CBC Manitoba's Falcon Cam is back for another season

TheFalcon Cam thathas fascinated armchairbird enthusiasts for the past nine yearsis back online for another season.

Since 2006, CBC Manitoba and the Peregrine Falcon Recovery Project (Manitoba) have collaborated to provide Manitobans with the opportunity to observe a family of peregrines on the Falcon Cam as they nest and prepare to welcome their chicks.

This year's feed, which went live on May 11, recordsthe comings and goings ofPrincess and Smiley as they neston a ledge on the east side of the Radisson Hotel in downtown Winnipeg.

Smiley returned to Winnipegon March 10, while Princess returned March 18. The pair began incubating their four eggs on April 18.

• Winnipeg's peregrine falcons lose eggs, nest in rain and wind

But thepair was forced toabandon their ledge nest after torrents of rain fell over Winnipeg May 17and drowned their clutch of eggs.

About the parents

Princess was hatched in 2002 in Minneapolis, Minn. To date, Princess has raised 32 chicks at the Radisson, including two with Smiley last year.

Smiley was hatched in Grand Forks, N.D., in 2009. His mother,Terminator, is from Brandon.

Smiley has been coming to Winnipeg since 2010 but he became Princess's mate in 2014.

Follow updates on the falcon family's seasonwith our live blog, and join the conversation on Twitter using thehashtag#CBCFalconCam.

• On mobile? Check out the live bloghere.

About the Peregrine Falcon Recovery Project

Manitoba's Peregrine Falcon Recovery Project is a non-profit conservation organization that, since 1981, has been working to re-establish a self-sustaining population of wild peregrines in the province.

To date, it has been responsible for almost 300 young peregrines returning to the wild in Manitoba.

Peregrines from Manitoba, and their offspring, have returned to nest all across the Canadian Prairies and the U.S. Midwest.

For more information about Manitoba's Peregrines, please visit the Peregrine Falcon Recovery Project website.