Falcon chicks banded, given names

May 31, 2011 | News, UToday
By Cynthia Nowak



The four chicks now living in the UT peregrine falcon nest atop of University Hall’s bell tower raised the tally of successful hatches for parents Belle and Allen to 16 since 2007.

One of the four new chicks waited to be banded.

One of the four new chicks waited to be banded.

This year’s brood received their identification bands and names May 19 when members of the Ohio Division of Wildlife peregrine tracking team arrived during a rare period of weak sun between the seemingly endless rain showers.

The two male and two female three-week-old chicks were proclaimed as healthy and well-fed by Jennifer Norris, wildlife research biologist.

The chicks were named to commemorate some of the international events marking their year of birth: Cairo for the Arab Spring, Sendai for one of the first Japanese cities affected by March’s earthquake, Madison for the Wisconsin city where the U.S. organized labor debate ignited, and Gaia, the ancient name for Earth goddess, to represent the extreme weather events of the year.

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