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We were delighted at what we found out after doing some research on the new pair of falcons that have been very territorial at the William Osler Health Centre in Etobicoke. The health centre, located at 101 Humber Collage Blvd., has almost a carbon copy of the nest ledge that can be found at the Clarica Centre in Etobicoke, where Marco and Angel have been nesting for many years now.
This new pair at William Osler have been identified by their band numbers, and we are delighted to report that the adult male on site is none other than Hurricane, a peregrine that was produced at the Downtown Toronto - Sheraton Hotel nest site in 2004. Her mother's name is Wind and her father's is Windwhistler (who is also at the Downtown Toronto - 18 King Street nest site, where he has set up house with Mandy!! Yes, this is the two timing Windwhistler!). You can see banding photos of Hurricane by going to the 2004 Downtown Toronto - Sheraton Hotel photo gallery on our website. Information about the banding ceremony can be found here. The ceremony took place on Thursday June the 17th, 2004. Hurricane was 32 days old and he weighed 660 grams.
The sub-adult female at the William Osler nest site is named “Juliet” and was produced at a nest site in Syracuse, New York in 2005, on the State Tower Building (located at 109 South Warren St.). There is also a webcam at this site. With many thanks to our good friends in the New York Department of Conservation (NYDEC), and the good folks that monitor the nest site in Syracuse, NY, we have been given quite a detailed history and background on Juliet and this nest site. They have been able to provide a detailed history of the nest site and its location, along with banding photos of Juliet and her three sisters. See Juliet's Page.
William Osler Health Centre Nest Site Reports: |
Thursday April 12, 2007
Tamara Shephard reports: (by way of The Guardian (Etobicoke))
Click here for the full story.
Monday April 9, 2007
Delen Goldberg reports: (by way of "News from the Post-Standard" on www.syracuse.com)
Juliet, a peregrine falcon that hatched in 2005 in Syracuse, got a new home last week on a ledge of the William Osler Health Centre in Etobicoke, Ontario, a suburb of Toronto.
Volunteers from the Canadian Peregrine Foundation with the help of Hospital staff installed a new nest tray for Juliet and her mate, Hurricane, who hatched in 2004 on the Sheraton Hotel in downtown Toronto. The nest tray, which sits on a 10th-story ledge of the hospital, was customized by CPF staff with high sides to protect the birds and any future eggs from a fall.
Juliet is the daughter of Fancy and Groucho, the first peregrine falcons to nest in Syracuse since the birds came close to extinction in the 1970s.
Thursday April 5, 2007
Mark Nash reports: The new nest tray has been installed!
I am very delighted to report that the new nest tray has finally been installed on their chosen ledge for Juliet and Hurricane. The installation was supervised both by Juliet and Hurricane who have been on territory at the hospital throughout the entire winter period. With many thanks to the hospital maintenance and engineering staff, the new nest tray was installed in record time, without disturbance to the birds. Observations were documented minutes after the install, showing Hurricane’s keen interest in the new tray, as he spent time investigating in and behind the hospital sign were the nest ray was installed. This particular area of the ledge is where Juliet and Hurricane have chosen as a nesting spot.
Juliet on the other hand, spent most of her time atop of the same Hospital sign just above the nest ledge during the complete operation and was observed eating a fresh kill that she had brought in earlier. The nest tray was manufactured at the CPF raptor centre, with many thanks to the CPF volunteer staff who spent several hours in the bitter cold helping me with the manufacturing of the custom nest tray for this site. Juliet was photographed shortly after the install, while roosting on the sign and ledge. Sadly the photos did not turn out as well as expected due to the snow squalls that persisted most of the day. In addition, the temperatures were once again in the minuses and the wind chill brought the temps down to -10 degrees throughout the day. Photos have been added with this observation report, although not the best we have ever taken. Juliet is still pictured in her juvenile plumage and colour, and is still quite dark in colour in contrast to Hurricane’s adult colouring.
Thursday June 22, 2006
Bruce Massey reports: In the area of The Osler Nest site and since I had my Optics in the Car, I decided to drop in to see what was happening.
The good news was that the male and female where both on site. The female appeared as I was repositioning, on the East ledge, just North of the sign and the male was sheltering from the Sun on the East side of the South Sign. The Bad news is that in the half an hour or so I was there I saw no Nesting or Incubation Behaviour. I would think it is too late for this season but if we work on the nest tray idea as we have discussed previously for next year there would be a every good chance of a successful hatch.
Tuesday June 20, 2006
Mark Nash reports for Bruce Massey: Bruce called in today from his visit at the William Osler nest site and reports that both birds are still very much around, as Juliet and Hurricane were still on territory, and ere observed roosting and perching in the building and the hydro towers.
This is good needs indeed!!
Stay tuned…………
Sunday May 21, 2006
The Webmaster reports: The 2006 William Osler Health Centre Photo Gallery has been created.
Tuesday May 2, 2006
Mark Nash reports for Bruce Massey: Maybe the first egg has been laid???
Today Bruce called in a reported that his observations today would suggest that Juliet may have finally laid her first egg, as he witnessed what would be best described as a changing of the guard / shift change, and despite all of the flying activity, only one peregrine was ever observed in the open at any one time over the several hours of watching. Lots of vocalizing going on from behind the “H” sign on the east site where the pair have been disappearing to/behind over the past weeks. Today they both spend time in behind the sign on the nest ledge, each staying for a long period of time. Fingers crossed!!!!!!
Stay tuned…………More to come…………
Friday April 28, 2006
Bruce Massey reports: I was able to spend another few hours out at the WOHC nest site this afternoon, and once again the Hurricane and Juliet were both very active in and around the nest ledge on the east site. There were several copulations and lots of vocalizations as Hurricane was observed coming and going in and out from behind the H sign on the nest ledge. The pair, have not yet settled down on eggs as yet as best as I can understand, as they spent just as much activity flying around the ledge as they did on the ledge. Both adults were observed interacting is some incredible aerial displays this afternoon.
Wednesday April 12, 2006
The Webmaster reports: The following was sent in by George Marleau, one of the main volunteer observers at the Syracuse, NY nest site where Juliet (the female now at the William Osler Health Centre) was hatched last year. It has been reproduced with his permission.
Syracuse, NY has become home to two adult Peregrine Falcons. For the last three years, the two adults which I named Fancy and Groucho have been raising young in a nest box on the 20th floor of the State Tower Building in Downtown Syracuse. The nest box was constructed by volunteers from NYSDOT Bridge Maintenance and placed on a balcony ledge in 2003. Fancy and Groucho moved in in the spring of 2004 and raised 4 babies there. Because the box was on the edge of the balcony, DEC could not safely remove the babies for banding. Two males and two females fledged in June, 2004. Over the winter of 2004-05, the DOT volunteers moved the box back onto a special frame on the balcony to allow DEC to access the box for banding the babies. Fancy and Groucho stayed in Syracuse all winter. In March, 2005, the moved back into the box and raised another batch of young. A web cam was set up by USADatanet and can be viewed at http://www.usadatanet.com/falconCam.html. They raised four females this second year. They were banded on June 6, 2005 and named, Hazel, Juliet, Sojourner, and Thunder. All four fledged successfully. Sojourner was found in Auburn, NY on August 14, 2005. She had hit a power line and was too badly injured to recover. She was put to sleep two days later. Fancy and Groucho again wintered over in Syracuse and moved back into the tower nest box in March, 2006. They are currently incubating eggs, though we don't know how many. Yesterday, April 10, 2006, I got news that one of our juveniles from 2005 had been identified in Etobicoke, Ontario on the William Osler Health Care Center. It is Juliet, the first of her sisters to fledge. She's the first Syracuse born falcon to be reported elsewhere in the world. It's great news for falcon lovers. If you'd like more information on our falcons, I can provide a lot. I've been the unofficial-official follower and observer of this pair since they arrived here. I try to get a siting of them every weekday, and have organized fledge watches for the past two years. We had to rescue one fledge in 2004, but none in 2005. Thanks for your work on Peregrines. You have a great website.
Friday April 7, 2006
Diann Federico reports: I've known there have been falcons habitating the William Osler Health Centre Etobicoke campus since the summer of '05, although I haven't paid too much attention to them. That is until Thursday April 06, 2006, I was walking by and couldn't help but hear them, so loud and so different from the other birds that are in the area. I then saw them in flight and they were whipping around the east side of the building. It was something that you couldn't ignore, they seemed to want everyone outside to know they were there. The female falcon caught a pigeon, in mid air, and began feeding on it the ledge of the hospital. The male shortly joined her and tried to grab a couple bites. Now the only reason I know that it was the female that caught the bird, was because the male then...... well lets just say it is mating season and the few of us outside at the time, got quite a show. Anyhow, I'm looking forward to seeing some babies soon.
Thursday April 6, 2006
Mark Nash reports: Sorry for the delay in getting both this update and photo’s to the web master, as they were on one of the older digital camera cards that was just found in the bottom of my camera bag.
A great day indeed, with bright sunny skies, warm breezes, and lots of activity with both Hurricane and Juliet being observed throughout the entire six plus hours that I was on site. Both Hurricane and Juliet spent much of their day flying between the nest ledge and the hydro towers, with lots of vocalizing in between. Numerous visits in behind the blue hospital sign was observed, as they investigated the new digs. Several copulations were observed throughout the day, and it would appear that that the pair has called this territory their own, as they were also observed diving and stooping at several gulls and two crows that wounded in the territory at the wrong time.
© Canadian Peregrine Foundation