Peregrine Falcons Back At The Uptown Theatre

According to the Chicago Peregrine Falcon Blog, Chicago’s “Official Bird” (the Peregrine Falcon) has nested again at the Uptown Theatre.

4. Uptown Theatre: 9th year for this site. Currently incubating. Three eggs on 4/1/09. In 2008, fledged three and adults were the male G/G (b/g 2001 Wheatfield, IN) and female Zoom *4/H (1997 St. Paul. MN).

A word to the squeamish - the blog has a rather graphic photo at the top of a (former) pigeon Red-winged Blackbird and a Cedar Waxwing after a peregrine falcon encounter. Not for the faint-of-heart.

Photo courtesy of "stirwise" at Flickr.

Uptown Theatre Peregrine Falcon Update

We heard from Stephanie Ware today, the author of the Chicago Peregrine Falcon Blog that we referenced last month. She also works with Mary Hennen in the Chicago Peregrine Program at the Field Museum.

"I also wanted to let you know that we did a nest check this week and managed to confirm that the two adult birds are Zoom (who has been the adult female at that site since 2001) and G/G (who has been the adult male at that site since 2003). They appear to have three chicks this year that were about two-three days old when we went up on Wednesday (5/6). It's possible they even have four chicks, as Mary noted that the chicks were napping in a mound and one chick could have been buried down in the center.

I've attached pictures I took of your Uptown adults. Again, thanks so much for your interest and congratulations on your neighborhood's newest batch of falcons!"

You can read about Stephanie's trip to the Uptown Theatre last Wednesday to photograph the falcons here. Pretty amazing!

New Family Of Uptown Falcons

copyright held by Jerry Goldner

copyright held by Jerry Goldner

Wildlife photographer Jerry Goldner, who's wowed us before with his images of the peregrine falcons who live atop the Uptown Theater, took another series of pictures of the falcon fledglings this past June.  He says, "Here's the link to the new family pix."

As falcon watchers may remember, drama ensued this spring when the male of the Uptown family, Guy, disappeared and was replaced in the breeding pair by his son, Stan.  Apparently all went well with Stan's liaison with the Uptown's long-time matriarch, Zoom, because young'uns are clearly in evidence in these latest photos.

The first 20 or so photos in the series were taken at the Uptown Theater last month, and those immediately following them in the slide show were taken this year at historic St. Michael's Church in Old Town.  Enjoy the show!  It's a privilege to have these beautiful and rare creatures living at Lawrence and Broadway.

Flying With A Peregrine Falcon

A reader sent us this BBC video with a literal bird's eye view from the fastest animal on earth: the peregrine falcon. Just to give you a little taste of what the birds who live on the Uptown's roof are capable of.  We've heard they can get from Montrose Harbor back home to the Uptown in under a minute, and after seeing this, we believe it.

Guardians Of The Uptown Theatre

Photographer Jerry Goldner sends us a great photo of a peregrine falcon perched high atop the Uptown Theatre. You can check out all of Jerry Goldner's amazing Uptown falcon photography here.

Uptown Pic Of The Day

Sent in by an "Uptown Update" reader. This falcon was spotted on Sheridan just south of the "Buena Pointe" condos. Could this be one of the falcons living in the Uptown Theatre? The falcon was standing on it's prey, a pigeon, who may have eventually gotten away.

Love On A Rooftop

"Recovery of a Species"
copyright held by Jerry Goldner

Good news!  Looks like there's another generation of peregrine falcons set to be born high atop the Uptown Theatre, in a niche off the fire escapes on the Magnolia side.  The Chicago Peregrine Falcon Blog reports that, as of this week, Mama "Zoom" is sitting on a nest of four eggs.

But there's a soap opera aspect:  Zoom's long-time mate, Guy, is nowhere to be seen.  He's been replaced by his son Stan as the male half of the breeding pair.  Guy's fate is unknown.

We look forward to many swoops and flights from the Uptown Theatre as our endangered buddies stay in Uptown for another season.

---

Last year, Jerry Goldner sent us his magnificent mating falcon photo, Recovery of a Species, with which he won the first annual "Nature In Chicago" photo contest.  (You can read more about the contest and see the winning images here.)  This seems like an appropriate time to run it.  Congratulations, and thank you, Jerry.

Predators! From The Skies!

a Peregrine Falcon helps keeps Uptown's pigeon population in check
(copyright: Jerry Goldner)

From a reader:

"Early on Saturday my wife witnessed a very large bird of prey (falcon? hawk? unsure) swoop into our backyard and kill a pigeon.

We wanted to give a heads up to pet owners to not leave their small pets unattended outside. There are also a few cats on Beacon and Dover, unsure if they belong to anyone but they are frequent visitors to our yards, and if they do belong to someone then they should be mindful that their pets may be in danger from this large predator."

We are a neighborhood with a lot of natural predators: coyotes, Coopers Hawks, snowy owls, and the Uptown Theatre peregrine falcons.

The reader's advice is something to remember: in nature, smaller animals are food for the larger ones. Be careful of your pets! Keep them indoors or on leashes, and don't tie them up outside.

Peregrine And Bear It

Witty title and great photos from a reader who caught a glimpse of two of Uptown's most fabled residents last week:

"I live a few doors south of the Riv on Racine and occasionally see one of Uptown's celebrated raptors perched on a tree branch in our woodsy courtyard.  (I've also stumbled across their crime-scene leftovers — decapitated pigeons — from time to time.)  I've been trying to photograph them from my third-floor home and, this past week, two of them paused long enough nearby for me to snap off a few shots before they rocketed off.

I don't have the best gear in the world and wish I had a better telephoto lens, but these turned out alright.

There are two birds here:  the one facing right is one (wondering if this is Stan, the patricidal son I've read about?), and the one facing left are another falcon (perhaps a recently hatched juvenile?).  I know absolutely jack squawk about avian species, so couldn't tell you who's who here.  I just think it's immensely cool that the fastest creature on earth is Uptown's unofficial mascot and helps cull the pigeons fattened up by Pigeon Lady near the Lawrence CTA station."

Falcon Pair Remain At Uptown Theater

copyright: Jerry Goldner

copyright: Jerry Goldner

We heard from wildlife photographer Jerry Goldner recently, with news about the mating pair of peregrine falcons that have maintained their nest at the Uptown Theater for many years.  The parents are still there, and helping to hold down Uptown's pigeon population, as seen in the photos above.  If you click on the photos to see larger versions, you'll notice the banding bracelet that researchers use to identify and track the falcons.

Some bad news about the fledglings who were born this year:  they did not thrive.  The male fledgling is currently undergoing rehabilitation to get healthy, and the fates of the two female fledglings are unknown.

If you'd like to see some of the stunning images that Mr. Goldner has shared with Uptown Update's readers in the past, click here.  You can see more of his work at his website, Profiles of Nature.

We are so privileged to have these rare and beautiful creatures right here in our back yard, and equally privileged to be able to see them up close and personal, thanks to Mr. Goldner's talent and generosity.

When Pere-y Met Snowy

photo by Rick Remington

What happens when Uptown's two favorite birds -- the peregrine falcon and the snowy owl -- meet in a cage match?

A reader found this link and says, "This is a great narrative for those of us who are thrilled with this year’s Snowy Owl invasion.  At last count, I believe there have been 8-9 Snowy Owls who made Montrose Harbor and North Lincoln Park their temporary home-away-from-home this winter.  This is the tale of one of them."

Given the number of falcons and snowy owls in Chicago this winter, we're not sure the encounter happened in Uptown, but it could have, and the photos are thrilling, even for those of us who don't normally give (sorry) a hoot.

Howdy, Neighbor!

Reader AL looked out her window today and had a visitor. "She was chilling on my balcony today at Montrose and Broadway. It was as big as my cat."

So, people who know birds -- what is this gorgeous thing? A Cooper's Hawk? A Peregrine Falcon?