0pBnSkx2f

[allikat]

Great little interview/explanation about our Manitoba Peregrines Tracy!

I smiled through the entire interview!  Thank you.   

[The Peregrine Chick]

Here's the podcast link (http://www.cbc.ca/asithappens/podcast.html) for those who missed the original ...

... like one of their modified soap opera names: Guiding Flight 

[Kinderchick]

Yes, thank you for the link, des!  I just listened to the podcast. It was great! I noticed that that TPC failed to mention the actual biological relationship between Princess & Ivy! LOL! Maybe that would have been too much of a soap opera! 

[bcbird]

Thanks, Des, it was great to get right to the interview.
Love that Tracy busted us!
"Oh, yes, some people get quite caught up..... even recognize personalities of the birds."

[Kinderchick]

Just listened to the podcast interview with our very own Peregrine Chick on CBC "As It Happens". What a great interview, Tracy! And thanks to des for the link.

[RCF]

Thank you, des for the link. 

[The Peregrine Chick]

Hi Cocoa,

Yup, that's me, haven't heard it myself yet ...

As for the comments section on CBC, I believe they are looking into another communication format - the comments section doesn't work so well in this case as it can be difficult to follow questions/comments in a chronological way.  Its one of the reasons we have this Forum, it allows for real-time conversations/questions.  I do know that we are going to try regularly schedule online chats for questions ... keep an eye on the CBC site for more information.

If you want to join in on the conversation about the Radisson peregrines you can check out the  Radisson Peregrines thread or you can post questions in the Ask the Peregrine Chick . 

Hope this helps!

[Linder]

Thanks Des for the info, I just finished listening to the interview. It was really interesting and I'm glad you provided the info on how to find it 

[des]

If you google "cbc as it happens may 14",  there are choices but one is for the May 14 show,
or use this  http://www.cbc.ca/radioshows/AS_IT_HAPPENS/20090514.shtml
( yes correct spelling, but highlight and go)

  You go to a site which breaks this program into 3 parts.  It doesn't get involved with which source (west... central, etc.) to listen to.

TPC can be heard - great interview - in the last half of of part 1 ( that would be in the last half of the 1st half hour ( show is 1 and a half hours).  This will help you find it - also if you need to wait for the podcast (I hope it's of the entire show) it will help you find it.

[The Peregrine Chick]

Radio interview on "As It Happens" this evening, don't know what time!


CBC Radio One.  Here's the website address to listen online ...

        http://www.cbc.ca/radio/

and then click on "As It Happens"  for region Central.

[cocoa3c]

Welcome back Falcon viewers!

I just logged into the cam today. At present I'm listening to the report on the falcons...is that you PC? Sorry, I tried to tell people it was on earlier, but I couldn't log on. Are we still going to have the post site on CBC? It's faster. Ok, look forward to a new season of falcon watching! Great new camera.

[bcbird]

Attention to The Project is good wherever it happens.

[The Peregrine Chick]

For those of us not in Winnipeg reading the paper and watching the news, what was "that" ?

Sorry BCBird, I had heard that they might do something on a newscast, but had only spoken with the radio folks so didn't know what they were going to do.  Then I heard something had gone to air but didn't know "when".   

[bcbird]

So "that" has made our Princess a TV Star!

[Kinderchick]

For those of us not in Winnipeg reading the paper and watching the news, what was "that" ?

I think the "that" that TPC is refering to, is the news item that was on the 6:00 PM news in Winnipeg last evening. It was basically a view of Princess in the nestbox on her eggs via the webcam. I think it was intended to solicit viewers to access the CBC/Shaw webcam and forum so that they can learn more about peregrine falcons and the Recovery Project. At least that's what I think the "that" was about!

[bcbird]

For those of us not in Winnipeg reading the paper and watching the news, what was "that" ?

[The Peregrine Chick]

Ah, that's where they put that 

[Kinderchick]

Our very own "Princess" sure is becoming a star! Not only was she in the Free Press last Saturday, this evening she was on "The News at Six", with Janet Stewart! 

[Kinderchick]

And of course, great photos by Dennis!

[allikat]

Read the article....What great exposure for the falcons in Manitoba!  Way to go! 

This is exactly what the falcons need! 

[Kinderchick]

Yes! Read this article in the Free Press this morning! Excellent! And great news about the webcam going up this Wednesday!

[The Peregrine Chick]

Raising the roost: Falcons move into new downtown digs
By: Alison Mayes, WFP - 8 May 2010

The peregrine falcons are incubating their four eggs in a sheltered wooden nest box on the edge of the Radisson Hotel’s roof.  The Radisson Hotel's peregrine falcons have moved on up -- as the Jeffersons would say -- to a deluxe apartment in the sky.  After two years of stubbornly nesting on a weather-battered ledge above Portage Avenue, the raptors are incubating four eggs in the peregrine penthouse -- a sheltered wooden nest box on the edge of the downtown hotel's roof. 

"It's wonderful," said a relieved Tracy Maconachie, the conservation biologist who co-ordinates Manitoba's Peregrine Falcon Recovery Project, aimed at re-establishing a wild population of the endangered birds.  The chicks are expected to start hatching between May 17 and 21, just before the long weekend.

The streaming CBC/Shaw "falcon cam" that lets fans around the world watch the nesting action online will go live this Wednesday morning (check www.species-at-risk.mb.ca/peregrines for links).  Last year's webcam page generated more than one million page views in its first month. Fans follow the birds' progress from as far away as China, New Zealand, South Africa, Israel, Norway and Saudi Arabia.  This year's camera is built into the half-covered nest box, which is 30 storeys up on the west side of the hotel. At least one additional camera will show the ledge area once the chicks get ready to fly.

The Radisson has been a peregrine nesting site since 1989. Last year's three chicks got a survival boost from a plastic nest tray, which helped keep them dry and less wind-battered on the exposed 13th-storey ledge.  They learned to fly and hunt, and were last seen heading for their first winter vacation, somewhere like Mexico or Cuba. They have leg bands and may be identified when they mate at the age of two or three.

In 2008, it was a much sadder story when three chicks died in a severe June rainstorm on the ledge.

What made the parents go for more shelter this spring? Like a hotelier upgrading to higher thread-count sheets, Maconachie changed the pea gravel in the nearly one-metre-by-one-metre box to a finer grade. That may have helped, but the key reason may be that Princess, the female, has a new guy.  It's unknown what happened to her mate of six years, Trey, although he could be taking a sabbatical from the territory, Maconachie said. In his place, Princess has hooked up with Ivy, a quiet male who has tried unsuccessfully to become a dad in west Winnipeg.  Ivy's ex, Jules, has a new beau, Maconachie said, and that pair is eyeing nest boxes on two buildings whose locations are kept secret in the western part of the city. So far, no west Winnipeg peregrine pair has succeeded in hatching a brood.  The province's third pair has also opted for the nest box at the longtime Brandon site, the McKenzie Seeds building. They're incubating four eggs, due to hatch by early June.  It's a year of three experienced falcon moms teaching three novice dads how this nesting business is done, said Maconachie, who is hoping for a baby boom to mark the 30th year for the recovery project.

It began in 1981 with the release of four captive-bred chicks. Since then, the project has seen 212 falcons released or hatched in the wild.

Maconachie has been getting a flood of calls about local peregrine sightings. She says many tundra peregrines are currently migrating through Manitoba. That subspecies winters in Chile and summers in the High Arctic. 

For those of you wanting to see some great photos, check out the WFP original = http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/raising-the-roost-93182899.html

[The Peregrine Chick]

Canad Inns hotel chain purchases the Radisson
Winnipeg Free Press (Sept 2008)

Manitoba's biggest hotel chain has made its first foray into downtown Winnipeg -- but it likely won't be its last. Canad Inns has purchased the Radisson Hotel at the corner of Portage Avenue and Smith Street from the Paletta Group for an undisclosed sum and will take possession in the next few weeks.  But Leo Ledohowski, Canad Inns' CEO, said his people are also crunching the numbers on Winnipeg's premiere business hotel, The Fairmont, which is currently for sale.

"The Radisson came to us. It seemed like a good fit, so we made a deal," he said. "If the Fairmont is a good fit, we'll make a deal. If it's not, we won't. We're just beginning our due diligence. It all depends on conditions, price and profitability. It's a nice hotel. I've been through there for a lot of functions."  Ledohowski said his team's first order of business is turning the 263-room Radisson into a destination centre, just like it has done for the other 10 properties in its portfolio. He said it's too early to tell what combination of restaurants, entertainment concepts, night clubs or water parks will be launched at the hotel -- which will continue to fly the Radisson flag for the time being.

The Radisson isn't the first investment by Canad Inns in Winnipeg's central business district. The company is an investor in the MTS Centre and it operates the adjacent Tavern United Pub. It also recently bought the Metropolitan Theatre, which is scheduled to be turned into a shrine for Canada's rock and roll music scene. Canad Inns also plans to start construction early next year on a 200-room hotel at the Health Sciences Centre.

"(The Radisson) has a good location. I think the skill set we have fits very well with that. It's also very close to the Met, the MTS Centre and Tavern United. We have a pretty good cluster there. We believe it's a pretty good operation and we think we can improve it," he said.

Canad Inns is the third owner for the Radisson in the past month. The Paletta Group, which owns three hotels in the province, including the Clarion, bought half of the Radisson in November, 2005, partnering up with the Tribal Councils Investment Group, which bought the other half.  This spring, TCIG triggered a shotgun clause to buy out Paletta but before the offer's window closed, Paletta turned the tables and offered to take out TCIG.  Allan McLeod, president and CEO of the First Nations consortium, was happy to oblige.

"We put together a win-win proposal. The hotel is a great property, it has lots of potential and lots of upside. We doubled our money on it. Doing that has the equivalent upside and potential because that money can be used to invest in other things that will generate returns over the coming years," McLeod said.  Joe Paletta, CEO of the Paletta Group, said he flipped the property because the right opportunity came along. "For the right price, everything is for sale," he said.

Ledohowski said he's also considering possible options with two mothballed movie theatres -- formerly the Northstar Cinema 1 & 2 -- at the Radisson.