"Adelaide" the Peregrine Falcon

The photograph of the young Peregrine Falcon was taken on July 24, 2001 from my condo window where, remarkably, I just happened to be standing with my digital camera. I contacted the Canadian Peregrine Foundation and learned that I had photographed "Adelaide". If you study the picture of Adelaide, you will notice a transmitter on her back which looks like a narrow matchbox with a flexible antenna coming out the back end. This is worn by the bird like a backpack and attached with a harness that goes under the wings, held in place by a small patch on the breast.

This transmitter weights about 60 grams or under five percent of the weight of the bird. I further learned from the Foundation that Adelaide is included in a project referred to as "Project Track-em". This is a pilot partnership project between the Canadian Peregrine Foundation, Canadian Wildlife Service, and Canadian Space Agency, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, University of Guelph and McGill University. It is also supported in part by the Royal Canadian Geographical Society and Echo Action 2000. The purpose of this project is to track selected peregrine falcons such as Adelaide by Satellite, to learn about their migratory and hunting patterns and reproductive behaviour with a view to assisting in the recovery efforts of this endangered species.

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