The Canadian Peregrine Foundation

Niagara Falls

Daily Updates - August to December 1998

Friday, August 7
Bob Chambers reports: Thunder, Cascade, and Misty are still vocal when it gets near feeding time, and handoffs are still sighted periodically over the gorge. However, the juveniles are now often flying over Goat Island and inland on the Canadian side, and it is not possible to track them to see if they are hunting there. There certainly is more than ample food around the cliffs and powerhouse area. Within the past week I have noticed the chicks have started to roost on the Skylon Tower, as well as the Minolta and Casino towers.

One day this week I looked down at one of the young females as she flew past, and noticed that the outer half of their wings is getting darker. Their backs and wings are now a gray-brown with a slight hint of lighter brown outlining each feather. Thunder is the only one with a dark head, while the two females still have light-coloured heads.

The chicks are still getting kills from Amelia and Henny, but now regularly take them to the nooks and crannies on the American side or on Goat Island. The chicks have still not been seen making any kills yet, put continue to practice stoops. The maneouvres to complete a kill are in place; only practice in timing is now required! Twice on August 3 I observed them dive at other birds that literally landed in the water to avoid being hit by the Peregrine - I hope the birds, whatever they were, could swim.

The 200 foot fence which guarded the nest for the past three months was taken down today. Earlier in the week I saw Amelia return to the nest site for a few moments - old memories maybe?

Sunday November 22
Marcel Gahbauer reports: Early this afternoon, around 1 pm, I spotted a female peregrine soaring over the Niagara River above the falls, just to the west of Goat Island. As I watched through my binoculars, she drifted over toward the Horseshoe Falls, and dove down toward the top of the falls. Suddenly, a male peregrine (noticeably smaller) appeared in my field of view. The two birds flew together very briefly at the edge of the falls, then both started rapidly gaining altitude again. As they climbed, they circled past each other a few times, but gradually the male began to drift over toward the American Falls, while the female slowly circled upriver. Both eventually disappeared from my range of sight, and although I stayed in the area for another couple of hours, I did not see them again.

While both birds were quite clearly adults, they were much too far away for me to tell whether they were Amelia and Henny. However, from the way they interacted over the falls, I would guess that this is a mated pair. There have been regular reports of peregrines in the area of the falls over the past few weeks, especially in the area just above the falls on the Canadian side. I think it is quite likely that Amelia and Henny, having bred successfully here, have decided to stay at their territory through the winter, much like many of Ontario’s urban peregrines.

Friday December 11
Bob Chambers reports: Last Sunday, December 6, Amelia was flying above the Falls. A couple of weeks earlier, both Amelia and Henny were flying around together. It looks like they have decided to stay here for the winter.

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