Downtown Hamilton falcon watchers welcome prospective mom McKeever

There's a new bird of prey in town, taking up residence at the Sheraton Hamilton Hotel.

Falcon watchers - commiserating the loss of previous matriarch Lily, who died Jan. 23, 2022, after a collision - identified the new female as McKeever. She hatched on the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor in 2019.

Hamilton Community Peregrine Project members confirmed the identity of the three-year-old falcon Sunday in a blog post after going over photos of the young raptor's leg band

Named in honour of Kay McKeever of the Owl Foundation, who died in 2019, McKeever is joined by four-year-old male Judson. The new duo are perfect ages for a breeding pair," the blog post says.

Falcon-watching humans may remember that Lily's clutch of eggs did not hatch last year, so the prospect of a brood of peregrine chicks would be a very welcome sight at the 18th-floor nest.

If she should last, fame is assured for McKeever, with the falcon cam" set up to watch her every move on the Sheraton ledge.

With spring around the corner, nest watchers will be on the lookout for eggs starting mid-March and, if all goes well, baby raptors will start to hatch as early as late April.

Jeremy Kemeny is a Hamilton-based web editor at The Spectator. Reach him via email: jkemeny@thespec.com