Peregrine Falcon © Jasmin777
Falconwatch
Since 1995 the Hamilton Naturalists’ Club has coordinated the Falconwatch every year that chicks have hatched, with help from members of the HNC, the Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch, other nature groups and the public.
All banding has been carried out with the help of HNC members, volunteer climbers and the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. Also since 1995 the Hamilton Sheraton Hotel, the Hamilton Wentworth District School Board, and Yale Properties (Jackson Square) have provided major assistance to Falconwatch as did Stelco Inc. while it occupied the main tower in the complex. In 2015 The McMaster University David Braley Downtown Health Campus building replaced the school board building. The Braley Centre has continued to provide major assistance to Falconwatch.
In 2000 a new partnership was formed: The Hamilton Community Peregrine Project (HCPP), co-sponsored and managed by the HNC, with the goal of increasing public awareness and education regarding Hamilton’s Peregrines. A website was created, exclusively dedicated to the Sheraton Hamilton nest, displaying and archiving photos from a new webcam. This site was originally developed by Charles Gregory (who continues to maintain it to this day) and hosted by the Hamilton-Wentworth Community Network (HWCN). When HWCN closed down, hosting was thereafter donated to the HCPP by Fibernetics, and internet access for the cameras provided by their Worldline division. Over the years other companies and groups have also generously provided their support. In 2011 a grant from the TD Friends of the Environment Foundation provided the funds to install a second, more capable camera at the nest site.