Help us to name our chick before it leaves the nest site
We have received a whopping 424 suggested names for our peregrine chick – and are pleased to announce that we have now whittled them down to a shortlist of our favourite six. The names in the running are Darwin, Ernest, Storm, Noah, Unity and Chick.I.Am. An online poll is now live on the website so please do vote for your favourite before the deadline of Wednesday, May 30 at 5pm. We plan to announce the chosen name the following day.
The names put forward each have their own significance. Darwin’s ‘survival of the fittest’; the biblical story of Noah and the slightly more obvious – but extremely popular – Storm. Unity was a name previously adopted by many who were commenting on this blog while Ernest was put forward by a follower whose grandfather of that name was an avid viewer of our falcon family and sadly recently passed away. As for Chick.I.Am, well it just made us chuckle – perhaps someone is confusing their raptors with their rappers.
As stated previously, we are also planning to give away a peregrine falcon toy to one person who initially suggested the name finally chosen for the chick via the online poll.
Dave Rogers
Nottingham Trent University
NTU Falcons 
The links don’t lead to a poll – just the ecoweb index.
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Hi – the poll is on the bottom right hand side of the page
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It must be me. I can’t see that button anywhere………………………………………… is it because I’m outside the UK ? Or just because I’m daft this morning
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Hi there – have another look now, bottom right hand corner?
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well, well – there it is. Clear as day. Must have been that I had to register (which I did to write the post, of course).
Thanks Daventu
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I have so enjoyed my time with the falcons and have hugely appreciated the efforts of the staff at NTU and Notts Wildlife Trust. Many thanks – I will miss it all when the chick flies off.
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Thanks Pam – we’ll miss you too 😦
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i just voted and it had to be Storm as that is my name too.
thanks for the amazing coverage.
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Shame not to have seen more of the excellent names proposed on the blog.
Had the nest been on the Erasmus Darwin Building, I might have voted for Darwin 🙂 but of the remaining choices, I went for Storm.
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Thanks Steve – Storm does seem to be an early favourite! It was a difficult task choosing just six from all the excellent entries!
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Is the adult falcon ok this morning. It seems to be breathing quickly in one corner where you have been watching closely just now.
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I’ve also been watching for a while now and mum or dad does seem to be distressed?
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Oh I hope its going to be ok. Only having a pet bird of my own once look like this, turned out not good. I really hope this is not going to happen to the falcon too, and that he/she will be ok soon.
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she might just be hot – she was panting earlier (albeit standing up)
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I think she’s trying to keep cool by panting and spreading her wings. A female blackbird’s been doing the same in my garden just now!
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The large male/Female is now looking unwell panting on the ground hope it is just heat making it do that, now I cannot go shopping I will have to starve lol
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Thank heaven – now back on her feet again – perhaps she had a bit of an “incident” whilst away from the nest.
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All is well looking ok now quickly now to the shops and back.
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The name Storm is too sad for me – a reminder of a horrible couple of days. But great to see so many people are following this amazing journey. Thanks for the great camera work and blog.
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I Have just voted, I think after all the care and work that has been done UNITY is a fitting tribute to the NTU and Wild life trust
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This family has fought hard and long for their survival over the last few months and I will be sad when the chick eventually leaves the nest, but also triumphant for their endurance. Like Pam Kettles, I would also like to thank every one involved. The staff at NTU and the Notts Wildlife Trust are to be commended.
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Thank you Lorraine!
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It has to be Ernest for me, a fine gesture for a fellow falcon-watcher.
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I like the name Ernest – it was my dad’s name.
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The voting system is open to abuse. It seems odd that Earnest, with very few votes this morning, is suddenly way in the lead. If you refresh the page, you can vote again and again and again………
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Totally agree
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I have not seen anywhere that this chick is male? Ernest, Noah and even Darwin are male names – what if this chick is female? Is there something we have not been told, or have I missed it?
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Yes i also thought the voting poll is unfair, as steve says you can just vote over and over again, surely it would of made more sense just to go with a majority of what names were originally sent into yourselfs first.
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I do seem to recall lots of voices crying out that naming is just a bit of lighthearted fun?
Who cares if the system is flawed, lets just go with it now. If someone wants to sit and and click a name all day, well hell, it obviously means a great deal to them.
Now I just hope that chick doesn’t go wandering again, I really do have work to do!
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Chick walk time…
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I agree!
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Unbelievable. I was the first person to say “Don’t name the chick, it’s a wild bird not a pet hamster” and told in response “It’s a bit of lighthearted fun”. Now I’m reading “This is a fix” and “The system is flawed”. All you people hilariously bickering now, I refer you back to my original comment. I’m loving the video, however, and the growing chick is still a beautiful WILD BIRD. Well done NTU
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It is funny though geofft you have to admit it we do get a bit carried away, anyway I am calling the baby Beaky and will miss her when she goes
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Oh my goodness look where the chick is this afternoon!! Not sure I like it being there (it’s a long way to fall) – I hope Mum & Dad are ok??? I think Storm is a very apt name. I would just like to thank everyone involved with bringing this amazing part of wildlife to our homes, I feel absolutely honoured to have been part of this. I will certainly miss watching once the chick flies the nest – any idea how long this will be. I have spent the last week in Cornwall and good not believe the progress made in such a short time – excellent news!
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You’re right Geofft. My first thought was ‘if you’re going to have a vote, at least make it a fair vote’. But it really doesn’t matter…. unless yours is one of the name options and you’re desperate for a falcon toy. 🙂
Chick is out of the box wilting from the heat I reckon…. I least I have a cool beer waiting for me when I get home……
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We were just discussing about what the chick drinks. Assuming he gets moisture from the food – does he need extra liquids in warm weather like today?
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Go Ernest, Go Ernest!
(Not that I care about the name or anything…)
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The chick looks a little unhappy – he/she is outside the nest for the first time that I’ve noticed, just in front of the nest and breathing heavily.
Re: name – I’ve been calling the chick Took from Pegerin/Pippin Took, the hobbit!
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The naming of him should just be taken as fun. What is important is how much awareness has been raised about these brilliant animals. Well done all at NTU for your hard work.
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Thanks Hilary
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Reblogged this on urbanperegrines.
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Thank you!
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You’re welcome! We don’t name ours here in Boise. We have a young new pair this time ’round, & all I can hope for is a healthy clutch. I’m beyond sorry that you’ve had such a trying season this year. I’m spoiled by having a 100% survival success rate the past 2 years during our monitoring projects. Wishing you the same for the future!
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Thanks again – yes it has been a difficult year, although we’re obviously delighted that one of the chicks pulled through. We’ve had an overwhelming level of support from followers too!
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Chick desperately trying to get up on to the main ledge !!!!!!!!! It’s going to give me a heart attack at this rate !
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He (still not sure if he or she, as still not read any confirmation?) has just made it to the main ledge. Not sure if this is the first time, but he jumped back down after a couple of seconds. Having summoned up his courage, he then took a second leap of faith and this time he stayed there and had a brief look around. A bit too daunting still, so he opted for the safety of his favourite corner. I was just holding my breath the whole time!
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Wish I’d seen that Penny.
I have an image of hoards of “watchers” holding their collective breath as Chick falters towards the edge.
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Hi Penny. Having weighed the chick at the time of the ringing we are fairly certain that it is a male – although we can’t guarantee it
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If the chosen name turns out to be Ernest and ‘he’ turns out to be a ‘she’, we will have to add on a few letters to the name and change it to Ernestine! lol.
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LOL. Having weighed the chick at the time of the ringing we are fairly certain that it is a male – although we can’t guarantee it
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Sorry Sue – realise now that you’d already seen that comment! So many comments, so little time! 🙂
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I added another picture to the set “Nottingham Peregrines”. This set as a whole has had over 1,000 views now, I have been amazed at the amount of interest because I feel sure others are keeping a similar pictorial record. This particular picture of the theatre district lit up at night brought back a lot of memories for me and I would love to see more comments on Flickr from viewers.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/66339356@N00/sets/72157629524594786/detail/?page=3
Glad to see chick safely back where s/he should be this evening with parent ever watchful on the ledge. I wonder what tomorrow will bring? Many, many thanks to NTU and NWT.
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I tried to leave you a comment-but I dont have an account-I do share your love of Nottm and I too have danced the night away at the Astoria-I can remember when it was called Sherwood Rooms
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Thanks Ann, those were the days and we don’t look a day older :-)))
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daventu – Can I ask if anything has been considered re improving the ‘ledge’ for next year and if anyone has come up with any ideas yet ? I would be willing to make a donation towards it if you have and I’m pretty certain a few others would be too, this season will be over before we know it, the chick will be gone.
Is there anything in place in case the chick falters on its first attempt at flying ? I know one year at Derby one of the project members had to carry a chick all the way up the tower to return it to the top after it fluttered to the ground and couldn’t take off again
Hope you will be able to keep this blog open for a while after the chick has fledged and many thanks for all you excellent updates and the cameras – in fact everything you have done – Fantastic
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Morning Christine!
They nest on cliff edges don’t they? I expect they find the ledge a doddle!
The moment a fledging leaves the nest is highly risky for all bird species, I think the ledge is another contender for non-intervention, and let’s not forget they did choose the site after all.
Don’t we all love that li’l old chick though? 😀
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Hi Christine – thanks for your comment and for your kind words. As always there will be a review of the project at the end of the nesting season and I will certainly pass your thoughts / comments on to the team. This has of course been a very successful nest site, with 16 chicks fledging successfully in the last five years alone. Of course a key factor in the sad turn of events this year was the combination of a warm spell early in the year, prompting the adults to lay their eggs, early followed by the wettest April on record.
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One of the parents just brought the little monster some food, it snatched it off the parent straight away and mantled over it – it is certainly learning very quickly and I’m sure it is a survivor judging by the speed it is growing and it’s actions – GO GLORIA!!!!
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saw that too, wonderful to watch
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A big feed ongoing when I looked in at 3.25pm. Parent flew off with remains when chick could appeared pretty full.
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Both parents on the ledge keeping a watchful eye on ‘Mischief’ 🙂
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Hi Sarah – Yes they do nest on cliffs but I guess that at the bottom of the cliff there would be some bushes or something it could use to scramble back to get some height,can’t imagine there is much on the pavement below to scrabble onto, and yes they did choose the ledge at Nottingham but have they any other option in a city centre ? I appreciate that the ledge has been very succesful in the past and it was the bad weather which caused the deaths of the other 3 chicks but if you are providing something then maybe it ought to be up to scratch and we should heed what we have witnessed. I’m so glad that this one seems to be coming on in leaps and bounds and wish the project every success in the future and I will definitely be tuning in next year. I have really enjoyed this blog and reading other people’s opinions wether I agree or not it is always good to hear other people’s feelings – – – — I’ve had an idea – – -wouldn’t it be good if all us ‘bloggers’ could meet up for a night out in Nottingham so that we could put a face to a name – – mind you I would be in no fit state to get myself home!!!!
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Also, Christine, thinking along your lines I suppose if a chick falls from a cliff edge and survives there aren’t countless humans/bikes/puschairs/shopping trolleys to negotiate, and so on that basis some sort of “safety net” (not literally!) could be justified.
I dunno, I suppose I just feel in very general terms that intervention is to be avoided except in the most extreme circumstances (like if a little fluffy head pops out of an old lady’s tartan pull-along trolley or something, now there’s an image :D).
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well that would be nice but as i live in Blackpool its quite a long way to get home lol
.. but i do have a sister in underwood Notts , her neighbour Doreen intoduced me to this blog and its been wonderful… Thanx Doreen ,..
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Dave – was just reading back through some older comments and found your reply to me, explaining that you believe the chick is male, and why. Thank you so much for your answer, and indeed for all your hard work on this site – I have to go on holiday soon and am dreading that Chick will have flown when I get back 😦
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Penny, you can’t possibly go! You must cancel! 😀
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I know, it would be a shame for you to miss that moment after you have invested so much time. Hopefully you’re going somewhere with internet 🙂
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Well Dave and Sarah – I am taking the laptop and hoping I can get on to the website while I am away, so keep your fingers crossed for me – I so want to see him fly!
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Has it bumbled off under the camera again?
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Ha ha looks the the little one keeps going off for a wander
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Just slightly concerned as baby has left its box and it’s too young to fly, mum and dad don’t appear to be near either 😦
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Panic not he’s back. Just went for a little poddle.
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Poddle!
I luuuurve that word. That’s exactly what he does.
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I am trying to get everyone at
Work and on my twitter to vote Noah it has to be Noah, he survived the storm! It’s a better name than storm as he conquered the storm!
Please can someone show me how to vote I keep going back to main screen it’s so annoying
Keep up the great work. Love our baby p
Xxx
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Hi Adam – if you click on the hyperlink in the latest blog entry it takes you to the correct page. The poll is in the bottom right hand corner
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It’s incredible how much Baby P has grown in the week since he was ringed, just love him! Won’t be able to watch the webcam for several hours tomorrow and just hope that he doesn’t launch himself off the ledge during that time, my heart’s been in my mouth so many times in the past few days when he’s gone out of camera shot!
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Well I must be thick. Despite reading and re-rereading the various comments, I still can’t find a button enabling me to vote.
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Hi there – the link on the latest blog entry takes you to the correct page. The blog is on the bottom right hand side.
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Aha – it’s there now to the right of page http://www.ntu.ac.uk/ecoweb/index.html , although it wasn’t this morning (well, not on my computer anyway). I’ve now voted. Thank you.
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Have just been going through our file of screen shots of the chick that we started from hatching. It is just wonderful to see how much the chick has progressed since the distressing days following the storm and now looking so strong – it seems to grow before our eyes, as we watch. It has been a truly brilliant experience having the opportunity to watch the trials and tribulations of the peregrine family and I have learnt so much. Thank you to all involved for giving us privy to such fantastic pictures and for all you do to ensure the protection of these special birds. I look forward to witnessing the chick fledging and experiencing the feeling of the true wild, as it flies free. None of us knows its future, but it has certainly shown a true spirit to survive and may that long continue.
Thank you all for giving me an insight into this amazing species – it has truly been a priveledge.
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It really is amazing just how quickly he is developing!
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It is indeed! I did not get to check the webcam yestreday and this morning he is looking fine, with so much of his white down gone, compared to Wednesday evening. Fantastic to see him maturing 🙂
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Chick has disappeared from view. The webcam is shaking a bit in the wind. Hope all is okay.
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There he is!
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Thanks cameraman…..you found him. He is testing those wings today.
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…and now a lovely close-up of chick resting in the shade, fluffy white feathers just blowing in the breeze.
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Three new pics here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/66339356@N00/sets/72157629524594786/detail/?page=3
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Where is our chick? I can see a picture but can’t work out where it is!!! I wonder when it will have it’s first flying lesson???
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Hi – on camera one?
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when do you expect the chick to fledge
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I am voting “Ernest” because I think it would be nice for the family, who’s grandfather was an enthusiast for these nesting falcons, passed away before seeing the surviving chick fledge. I think that’s a very sweet memoriam. If it wasn’t for that story, Noah would be my second choice, and Storm my third. I think Storm would otherwise a fine name, except that its a bit literal; it lacks subtley…Noah says it better, with a bit of English tongue-in-cheek humour. Noah would be my first choice, except for the Importance Of Being Ernest.
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“Noah would be my first choice, except for the Importance Of Being Ernest.”
Very witty Wild !!
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Chicky looks gorgeous in the nestbox right now… cant believe its the same one they ringed.. just look at the difference 🙂
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Hard to believe ringing was only 11 days ago!
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The chick is truly amazing he has developed so fast, always makes me laugh he’s so comical I shall miss him, and the video is brilliant (you did say it’s a suspected boy, right?). NTU have done a super job. Chick naming seemed fun but having observed the Ernest / Storm battle it left me wondering how much of it is related to giving the chick a nice name, or ‘self’. But thank you NTU for a stirling job.
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