UB's falcons get Harry Potter names

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - Biologists from the DEC paid an unwelcome, but important, visit to the peregrine falcon nest on UB's south campus.

One of the things we learned is that mother falcon is a very protective parent!

Biologists spent about a half hour carefully taking the three chicks out of their nesting box on UB's Mackay Tower, examining them and banding them. We learned that all three are males and are developing right on schedule for a 3-week-old peregrine falcon. But Tuesday's DEC check-up didn't go quite as smoothly as everyone had hoped.

Mark Kandel of the DEC said, "The only thing that was unique about this one was how aggressive the female is. And we've been hearing from people working on nearby rooftops how aggressive she is, which is not unusual, but it is unusual for them to be aggressive in the nest when there's a human presence. They'll usually back off and make a fuss and fly around and squawk, but she went right after me with her talons."

And thanks to the public, the chicks now have names. The winning entries, which were also the most popular, all have a Harry Potter theme: Ron, Harry and Herman. (Probably would have been Hermione if there had been a female!)