PEREGRINE FALCON ENTHUSIASTS CAN VOTE FOR CHICKS’ NAMES
Voting will take place on the Internet through May 30
COLUMBUS, OH – Peregrine falcon enthusiasts worldwide will decide the names of four falcon chicks from downtown Columbus between Thursday, May 22nd and Friday, May 30th, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife.
Online voting will take place on the Division of Wildlife’s FalconCam Web page at http://www.wildohio.com. The top four names will be assigned to the falcon nestlings living on a 41st floor ledge of the Rhodes State Office Tower.
On Wednesday, June 4th at 1:00 p.m., wildlife biologists will equip the chicks with metal identification leg bands. The event will be aired live on the FalconCam Website for the world to watch. Day to day, the popular website offers viewers the chance to see into the elusive lives of these majestic birds of prey.
The name choices were submitted by students at Hartford Elementary School in Licking County and narrowed by a committee of birders, outdoor writers, and biologists.
Falcons are fitted with leg bands in order to track their distribution and nesting habits throughout Ohio and other states. Through releases and nest structure placement and maintenance, Ohio hosts 25 pairs of this endangered species, which will be downlisted to threatened as of July 1. Peregrines, being on top of the food chain, are important barometers of the health of the environment.