The Canadian Peregrine Foundation

Friday July 20, 2001
Tom Moreau and Diane Brockman report:   We observed via web cam three peregrines at the nest about 16:00 today.  By the next frame, they had disappeared.

Between 19:30 and 20:30, we were home and heard much vocalizing and saw peregrines arriving at the northeast ledge of the nest building and departing.  One went for 8 Lomond.  We could hear the peregrine at 8 Lomond from our home at 1 Aberfoyle.  Another flew up from the park and headed west along Aberfoyle, screaming all the while.  From what we could see, Hunting 102 was in session.  The chicks have not yet learned that vocalizing while hunting tends to scare off prey.

Brian Tjernstrom reports:  I arrived at Clarica Centre at 7:40 pm.  The birds were very active, flying from building to building and chasing each other.  There was a great deal of very loud vocalizing.  At 7:50 Raleigh settled on the eastmost corner of the west tower and sat there with his wings flopping over the sides of the building.  At 8:00 pm he made an impressive swoop around 1 Lomond, and quickly returned from the east side of the building and landed on the north face of the central tower at nest-ledge level.  It was only then that I realized that Raleigh is now hunting on his own:  he began plucking feathers from his catch, then ate until 8:20.  There was more activity and vocalizing as two peregrines flew together above Raleigh, but they did not disturb his meal.  Angel was perched on the nest box every time I checked the camera, and was still there when I left at 8:25, but she may have joined in the fun a few times during the activity.

Friday June 29, 2001

Thursday June 28, 2001
Joe Kelly reports:   Last night I watched for a good while as Angel and the two youngsters made rapid loops around the apartment buildings, northwest of the Bloor / Islington bus terminal. Raleigh & Olympia are now quite the aerialists. They seem more aware of their surroundings and less 'clumsy about town'. They made a couple of half hearted attempts at chasing pigeons but gave up easily. It certainly won't be long before they are snatching their own food. They are quickly developing the skill but are still lacking the will.

Tuesday June 26, 2001
Tom Moreau reports:   At 13:40 I heard lots of vocalizing.  I saw three peregrines westbound over Aberfoyle.  It was Angel - with prey - and the two chicks pursuing her.  Eventually, she landed on the southwest corner of 8 Lomond.  Seconds later, so did the chicks.  She flew off with the chicks tailing her.  Soon, Angel reappeared, this time without the food.  Olympia joined her and Angel left, leaving behind a forlorn Olympia.  Eventually Olympia left.  (She is flying well.)  Later, Angel assumed her usual position on the antenna of 8 Lomond.  Her crop was flat, suggesting that she did not eat her recent kill.

It appears that Angel is making the chicks work for their food.  It looks like Hunting 101 has begun.

Sunday June 24, 2001
Tom Moreau and Diane Brockman report:   This morning, we have been observing a peregrine on the antenna at 8 Lomond Dr.  We had been assuming it was Angel, since this is one of her frequent haunts.  However, by 09:00, we were able to determine it was Olympia.  Shortly after, Raleigh came in to view to put on a private flying demonstration for Olympia.  Initially, we thought it might be a kestrel, due to the jerky movements but closer study revealed it was a peregrine.  He wheeled and dove tirelessly, as if to say to her, "C'mon!  Let's go flying!"   Olympia wasn't interested in leaving her perch.  Another falcon joined in the display and flew off with Raleigh.

By 09:20, Raleigh decided that, if he could not convince Olympia to go flying, he would join her.  The two are side by side.  The difference in size is quite evident.

Sandra Hawkins reports:  At 4:30PM today my attention was called to the east tower of the Clarica Centre by loud raucous Peregrine vocalizations. I looked up to see Angel, Olympia, and Raleigh flying laps around the tower. When it became quiet again, I checked the television monitor inside and saw Olympia on the ledge beside the nest box.

I went out and viewed the ledge through binoculars from the south side of Bloor. All I could see was a Peregrine's back and a continuous rain of white feathers falling to the street below. I then saw two Peregrines playing tug-o-war with the unfortunate bird. I went back inside and watched these antics on the monitor again.

Upon leaving for home, the last I saw was Olympia and Raleigh appearing very sated and sitting very upright on the edge of the nest ledge and looking south.

Thursday June 21, 2001
Marcel Gahbauer reports:   Early this morning the two fledglings were at 8 Lomond, being supervised by Angel who was on the aerial of the same building.  This was Angel's spot for the day - except for a couple of very brief flights, she was on this perch virtually all day long.  Olympia and Raleigh made several flights in the morning, and are looking increasingly confident by the day.  By late morning, the wind had picked up a bit, and Olympia was kiting quite well over Aberfoyle and Lomond.  The weather turned stormy in the afternoon, and the birds remained quiet for the most part.  However, we are reassured that by now both of the fledglings appear to be doing well, and will not likely get themselves into trouble anymore.  We will continue to maintain at least a partial watch over them for a little while though just in case.

Wednesday June 20, 2001
Marcel Gahbauer reports:  I arrived in Etobicoke this morning before dawn (4:50 am!), quite concerned about Olympia.  She had flown only once yesterday, and that was before 7 am.  Was she simply recovering from having been rescued, or was something actually wrong with her?

At first light, all four peregrines were in view.  Angel had spent the night on the sloping glass below the southeast-facing ledge of the Clarica Centre's west tower, while Marco was in his usual spot on the ADP logo on the east tower.  Raleigh was lying flat on the south ledge of the east tower, and Olympia was perched upright on the south corner of the centre tower.  The first activity by any of them came at 5:28 am when Raleigh made a short, direct flight right over to Olympia.  Less than a quarter of an hour later, he took off again, chased Marco off his perch, and engaged in a brief chase with him over Bloor Street.  Marco  broke away and dive-bombed Olympia, trying to coax her into flight, but to no avail.

Olympia's desire to remain stationary became all the more apparent around 6:30 am when a pigeon swooped up from below and made the mistake of nearly landing right on her head!  Fortunately for the pigeon, she had not the slightest interest in it, and didn't budge in the least (another not so bright pigeon landed on the nest ledge in the afternoon and was observed via our video camera).  Over the next couple of hours, Raleigh & Marco repeated their chases over Bloor at least twice more, always in full view of Olympia, and with Marco encouraging her to take part each time.  Raleigh and Marco flew talon to talon at one point, even though Marco had no food to transfer.  The lessons are progressing quickly for the young male.

Around mid-morning Natalie Helferty took over the watch.  For the rest of the morning, Olympia remained either at the south corner of the Centre Tower, or walking short distances back and forth along the ledge.  Finally, just after 1 pm, Olympia began to flap strongly, something she had hardly done at all since arriving on this building.  At 1:20 she took off, making a strong flight toward Raleigh, who was on the west tower at the time.  She missed her landing, but appeared to be unfazed by her mistake, and flew back around the east tower, now accompanied by her brother; together they returned to the west tower and landed without incident.  They were joined there around 2 pm by the adults, the first time the whole family has been together in a few days.

By late afternoon, there had still been no feedings observed all day - both adults had been seen making unsuccessful chases after pigeons earlier in the afternoon.  Between 5:00 and 5:30, Olympia took off on a solo flight around the west tower.  Raleigh followed, and she turned the tables and began to chase him.  This aerial play was an encouraging sign that Olympia had gained a lot of confidence in her flight over the course of today.  

Tuesday June 19, 2001
Marcel Gahbauer reports:  We have a correction to report - Olympia in fact may have taken her first flight on Sunday evening - see the observations under the "corrections" heading below.  So far today, Raleigh has been observed gaining much confidence, even displacing both his parents from their perches near the top of the Clarica Centre buildings, and as of late morning was residing on the ADP sign, one of Marco's favourite perches.  Olympia remains much less active.  Angel and Marco have both been observed flying past her, as if trying to coax her into the air, but she remains uninterested.

Sandra Hawkins reports:  We arrived back at the Clarica Centre at 6:30AM today. Olympia had flown to the west side to the centre tower. At 7:37AM, Angel dropped a bird off to her. Olympia ate the bird and then sat on the parapet railing of the centre tower. At about 9:30AM, Olympia became active and sidled along the parapet edge to the southwest corner of the centre tower immediately above Bloor Street. Her parents were above her on the west tower. They both frequently circled above her.

At 9:55AM Marco and Raleigh were chasing a Turkey Vulture right above the intersection of Bloor and Islington.  I had to leave at about 12:30PM. Olympia was still in the southwest corner of the centre tower with her parents immediately to the west.

Corrections to Sunday report:
Karin Jurman reports:  I was observing the nest and ledge on the evening of Sunday 17 June from the steps of the Bell building and observed Olympia and actually all 4 birds flying around the building.  Olympia had left the ledge  around 8:30pm (or so) and was being fed on the building roof ledge by one of the parents and had by that time taken her "maiden flight"...She was a little shaky at first but the parents made sure she took a few spins around the building....no obvious peril, both chicks were at the nest site resting comfortably a little after 9pm.

Joe Kelly reports:  I was watching the birds Sunday night around 8:45pm and saw all remaining four birds in the air. The female chick was delivered food by one of the parents on the roof ledge above the nest site where she sat for twenty minutes or so eating. The two chicks then regrouped on the ledge as the sun dropped. 

Monday June 18, 2001
Marcel Gahbauer reports:  Sad news this evening.  Discovery has been euthanized at the Ontario Veterinary College.  He had been diagnosed with a broken back upon his arrival at the clinic last Wednesday, and was left under observation for several days since Nate had recovered well from a similar injury last summer.  Unfortunately, as of this afternoon, Discovery had regained no feeling at all in his legs, indicating that the fracture was irreversible, and the veterinarians reacted accordingly to this conclusion.  A tragic end for an otherwise strong and healthy young peregrine.

Also today, Olympia finally took her first flight at 43 days of age.  She was seen taking to the air around 6:15 am by Baylie Kastner.  Below are some further observations from Baylie as well as from Tom Moreau and Diane Brockman.

Baylie Kastner reports:  Olympia spent a good part of the day on the ledge above the Parking Garage entrance on Bloor Street, walking along the ledge etc. after many hours she was brave enough to hop up to the canopy over the door - then to the ledge on the other side of the canopy. After some time, she flew East and we couldn't find her. She was very low and we assumed that she was on the roof or the apartment terrace. A worker at the condominium building under construction on the north side of Aberfoyle reported that she was on a second story balcony and of course couldn't get back over the glass wall.   A volunteer was able to wrap Olympia in a towel and carried her over to the Foundation office.  Olympia was uninjured and was returned to the roof, and was later observed on the Aberfoyle side of the roof with much activity  by the parents who circled constantly. I left at 6.30 but when I got home just a few minutes ago, there was a message from Joan saying that Olympia was still on roof and several people were going to stay and observe until it was really dark. 

Tom Moreau and Diane Brockman report:  Tonight after 8:00, we saw Angel on the southeast corner of 56 Aberfoyle.  We could not see any other falcons.  She took off and at the same time, Olympia came into view.  They both ended up on the antenna at 8 Lomond. Angel made a few flights, returning to the top of the antenna.  Olympia scolded her upon her return.  (We were using our 30X scope from home at the time, so we can verify the vocalizing and the fact the adult had no bands.)  Eventually, they both left the antenna.  Later, we saw three peregrines in flight - two parents and a juvenile.  It was not clear which chick it was but it did bump one of the parents.  They circled the nest building.  The winds were out of the south and the parents were showing the chick how to use orographic lift from the centre building on the north side.  At about 9:15 a falcon returned to the nest box and had some food.  I observed this via the nest cam and light was fading fast.  It appears to have been an adult.  Later, the bird took up a position on the edge of the nest box, looking out.

Sunday June 17, 2001
Marcel Gahbauer reports:  There were some tense times yesterday when Raleigh went missing for several hours.  Today he was already demonstrating that he has acquired considerable flight skills, even taking his turn at attacking a passing turkey vulture at one point.  Olympia had bursts of considerable activity, especially in the late morning.  Ultimately Olympia decided she was not yet ready to take flight today, so as of this evening she remains on the nest ledge - even a visit from Raleigh this afternoon was not enough to get her interested in following him when he took off again.  

Tom Moreau and Diane Brockman report:   We took a look just after 8:00 PM and saw two falcons on the ledge close to the camera so we went across the street to investigate.  We saw Angel in the second slot and could not see the two we had seen on the nest ledge.  One falcon was on the east side of roof of the nest building.

We went back into the Clarica Centre and caught up with Joan and a couple of other people.  Both birds were feeding.  One of the falcons was definitely an adult, likely Marco, while the other appeared to be Olympia.

Saturday June 16, 2001
Mark Nash reports:  After spending all Thursday night 'hanging around', Raleigh finally couldn't take it any more, and Friday was his big day to get airborne again with several shorts flights to and from the east and west condo buildings.  By the end of the day, he was able to get back to the nest building, to the ledge just to the right of the nest ledge itself, where he disappeared and was not seen again.  Darkness fell, and the watch was over for the day. Saturday morning and afternoon and the search is on for Raleigh, as he has not been seen since 6pm last night (Friday).  Many in the streets, Mark & Marion Nash, Bruce Massey, Baylie Kastner, Ian Dalton, David Pfeffer, and many new first time watchers (Ian Bertsch and others) came out to search.  By 1pm, Raleigh still had not been found. David checked all of the Clarica roofs.

By late afternoon, suddenly, Ian reports that Raleigh and mom fly in from the north west around the front of the nest building to the ledge next to the nest ledge and he is being fed by mom. This is the first feeding we have seen Raleigh get in two days.  Olympia, the juvenile female has still not fledged and taken her maiden flight.

Thursday June 14, 2001
Marcel Gahbauer reports:  The news from the Ontario Veterinary College regarding Discovery is unfortunately not encouraging.  His injuries appear to be fairly serious, and the chances of a full recovery are unfortunately slim.  However, experience has shown that these birds can be remarkably hardy, so the veterinarians at OVC will monitor Discovery for the next several days to assess whether he is capable of regaining full use of his legs.

Today it was Raleigh's turn to take to the air.  His first flight came around 6:15 am, and was rather weak, ending on a 9th floor balcony of the west Kingsway-on-the-Park building.  Less than half an hour later, he dropped down toward the terrace below, and out of sight.  After searching for more than an hour, we finally relocated Raleigh near the Centre Tower of the Clarica Centre thanks to an observant employee heading in to work who noticed him perched on the low wall above the underground parking lot entrance.

No sooner had I arrived where Raleigh was, I saw that he was getting ready to take off again, and sure enough, he flew low across Bloor, just barely high enough to clear the vans on the street - had there been any full-sized trucks in the way, I'm not sure he would have made it.  He landed on the low roofs on the south side, and spent much of the next half hour exploring the various vents and pipes on the roof of the Kame Sushi restaurant.  Unfortunately for him, this was the territory of a crow, and eventually it became aggressive enough to chase Raleigh away.  The young peregrine tried to escape to the southeast, but the crow was in close pursuit.  Raleigh eventually took refuge near the top of a tall spruce on Eagle Road, half a block south of Bloor.  This marked the first time in my four years at this site that I have seen any of the peregrines in a tree.  

While Raleigh managed to escape the crow by landing in the spruce, not a minute had passed before the local goldfinches and house finches were buzzing around the new intruder to their territories.  The commotion caused by them attracted the local blue jays, four of which came in to terrorize Raleigh, surrounding him from below and above, and sometimes swooping to within a foot or less of him.  Remarkably, Raleigh put up with these attacks for more than an hour, but eventually had enough, and around 10 am made a low flight north to the Bell building at Eagle & Bloor.  He shared this roof with several pigeons, which for the most part completely ignored his presence, and in one instance even chased him!  No doubt the tables will turn within a few weeks...

From there, he eventually made it back across Bloor to an 8th floor balcony of the east Kingsway-on-the-Park building.  In this relatively short flight, he had nearly doubled his altitude, which was very encouraging - although he had not had any collisions and was uninjured, we were concerned that by remaining low to the ground, he was at risk of eventually coming all the way down and possibly getting hurt at that time.  Unfortunately, Raleigh misjudged his landing at the balcony and landed inside the railing.  He managed to recover and hop back up to the railing, but before he could really recover, someone inside opened the sliding glass door, scaring Raleigh into flight again.

Raleigh headed back south to familiar territory.  Having been startled into flight, he quickly lost a lot of altitude, and was too low to land on the Bell building, so he continued south along Gardenvale, and aimed for the top of another tall spruce.  Unfortunately, its top was already occupied by a crow, which Raleigh unceremoniously knocked off.  The crow did not take to this kindly, and quickly turned around to return the favour.  It chased Raleigh further south, and appeared to hit him lightly on the back or neck at one point.  They flew low between the trees and houses and disappeared from sight around 11:40 am.

For the next hour we searched for Raleigh without success.  At 12:42 there was a sudden commotion with both adults screaming incessantly and heading east.  With binoculars, I was able to see that they were escorting a relatively high-flying red-shouldered hawk out of the territory to the east.  The adults returned a couple of minutes later, Angel once again taking up residence on the CPF camera on the nest ledge, as has become her custom, and Marco perching on the ADP logo on the other side of the building.

Finally at 12:52 I caught a glimpse of a peregrine flying along Aberfoyle, and sure enough, it was Raleigh.  Somehow he had managed to make it all the way up to the sloping windows near the top of the West Tower of the Clarica Centre.  He remained there for another hour, but unfortunately his next flight brought him right back down to the Bell building again, where the crows were quick to resume their acquaintance with him.  This time, however, he simply ignored them, perhaps tired from all of his earlier flights.  By night, Raleigh had made it safely back to the 15th floor of the Kingsway-on-the-Park, and we hope that in the morning he will make it the rest of the way back up to the nest ledge or even the roof above.

Olympia remained very quiet again for most of the day, with only a few short bursts of vigorous flapping at the nest box.  Most of the time she resides underneath the camera, and thus out of view.

Wednesday June 13, 2001
Marcel Gahbauer reports:  Ontario's first peregrine fledgling of 2001 took to the air this morning around 5:45 am.  Discovery's first flight, however, was not a great display of skill - he simply flew from the nest tray down to the sloping glass window below the ledge, a distance of a few metres at best!  Of course the sloping perch was not a comfortable place to stay, so he didn't linger there too long before attempting a longer flight.  On this second try, he made it north to land on a 9th floor balcony of the Falconcrest condominium under construction on the north side of Aberfoyle.  Though the ledge outside the glass panel was narrow, there was enough space for him to turn himself around frequently to look in all directions.

Finally Discovery took flight again around 11:20 am, heading back south across Aberfoyle.  Unfortunately, he appears to have been confused by the reflective glass windows, as he flew directly into the East Tower, and collided with a fair amount of force.  He dropped down to the lower roof below, and remained there immobile.  A quick rescue was performed, and Discovery was brought inside for examination and inspection.

Lying in the rescue box, Discovery appeared to be in good shape, with no blood evident, generally alert condition, and no swelling on the head or wings.  However, upon closer examination, it became evident that he had no feeling in his legs - they hung limply, and did not react to any stimulus.  Mark Nash and I delivered Discovery to the Ontario Veterinary College in Guelph for assessment and treatment.  We were cautioned by the veterinarian that the outlook does not look promising, but that the symptoms were similar to those exhibited by Nate when he was brought in for treatment last August, and he of course enjoyed a rapid and full recovery, so we are hopeful of good news to come about Discovery.

Fortunately Raleigh and Olympia remained on the ledge throughout the day, allowing us to concentrate our efforts on Discovery.  We had expected Raleigh and Discovery to take flight within a short time of each other, since they were so similar in age and behaviour, but this has not happened, proving once again that there is only so much we can predict regarding these birds!  We now expect that Raleigh will probably take off tomorrow morning.

Tuesday June 12, 2001
Marcel Gahbauer reports:  A cool, wet, and quiet day in Etobicoke.  Though there were again periods when the chicks were flapping vigorously at the edge of the ledge, they were on the whole less active than yesterday, and only on a couple of occasions did it look like there was any real possibility of them taking off.  It may well be that the weather put a damper on their ambitions today too.

Monday June 11, 2001
Marcel Gahbauer reports:  With Raleigh and Discovery 38 days old today, the annual Fledgling Watch has officially begun in Etobicoke.  Already over the weekend, the two males were seen energetically running back and forth along the ledge on many occasions, often flapping their wings enough to clear the ledge for a couple of metres at a time.  This behaviour continued today, interspersed with long periods during which all of the chicks lay around quietly on or near the nest tray.  Olympia remains much quieter and less active than her siblings, probably for no other reason than she is a couple of days younger than them.

By late afternoon, the males were getting increasingly active.  On two occasions one of them flew up against the far wall and clung to it like a bat.  This "bat stance" has in past years been something which the peregrines did the night before fledging - will we see the first one take off tomorrow?

Sunday June 10, 2001
Tom Moreau and Diane Brockman report:  Today, we have been seeing the chicks getting more daring.  Life on the ledge is more like life on the edge.  They are flapping their wings and getting as close to the edge as possible.  Obviously, they are getting anxious to fly.  At about 18:30, we noticed some down feathers floating by and investigated the source.  Marco was in the east slot of the nest building, with a very fresh kill.  He was ripping out feather with gusto and chowing down.  At about 18:45, he took off with some of the carcass and veered to the south of the nest building, landing on the roof.  Soon after, he disappeared.  The web cam did not show him come and go.  However, there was  subsequent feeding by the chicks.  This suggests that he may have dropped off the food and departed in between frames.

Thursday June 7, 2001
Marcel Gahbauer reports:  On Tuesday the three Etobicoke chicks were banded and named in front of an appreciative audience of 150 to 200 people outside CPF's Etobicoke Falcon Watch Centre in the Clarica Centre.  Our thanks as always to the management and staff of the Clarica Centre for hosting this annual event, and for providing refreshments to all those in attendance.

The ceremony began around 9:15 am, with CPF Director Mark Nash providing information about the birds to the audience, and thanking key sponsors who were present for the event, including Roger St. Louis of the TD Friends of the Environment Foundation and Steve Hounsell of Ontario Power Generation.   We were also fortunate to have the Honourable John Snobelen, Ontario Minister of Natural Resources, in attendance; he took the microphone briefly before the chicks were taken in from the ledge.

The chicks were retrieved from the nest ledge and brought to the lobby around 9:30 am.  By weight, they were determined to be two males, and one female; their stage of plumage development indicated that the two males were the older chicks which hatched 32 days earlier on May 4, while the 30-day-old chick was the female.  All were found to be quite feisty, and in good health.  See the Etobicoke Photo Gallery (link at the top of this page) for photos of the banding event.

During the banding process inside, the crew remaining at the nest ledge as decoys fended off the attacks of Angel and Marco, while also collecting food scraps from the ledge for analysis.  The diet of the peregrines was again quite varied, with remnants of blue jays, pigeons, starlings, and others.

Once the chicks had been banded and were ready to be returned to the nest ledge, John Snobelen was awarded the honour of drawing the ballots for our annual "Name the chicks" contest, which as usual was held in partnership with the Etobicoke Life newspaper.  The winning names in this year's contest, and the information for each bird, are presented below.

The banding event was a great success once again, and we thank everyone who came out to watch for your interest.  Over the next few days, the chicks are expected to become much more active on the nest ledge, preparing for their first flights.  In past years, males in Etobicoke have often fledged around 38 or 39 days old, which Discovery and Raleigh will be on Monday/Tuesday next week.  The Etobicoke Fledgling Watch will therefore begin on Monday morning at 5 am, and will continue from dawn to dusk daily for approximately two weeks, or until we are confident that the fledglings are all flying safely.  Volunteers are needed at all times to help observe the birds; to help out, please simply drop by the Etobicoke Falcon Watch Centre (directions at the top of this page) or e-mail us at marcel@peregrine-foundation.ca for more information.

Sunday June 3, 2001
Marcel Gahbauer reports:  Just a quick reminder that the banding of the Etobicoke chicks will be taking place in two days, on Tuesday June 5, at 9:00 am.  Everyone is welcome to attend; please join us at the CPF Falcon Watch Centre in the east lobby of the Clarica Centre (directions at the top of his page).

Saturday June 2, 2001
Tom Moreau and Diane Brockman report:  We were walking westbound on Bloor street at 10:45 and saw a peregrine circling just south of the nest building.  When we were in front of the nest building, we could see that the bird was soaring, spreading all feathers - including the tail - to increase the lifting area and thus gain altitude.  Suddenly, the bird went into a dive and accelerated, nearly impacting a pigeon - the obvious intended target.  The peregrine attacked from about the pigeon's 10 o'clock position - odd, since the pigeon would have had a chance to see the peregrine.  After the near-miss, we noticed the other falcon was also circling, using soaring techniques.  Looks like during the breeding season, the hunting is kept close to the nest to minimize transit time as well as to keep an eye on the hatchlings.

Thursday May 31, 2001
David Pfeffer reports:  Today there was a moment of tranquility at the nest.  Both Marco and Angel were feeding the chicks from the same bird that Angel had just caught!  All five of them were in the nest box together. 

Monday May 28, 2001
Marcel Gahbauer reports:  The chicks have been wandering outside the nest tray for several days now, and at times are completely out of view.  During the rain over the weekend they huddled together at times in the corner of the ledge, trying to stay dry.  It appears that there may be two females and a male, but it's still a bit early to tell - we will know for certain at the banding next Tuesday morning.

Thursday May 24, 2001
Tom Moreau and Diane Brockman report:  We watched the web cam today and were entertained by one of the many feedings.  At 15:25, we noticed one of the chicks had hopped out of the nest on the northeast side during the feeding.  By 15:26, it had hopped back into the nest as if nothing had happened.  Oh, how they grow so fast!

Wednesday May 23, 2001
Marcel Gahbauer reports:  The three chicks are growing well under the care of Marco and Angel.  The banding of this year's chicks will take place at the Falcon Watch Centre on Tuesday June 5, at 9:00 am.  Ontario Minister of Natural Resources, the Honourable John Snobelen has accepted an invitation to attend this event.  Everyone is welcome to attend for this unique opportunity to see the chicks up close and in person - please see the top of this page for directions to the Falcon Watch Centre.

Monday May 7, 2001
Marcel Gahbauer reports:  All three eggs have hatched in Etobicoke!  The first hatch occurred around 6:30 am on Friday May 4, followed by the second only three hours later.  The second hatch was recorded on video by Joan Boardman at the Falcon Watch Centre.  Another two days passed until the third chick emerged into the world on Sunday morning.

All three chicks are of course still tiny and weak, but are alert and eager for food whenever a meal is brought to the nest.  Marco and Angel have both shown themselves to be devoted parents again over the past few days.

For up to two weeks, the adults will be remaining on the nest much of the time to protect the young chicks, but as they become more mobile, the adults will begin to let them roam about the nest (and eventually the entire ledge) on their own more often.  The temporary problem with the website will hopefully be fixed shortly; please continue to check back; in the meantime, the live video is still available at the Falcon Watch Centre.

Wednesday May 2, 2001
Marcel Gahbauer reports:  Incubation has proceeded without incident for the past few weeks, with both Marco and Angel attending to the nest dutifully.  However, upon arriving at the site this morning, Joan Boardman discovered that one of the eggs was missing.  At this site, there is absolutely no possibility of human disturbance, and given the track record of Angel and Marco, the odds of a predator getting access to the nest are also extremely slim.  The logical explanation in this case is that the egg was likely infertile; after several weeks of incubation, such eggs may "explode".  From the view of the camera, no shell fragments were visible, but these could have already been eaten by Angel before dawn, as the peregrines tend to be quite conscientious about consuming eggshells in relatively short order.

In happier news, we expect the remaining eggs to begin hatching tomorrow - keep a close eye on the webcam for a chance to see the chicks for the first time.

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