Canadian Peregrine Foundation -- Toronto Archive: 1998

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April 1998

Friday, April 3
Bruce Massey reports: At 10:30 am Pounce-Kingsley was seen on the National Trust building, and Victoria on the Victoria Towers building. Shortly after they mated briefly.

Sunday, April 5
Bruce Massey reports: Pounce-Kingsley was observed stooping a pigeon around 10:30am from the Scotia Tower to Yonge St. Around 11:00am, a kestrel was seen on top of 390 Bay St, and around 1:00pm a male and female kestrel were seen sitting on the abandoned building east of the Revenue Canada building.

Friday, April 10
Kenn Chapman reports: About 10:40 am, Victoria showed up, flew around and on to the Scotia Tower several times before floating off to the east and out of sight. Around 11:30am, she returned and perched on the SW corner of the National Trust building. She had an obviously full crop, and proceeded to preen herself and just relax. Finally she started looking around -- where was Pounce-Kingsley? At 12:40, he made his appearance, mated with her for 5-6 seconds, then they both disappeared their separate ways to other rooftops.

Sunday, April 12
Bruce Massey reports: 1005 HRS-1100 HRS: Pounce-Kingsley hunting off & on Scotia Tower.
-- 1140 HRS: Observed Victoria flying low over buildings just east of Scotia Tower. Flew up to the North-East corner of Old Commerce Court. Saw this all from Temperance St. by Cloud Garden Park.
-- 1200 HRS: Victoria took off from above location and started up the Scotia Tower, but then flew over to the South building of BCE Complex at the East End.
-- 1210 HRS: Repositioned to try and see Victoria @ above location but she had flown off.
-- 1220 HRS: HAPPENED TO BE IN RIGHT PLACE AT THE RIGHT TIME!!! Victoria came flying down Scott St. @ about 50 ft. turned West on Front and then North on Yonge St. Followed her up Yonge St. and found her low on the North Face of the Old Commerce Court.

Monday, April 13
Bruce Massey reports: Just before 8 am, Victoria was seen on the west side of the Royal Bank at 20 King St W. She flew off and soared above First Canadian Place, then flew off to the south in the general direction of BCE Place.
-- Shortly after, a peregrine was seen on the antenna atop the Commerce Court building.
-- Around 9:30 am, Pounce-Kingsley was perched on the SW corner of the National Trust building. Shortly after, he flew north to Yonge & Queen Sts, then SW to the Bank of Montreal, then stooped a pigeon (unsuccessfully) to the NE. A bit later, he returned to Bay & Adelaides Sts, and soared around the west side of Scotia Tower and Commerce Court. It looked as though he landed on the west steps of Scotia Tow for a moment, then came around the north side at that level. He then proceeded to go into a "tuck" and dropped down to the SW corner of National Trust (unbelievable!).

Tuesday, April 14
Bruce Massey reports: At 10:40 am, Pounce-Kingsley was seen on the antenna atop Commerce Court. Then he flew to the SW corner of the National Trust building where he remained until 11:15. Ten minutes later he showed up on the SW corner of the Revenue Canada building until 12:05 when he flew to the NE corner of National Trust again. Just before 1:00 pm he flew to the north, and returned to 8 King St E. At 1:20 he moved over to Victoria Tower where he remained until 1:45 when he flew off out of sight.

Wednesday, April 15
Bruce Massey reports: At 2:00 pm, Victoria was first seen on the SW corner of the lower Revenue Canada building at the corner of Victoria & Adelaide Sts. She then flew over to the ventilation vents on the north side of the National Trust building, then flew to the top of the main Revenue Canada building, landing on the SW corner.
-- At 2:40 pm, she was found on another of her favourite spots -- the top of the old Bank of Commerce building in the ventilation vents just above the arches and faces on the top of the columns. For the rest of the afternoon, she spent much of her time on the Scotia Tower, with periodic breaks to exercise her wings, flying mostly to the north but twice to the south.

Thursday, April 16
Kenn Chapman reports: Had a look at the monitor upstairs and observed an empty nest. There are no eggs -- just the space originally hollowed out in the gravel where they intended to lay them. Based on the observations of this week, the suspicion is they have laid their eggs, but have moved to a new nest location. Only one adult has been seen at any time, and they have not been seen anywhere near the old nest site at King & Victoria Sts.

Friday, April 17
Bruce Massey reports: At 9:15 am, an unidentified peregrine was seen on the east side of the Scotia Tower. At 9:50, Victoria was observed on the top vents of the old Bank of Commerce building. At 10:06 she flew off to the south, then perched on the east side of the National Trust building.
-- Between 10:25 and 1:00, Victoria (presumably) made several stoops off the Scotia Tower, and did some soaring on the air currents. She finally rested on the Bank of Commerce building until 1:35 when she flew off out of sight to the NE.

Saturday, April 18
Kenn Chapman reports: Arrived downtown around 9:15. Victoria was observed sitting on the Scotia Tower. She was a bit restless, moving from one ledge to another. About 9:45 she spent about ten minutes "floating" around on the air current before resuming her restless relaxation. During the two hours I was downtown, there was no sign of Pounce-Kingsley.
-- Bruce Massey reports: At 10:00 am, Pounce-Kingsley was observed on the Scotia Tower. At 11:40, he made several stoops in varous directions, finally returning to the Scotia Tower. At 1:25, he did some soaring, another stoop, then flew off to the west out of sight.

Sunday, April 19
Kenn Chapman reports: Arrived downtown shortly after 9:00 am. Was joined by Bruce Massey around 10:00. We spent some time wandering around the neighbourhood, between Front and Adelaide Sts, Toronto and York Sts. During the entire time, until 1:45, there was no sign of either adult, except for a brief appearance (for about 2 minutes) around 9:30 of a peregrine on the Scotia Tower. Our primary goal was to deterimine where the new nest site might be, if there is one. We were unsuccessful.

Tuesday, April 21
Kenn Chapman reports: It is now confirmed that the adults have moved their nest and are in fact incubating eggs. The nest location is on the same building at King and Victoria Sts, and in almost the same location but on the west side instead of the east side. Looking toward the west side of the building, the nest is behind the fourth pillar from the left. The ledge construction on that side of the building is identical to the east side, and the adults have been observed going to that ledge on numerous occasions over the past three years.
-- I had an opportunity to observe the nest site from a 19th floor office at 8 King St E, looking directly down onto the scrape. From one of the windows, it might be possible to count the number of eggs when there is a change of the adults -- perhaps tomorrow. It is estimated, based on their change of behaviour, that incubating began about 7 days ago, i.e., on Wednesday April 15.
-- Pounce-Kingsley maintained a vigilance over the nest site from the top of the fire escape on the east side of 8 King St, directly across from the nest site. (Band markings have not yet been confirmed on the adult male; there are some suggestions that the adult may be a different bird this year. Until band markings are confirmed otherwise, we will asume that the adult male is still our Pounce-Kingsley.)
-- The location of the nest site confirms the logic of previous sightings of the birds on the National Trust and Scotia Tower, as both these locations give the adult a direct view of the nest site.

Saturday, April 25
Bruce Massey reports: Between 12:15 and 2:00 observed Pounce-Kingsley flying in and around the vicinity of the nest several times.

Sunday, April 26
Bruce Massey reports: Observed Pounce-Kingsley several times flying in and around the vicinity.
-- At 12:00 noon, Pounce-Kingsley flew up to the Scotia Tower steps. Then, within a minute, he stooped a pigeon and took it to the Canada Trust building to eat it. Two other pigeons sitting on the roof of the nesting building were observed watching the whole transaction and were heard to say, "Whew, glad that wasn't us," and "Poor Harry!"
-- Later, around 7:30 pm, I was working in the Jarvis/Shuter Sts area, and observed a red-tailed hawk soaring around and giving some local pigeons a good scare. Five minutes after she disappeared, an adult peregrine falcon was seen doing an attack posture complete with the short dives and vocalizations at the west side of an abandoned government building on the NE corner of Jarvis and Dundas Sts.

Thursday, April 30
Bruce Massey reports: Had a chance to observe the nest scrape from 8 King St a couple of times and observed a small carcass deposited there -- perhaps the uneaten remains of a pigeon or a small bird that just been deposited for the nesting adult.
-- Around 3:30 Pounce-Kingsley was seen flying around the vicinity of the nesting building; again at 7:40 pm he was seen perched on the National Trust building.

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