A falcon by any other name
Evanston Public Library Director Karen Danczak Lyons, with suggestions coming from staff and fellow administrators, had plenty of possibilities for the naming of Evanston’s new falcons on Thursday. The library list draws from history or literature or language for falcon names.
• Shae, the only female in the group, is named for a character on “Game of Thrones”.
• Gies, was named in honor of biologist Matthewe Gies’ work supporting Chicago area peregrines
• Platon Karatev is the “little falcon,” character in “War and Peace,” and portrayed as “endlessly optimistic, kind and generous.”
• Humphrey, is named after Humphrey Bogart, the actor who played Sam Spade in the noir film, “The Maltese Falcon.”
EVANSTON — Children and parents jostled for good views Thursday at the Main Public Library during a banding and naming ceremony for the library’s new baby falcons.
As Field Museum bird expert Mary Hennen suited up and prepared to fetch the birds from their outdoor nest, one precocious child jumped ahead of the plot.
“Are you getting ready to go get the babies?” the child called out.
Indeed, Hennen was preparing to bring the baby raptors, born earlier in the month, inside for banding, the 10th year it has been done at the library.
Hennen, accompanied by veterinarian Dr. Barbara Royal and Matthew Gies, a biologist at the Shedd Aquarium, worked briskly banding the squawking falcons for later identification.
“This one is a boy,’’ Hennen announced, holding the bird up to camera flashes and applause from her audience.
“His name is Humphrey,’’ said Evanston Public Library Director Karen Danczak Lyons, picking the name from actor Humphrey Bogart who starred in “The Maltese Falcon.”
Lyons was aided by an armful of falcon references suggested by staff, and drawn from literary and other sources.
No doubt some young author in attendance could hatch a pretty good plot from some of the back details made possible through Hennen’s research.
The two adult falcons, who nest atop the library and make swoops between the building and the Carlson Building to the south, are practically longtime residents.
The adult female, Nona, is originally from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and has spent nine years at the site, according to Hennen.
The adult male, Squawker, has spent five years at the site after originally coming from Pleasant Prairie, Wis.
“The majority of the young birds we never hear about again, but a few of the Evanston offspring have been sighted,” said Hennen, who has been director of the program (fieldmuseum.org/explore/illinois-peregrines) since 1989 and took over in 1990.
Deborah, part of the 2009-banding group, has been breeding at University of Wisconsin at Oshkosh.
“This is her third year at the site and she currently has four young,” Hennen said.
One of the Evanston young from last year went north to Ringle, Wis., she said, but unfortunately was found dead in August of last year.
The Evanston Peregrine Watch has been keeping track of the latest fledglings, positing photos and updates from the library’s falcon cam at
www.epl.org/falconcam/.
Hennen said the young leave their nest when they are roughly 40 to 42 days old, or about three weeks from now.
After fledgling, the young birds spend a couple of weeks learning to fly and then a couple of weeks learning to hunt, she said.
During that period, Evanston Peregrine Watch members “do an excellent job of tracking the young and assisting with any fledglings that get grounded,” she said.
In general, thanks to groups like the Evanston Peregrine Watch, the falcon – once on the federal endangered species list – have “come a long way over 25 years, and I would say is doing well.”
Kelly Froehlich was among the parents who brought their children to see nature up close.
“I thought it was a great opportunity for the kids to see nature up close and to make it real for them, rather than just something they see on TV,’’ she said.
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