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Community Corner

Falcon Takes Name of Infant Battling Cancer

A small audience gathered Friday morning to watch the banding of two falcons at the We Energies power plant, and one of the birds now holds a special meaning for the family of Amara Burmeister.

Three-week-old peregrine falcons "Amara" and "Kilowatt" were banded Friday at the Port Washington We Energies power plant as a small crowd watched in anticipation.

The banding allows Greg Septon, who manages the birds, to track the birds' movements over their lifetime. The chicks were named in a contest held by We Energies and are part of an exclusive group β€” only 30 pair of nesting peregrine falcons exist in Wisconsin.

Amara the falcon is named for 11-and-a-half-month-old Amara Burmeister, who is currently fighting a malignant rhabdroid tumor of the kidney β€” an aggressive form of cancer that occurs mainly in children. Amara has undergone two rounds of chemotherapy as well as two blood transfusions.

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The family said they are thrilled to have the chick named in honor of Amara. Her grandmother, Dawn Zimmerman, said she sees the similarities between Amara and the falcon chick in their "fight for life."

Amara’s sister, Savannah, has also created a website, amarasangels.webs.com, to honor her sister.

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The falcons will leave the nest when they can kill on their own and eventually will be able to reach speeds of 230 mph as mature adults. Banding allows research in studying the falcons as they travel, mature and breed in the wild.

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