Utica Peregrine Fledgling Names Honor Grace Church and Cornell Conservationist, Tom Cade

The second annual Peregrine Falcon naming contest has concluded and two names have been chosen. The contest, which was announced last week by the Utica Peregrine Falcon Project (UPFP), garnered over 300 submissions. Of the names submitted, two stood out to the UPFP judges. The first hatched chick, which is a female, will be called “Grace” after Grace Church.

The Episcopal church is a downtown landmark and a favorite perching place for falcons. The second hatched chick will be called “Cade” in honor of Cornell professor, Tom Cade, Ph.D.

Cade founded the Peregrine Fund – a program that played a major role in restoring Peregrine populations in the eastern US.

Both contest winners have been notified and pending their approval, their names may be released to the media. Since one of the falcon names chosen was submitted by multiple participants, in keeping with the contest’s rules, only the first person that submitted the name will be eligible for a prize.

Prizes are to be awarded Saturday, June 11, during UPFP’s Fledgling Watch. The watch takes place in downtown Utica near the Adirondack Bank Building and officially begins Monday, June 6.

The Utica Peregrine Falcon adults, Astrid and Ares, began this season’s nesting back in March. The first egg was laid on March 26th and the first hatch happened on on May 3rd. The UPFP expects the nestlings, now named Grace and Cade, to begin leaving the nest as early as June 6th. A “Fledgling Watch” was organized by UPFP in order to insure the safety of fledglings as they attempt their first flights. The public is invited to volunteer at these watches. Please go to UPFP’s website for details.   www.uticaperegrinefalcons.com