The Canadian Peregrine Foundation
TORONTO HOME PAGE ARCHIVES March - April 1999 |
Monday March 1
Harry Crawford reports: At 2:25pm Spike was observed on the 'h' of the south
facing Bay sign. By 2:50 he moved to the top of the 'B' of the same sign, disappearing by
3:20. He was seen briefly on the 'y' around 3:35.
Tuesday March 2
Harry Crawford reports: At first light, around 6:35am Spike was seen on the
'h' of the south facing Bay sign. By 7:05 Mandy showed up on the bottom of the 'B' of the
same sign. They were both out of sight a short time later. At 12:35pm Spike was seen
briefly on the same 'h'.
Wednesday March 3
Harry Crawford reports: At 7:15am both peregrines were on the west side of
the CIBC building, riding out the start of the snow storm. They were out of view in about
a half hour because of the fog. At 3:15 Mandy was seen on the 'y' of the south facing Bay
sign. She disappeared aroung 4:45, returning at 5pm to the 'y'. At the same time Spike was
on the 'h' of the same sign. At 5:15 Mandy relocated to under the overhang of the 'a',
presumably to get out of the snow [smart bird]. Spike took this opportunity to move to
Mandy's spot on the 'y'. At 5:50 Spike moved to the south west corner of the CIBC
building. He then moved into one of the concrete slots on the south side of the building,
managing to turn himself around to face out. This is the first time I've seen him
change direction. At first light, around 6:35am Spike was seen on the 'h' of the south
facing Bay
Thursday March 4
Harry Crawford reports: At 6:35am Spike dove off the south side of the CIBC
building, returning to the ledge shortly after. Mandy was on the 'y' of the south facing
Bay sign. They changed locations a number of times and were still visible at 8:15. Spike
disappeared from view by 8:40. Spike was seen briefly on the south side of the CIBC
building at 5:30pm.
Friday March 5
Harry Crawford reports: At 6:35am Mandy was on the 'y' of the south facing
Bay sign. By 7:00 Spike was on the mid level ledge on the south side of the CIBC building
and was eating. He was finished eating by 7:50 but stayed in the same location, relocating
to the upper ledge around 9:00. Mandy remained on the 'y'.
At 11:45 Kevin Hood from our office, spotted a peregrine in the area. We are located on
the west side of University Ave. just south of Dundas. The falcon was on the west side of
the building, working its way south. When Kevin moved to the south windows, the peregrine
was out of sight. Apparently, the falcon was seen attacking a pigeon. A few minutes
later, feathers were falling from the south roof area of the building. The sightings were
taken from the 21st floor of a 25 story office tower at 400 University Ave.
At 5pm Mandy was on the west side of the CIBC building. Spike arrived at 5:20 and sat on
the north west corner of the same building. By 5:40 both were out of sight.
Saturday March 6
Harry Crawford reports: Both birds were on the west side of the CIBC
building at 6:30am, weathering the storm. Spike left around 6:45. Around 10:15 Mandy was
out of view. She returned to the south side of the CIBC building at 12:25 and stayed in
the same spot until 3:30 when she visited the 'y' of the south facing Bay sign. She left
there at 4:14.
Sunday March 7
Harry Crawford reports: At 6:50am Mandy was on the bottom of the 'B' of the
south facing Bay sign. She was out of view by 7:20. From 8:30 until 4:10 both birds were
on various locations of the same sign. Spike was seen feeding at 11:30. Spike moved to the
south side of the CIBC building at 4:10 and was joined by Mandy around 5:00. Both birds
were out of view by 5:30.
Monday March 8
Harry Crawford reports: At first light, 6:20am, Mandy was on the south west
corner of the upper ledge of the CIBC building while Spike was in the same position on the
ledge half way up the building. By 6:50 Mandy moved to the 'y' of the south facing Bay
sign and was eating. Shortly later, Spike was seen eating on the lower ledge on the south
side of the CIBC building. By 7:20 Spike moved to inside the 'e' and later the lower part
of the 'B' of the south facing Bay sign. Both birds were still there at 9:10. At 5:15
Spike was on the south side of the CIBC building. He moved into one of the slots above the
ledge shortly after and was still there at 6:35.
Tuesday March 9
Harry Crawford reports: At 6:30am Spike was on the west side of the CIBC
building. Shortly later, he was on the lower ledge of the south side, eating. By 7:20 both
Mandy and Spike were on the upper west side ledge of the CIBC building. At 5:10 they were
observed on the west side of the CIBC building, Spike in the slot above the ledge. At 5:35
Mandy was in a concrete slot above the south side of the CIBC building. This is the first
time I have seen her in one of the concrete slots. It also makes it very difficult to see
them. They were there until 6:20pm when there was not enough light to reliably spot them.
Wednesday March 10
Harry Crawford reports: At 6:35am Spike was seen eating on the ledge half
way up the south side of the CIBC building. He moved to the upper ledge around 7:00. By
7:20 Mandy was on the 'y' of the south facing Bay sign. Spike was seen eating on the upper
ledge of the CIBC building at 7:40 -- relocating the the 'h' of the Bay sign by 8:35. At
12:40 both birds were on the bottom area of the 'B' of the south facing Bay sign. At
5:25pm Spike was in a concrete slot above the upper ledge on the south side of the CIBC
building. He was still there at the end of light at 6:25.
Thursday March 11
Harry Crawford reports: At 6:20am Mandy was on the 'y' of the south facing
Bay sign and Spike was on the south side of the CIBC building. They took up various
positions in the same location and were still there at 8am. At 4:45pm Spike was on the 'y'
of the south facing Bay sign and moved to a concrete slot above the upper ledge on the
south side of the CIBC building around 5:20. He was still there at end of light around
6:40.
Friday March 12
Harry Crawford reports: At 6:20am Mandy was on the right leg of the
'y' of the south facing Bay sign. Shortly later, Spike joined her on the left leg of the
'y'. It seems that they are getting physically closer to each other as time goes on. Spike
disappeared from view around 7;35 but Mandy was still on the 'y' at 8:35. At 4:40pm Mandy
was on the 'a' of the same sign and Spike was on the south side of the CIBC building.
They were both on the Bay sign shortly after and at 6:15 Spike went into one of the
concrete slots above the upper ledge on the south side of the CIBC building.
Saturday March 13
Harry Crawford reports: At 6:15 Mandy was on the 'y' of the south facing Bay
sign. She remained there until around 10am. Spike was seen briefly on the south side of
the CIBC building.
Sunday March 14
Harry Crawford reports: Between 6:45am and 8:35am both birds were around the
south side of the CIBC and Bay buildings. At 10:10 Mandy was on the west side of the CIBC
building and was feeding on someting. She disappeared around 11am. I noticed a female
kestrel on the south roof of 55 Bloor St. West at this time as well. At 12:45 an
unidentified peregrine was circling above Yonge and Bloor, obviously checking out the St.
Patrick's Day parade.
Monday March 15
Harry Crawford reports: At 6:20am Spike was on the west side of the
CIBC building in one of the concrete slots above the ledge. He moved to the 't' of the
south facing Bay sign and was eating. Mandy appeared on the south CIBC logo around 7:10
and was also eating. They were both on the west CIBC logo at 8:55. During most of this
time, the female kestrel was on the south side of 55 Bloor West. At 4:35 Spike was on the
south side of the CIBC building. He was later seen eating a rather large white object
(pigeon?) on the lower ledge of the south side of the CIBC building. Mandy moved into one
of the concrete slots on the upper ledge of the same location. Spike was out of view by
5:55 but Mandy was still in the concrete slot at 6:35pm.
Thursday March 18
Harry Crawford reports: Mandy was seen briefly on the 'y' of the south
facing Bay sign at 11:10am and 1:30pm. Spike was on the 'a' at 4:35 and shortly later
moved to the 'h' of the same sign. He was out of view by 5:40pm. Yesterday, Spike was seen
eating on the west side of the CIBC building around 6:50am.
Friday March 19
Harry Crawford reports: There has been very little activity seen from
my vantage point this week. The Manulife kestrels were seen mating for a few seconds this
morning on the south balcony of 55 Bloor West at 6:35am, so I guess they are serious about
staying in their traditional territory again this year. At 7:05am Spike was seen
eating on the 'h' of the south facing Bay sign. He moved to the south side of the CIBC
building at 7:35 and was still there an hour later.
Ellen Donnelly reports: I was downtown today so thought
I would see if I could spot the two King Street birds. It was easy. Victoria was at the
old (east facing) nest site on 18 King Street East. Just preening and looking around. This
was at 11:25. I watched for about 15 minutes, went for a coffee and when I returned
Kingsley was there as well. He took off and did a very short circular flight, landed and
went back out of sight behind a pillar. Victoria stayed where she was. She was still there
when I left about noon. There was still a platform hanging from the roof of the building,
close to the King street side, so it looks as if whatever is being done is ongoing!
Sunday March 21
Harry Crawford reports: Spike was seen on the 'h' of the south facing
Bay sign for a brief while at 8:55am. [The area kestrels were seen mating on the south
west corner of the building at the south west corner of Bay and Bloor]. Yesterday
Mandy was seen briefly on the south east corner of the roof of the CIBC building at
10:30am.
Bruce Massey reports: Over the past month, I have made several visits to both the downtown nest site and the Yonge and Bloor area. This morning I saw both adults at Yonge and Bloor, as well as one of the adults at the downtown site, near King and Yonge. Yesterday morning both Kingsley and Victoria were around the 95-97 nest site (the east side of 18 King Street East), but I couldn't spot either of the peregrines at Yonge and Bloor. There were, however, two kestrels near Avenue Road and Bloor.
On March 18, Kingsley and Victoria were both around the old nest site for close to four hours. During this time they mated once near the old nest. Three days earlier, both Kingsley and Victoria were several blocks west, around King and York. On March 10, they were both on the National Trust building, and then flew off toward Union station.
On March 9, Kingsley was perched on the northwest corner of the Hilton Hotel at Richmond and University. Then, as I entered the north side of Nathan Philips Square, he made a stoop directly past me, heading for the hotels on Chestnut Street. Victoria was in the same area, near the Sheraton Centre, and after his stoop, Kingsley landed on the west sign of the Sheraton Centre, and was still perched there 50 minutes later.
Back on February 20 and 21, Kingsley and Victoria spend a few hours each day flying around near the Royal York Hotel
Tuesday March 23
Harry Crawford reports: I haven't seen any signs of the peregrines
this morning. Yesterday Mandy appeared on the south east corner of the CIBC building
around 6:45am and stayed there until 7:50.
Wednesday March 24
Marcel Gahbauer reports: We just received word from Bruce Massey that
he saw Spike and Mandy courting today at Yonge and Bloor, then later observed Victoria and
Kingsley flying to and from the southwest side of the Sheraton Hotel in a way that
suggested they may have picked that as a nesting site for this year (see also the note
below). More details to follow tomorrow.
Jennifer Barr reports: I'm not sure which one but one of your peregrine friends has been landing on the Sheraton Centre in Toronto quite regularly (I've seen it land in the same spot two or three times a week for the last 3 or 4 weeks).
The spot in question is on the south side of the building, in the darker window banks near the top, in the second bank to the left, left of the S in Sheraton. It lands there in the corner and stands around for 10 or 15 minutes. It seems to just perch there, face out.
My point of view is from the 37th floor of the First Canadian Place (north side). Keep up the good work - I love watching your birds! (They spend a lot of time circling at about 35 to 39 stories just north of the FCP, which means I see them almost daily!)
Thursday March 25
Bruce Massey reports: Shortly before 3 pm yesterday, I saw Mandy
flying over the Bay and CIBC buildings at Yonge and Bloor. Spike then landed on the
south sign of the CIBC, and a few minutes later Mandy came to perch on the west side of
the CIBC. Around 3:30 I had headed down toward Wellesly, and just turned around in
time to see Mandy and Spike in an aerial courtship display. They headed off to the
southeast of Yonge and Bloor.
Downtown, there was no sign of Kingsley and Victoria at the old nest site. At 4:45 pm, I discovered Kingsley in what is becoming his usual spot - the south side of the Sheraton Hotel, near the louvres. A few minutes later, he and Victoria were both soaring over the harbour, and one of them dove on a gull. By 5:22 pm, Kingsley was back at the southwest corner of the Sheraton. Victoria then flew to the east end of the ledge, while Kingsley remained in place.
This marks the eighth time since late December that I've seen the peregrines on or near the Sheraton Hotel, including four occasions to date in March. This, combined with their behaviour today, suggests that they may have selected the Sheraton as their new nest site.
Harry Crawford reports: Spike was seen briefly on the 'y' of the south facing Bay sign at 7am. At 6:30pm he was on the 'B' of the same sign, eating and remained there to the end of light at 6:45.
Friday March 26
Marcel Gahbauer reports: Yesterday evening Hugh Currie and Winnie Yung
told me of an interesting sighting they had last week in the Balmy Beach area of east
Toronto. While standing near the shore watching an early killdeer fly by, they
spotted a peregrine falcon flying behind the killdeer. They were fortunate that it
came close to them - close enough to identify that it was an immature male, and that the
last digit on the silver leg band was a "2". In addition to the silver
band on the left leg, it had a black band on its right leg.
Twenty young peregrines were banded in southern Ontario last summer. Of all of these, Windwhistler from Etobicoke was the only male with a silver band ending in a "2". Without further information, we cannot conclude it is Windwhistler who was seen, as there may be peregrines from surrounding areas (e.g. northern Ontario, New York, etc.) with similar bands. Nevertheless, we are excited about the possibility that one of our Etobicoke chicks has returned to the Toronto area, and are eager to hear about any other possible sightings of this bird.
Harry Crawford reports: At 6:15am Spike was circling the Yonge and Bloor area while Mandy was on the south east corner of the CIBC roof. Both kestrels were on the south balcony of 55 Bloor West. By 6:25 Spike was on the north west corner of the CIBC roof, eating. Mandy relocated to an antenna on the same roof and was shortly out of view. Spike relocated to the south west corner of the roof and disappeared at 7:40. The kestrels were still on 55 Bloor West at 8:30. At 5:45pm an unidentified peregrine was circling above Yonge and Bloor.
Bruce Massey reports: Today I found both Kingsley and Victoria on the Laurentian Bank Building at the northeast corner of Adelaide and York. They were up there for 45 minutes to an hour.
At the Yonge and Bloor site, both Spike and Mandy were observed in a 15-20 minute courtship flight, which covered a fair amount of sky - from Davenport (in the north) to Charles (in the south) and Bay (in the west) to Jarvis (in the east). The flight consisted of lots of soaring to gain height advantage, then the male would stoop on the female and she would do a 180-degree roll onto her back. The male did about 8 to 10 of these during the duration of the flight. One of the peregrines, probably the female, was later seen perching on the Radisson. Later, Spike was on the northeast corner of the Bay building. While I was watching him, he toppled forward just like a bowling pin and went right into a stoop without ever opeing his wings.
Saturday March 27
Marcel Gahbauer reports: Yesterday afternoon, Bruce Massey, Mark Nash,
and I spent some time observing Kingsley and Victoria near what appears to be their new
home - the Sheraton Hotel on the south side of Queen Street, between Bay and University.
Around 3:45 pm, Victoria made a dive at a couple of gulls flying past the south
side of the Sheraton. She then came down to the roof of the low (~10 storey)
building on the southeast corner of Adelaide and University, and started eating - she must
have had a cache of food there, as she didn't bring anything in. Kingsley arrived a
few minutes later, but remained a respectful distance away as she ate. Then at 3:55
they mated right on the corner of the building. Following this, Kingsley flew off to
the north, and circled over Nathan Philips Square and area; Victoria followed in the same
direction a couple of minutes later.
The site which Kingsley and Victoria have been favouring over the past few days is the ledge under the "S" of the Sheraton logo on the south side of the hotel. We will continue to monitor their activities here, and hope to have some more information on this potential nest site in a few days.
Harry Crawford reports: At 6:15am Spike was on the foot of the west facing CIBC logo. The kestrels were on the south balcony of 55 Bloor West. They were seen mating at 6:50. At 8:00 Spike and Mandy flew over to the roof of 55 Bloor West -- four falcons on this building now! The kestrels mated again at 8:05. At 9:35 Spike was on the foot of the west CIBC logo while Mandy was on the south east corner of the CIBC roof. They were there until 10:00. At 2:15pm both Spike and Mandy were doing 'formation flying' above Yonge and Church near the Canadian Tire building.
Bruce Massey reports: Spike made several passes at Mandy, who was on the west sign of the CIBC; then he went to the top of the "Bay" antenna. Downtown, Kingsley was on the potential new nest ledge on the south side of the Sheraton Hotel.
Sunday March 28
Harry Crawford reports: At 6:40am Spike and Mandy were flying around
the Yonge and Bloor area. They appeared to be chasing each other. Both kestrels spent the
morning on the south balcony of 55 Bloor West.
Bruce Massey reports: Mandy was on the west roof of the Radisson Suites, then went off to the northeast, heading for what appeared to be a heron. I didn't see Spike during the hour and twenty minutes I spent in the area.
Downtown, both Kingsley and Victoria were on the low buildings along Adelaide east of York. Victoria flew to the northeast corner of the Sheraton. Kingsley flew in and mated with her, and then he flew up to the Sheraton ledge.
Monday March 29
Harry Crawford reports: At 5:30pm Mandy was seen on the 'y' of the
south facing Bay sign. She remained there until 6:10. Spike was seen circling above the
Bay building at the same time and landed on the top of the south facing CIBC logo at 6:10.
He was out of view ten minutes later. The kestrels were seen on the south balcony of 55
Bloor West between 6 and 8am. They were also there around 12:30 as well.
Tuesday March 30
Bruce Massey reports: Around 3 pm both Spike and Mandy were on the
west-facing CIBC sign for about half an hour. Mandy then flew west along Bloor, and
then went to land on the roof level on the south side of the CIBC. Spike followed,
and landed beside her. Spike then took off again, soared over the CIBC and the Bay,
and then flew off to the west, followed by Mandy.
Downtown, both peregrines were on the north side of the Richmond-Adelaide centre, on top of the silver columns. From their behaviour I thought there might be a mating, but they didn't. Kingsley then flew off, followed by Victoria a few minutes later.
Harry Crawford reports: At 7:10am Spike was on top of the south facing CIBC sign. He moved to the top of the 'B' of the south facing Bay sign at 7:40 and was out of sight by 8:10.
Wednesday March 31
Harry Crawford reports: At 6:00am Mandy was standing, or trying to
stand on the top of the CIBC antenna. She was flapping her wings wildly and eventually
flew off. She then flew around above the CIBC building for a short while. At 5:20pm both
birds were flying above Yonge and Bloor. Spike eventually landed on the top of the south
facing CIBC sign and stayed there until 5:40. Mandy disappeared to the north.
Thursday April 1
Harry Crawford reports: Spike was seen briefly on the south east
corner of 77 Bloor West at 7:25am. This is the building at the south west corner of Bay
and Bloor. There were a lot of crows around at the time.
Friday April 2
Saturday April 3
Harry Crawford reports: At 5:55pm both Spike and Mandy were in view on
the west and south sides of the CIBC building, frequently changing positions.
Bruce Massey reports: I watched Kingsley for 10 to 15 minutes today on the Sheraton ledge, then he stepped back out of view. I found Victoria on the north side of the Bank of Montreal building.
Sunday April 4
Harry Crawford reports: At 10:40am Mandy was on the west side of the
CIBC building. At 11:25 she was on the top of the east antenna of the same building. She
was seen on the west antenna on a previous day. By 12:25 Spike joined her and they spent
the day on various positions on the CIBC building until dusk at 8:00pm.
Bruce Massey reports: At Yonge and Bloor today I didn’t have any luck with peregrines, but there was plenty of kestrel activity both around there and at Queen’s Park.
Downtown I witnessed the same behaviour as yesterday - one of the adults on the Sheraton ledge, but not flying off, just stepping back out of sight.
Monday April 5
Marcel Gahbauer reports: Beginning around 11am this morning, Spike and
Mandy led me on a merry chase around midtown Toronto for the better part of an hour. I
first spotted Mandy soaring over the office tower at 1001 Bay, just north of Wellesley.
Spike then came into view from the southwest, around the Sutton Place Hotel. The two of
them circled over the two buildings for a couple of minutes, performing what seemed to me
like a half-hearted courtship flight.
Mandy then broke away, heading northeast, and I lost sight of her around Bloor and Church.
Spike remained over at Bay for another couple of minutes, then followed in the same
direction as Mandy. I too headed that way, although at a much slower pace. By the time I
got to Bloor and Church, the peregrines were nowhere to be seen. Mandy eventually
reappeared right above me, but headed off to the southeast, and I lost her behind
buildings again.
I continued north, and relocated Spike stooping on a pair of pigeons west of Yonge in the
Yorkville area. Once again, however, buildings got in the way and I couldn't see whether
he had been successful, nor where he went after the stoop. To make matters more confusing,
one of the local kestrels then put in an appearance high over Bloor and Bay, and it was
soaring so high that I at first thought it was Spike again until I took a closer look.
Shortly after noon, I was fortunate to gain access to the roof of 2 Bloor West (the CIBC
building), courtesy of Omers Realty. I discovered that the roof of the building is not
likely to be an attractive nest site for the peregrines, and is not a suitable location to
install a nest box.
Although the CIBC building does not provide nesting opportunities, both Spike and Mandy
are using it as an observational perch and as a dining room - there was a fairly fresh
woodcock head on the lower roof today.
So, the mystery remains as open as ever - where will this pair nest? Both the Bay building
and the CIBC building, which appear to be the most frequent perches, lack a suitable nest
site. Despite this, they have not been seen investigating other buildings with any
regularity. It is now April, and they really should be "getting down to
business". Assuming that Spike and Mandy will nest this year, I suspect that, for
better or worse, they will select a nest site soon - likely within the next week or two.
Observations during this period will be critical - anyone who happens to be in the area
during this time is encouraged to send any sightings to us.
Harry Crawford reports: Mandy was seen briefly on the west side of the CIBC building, on top of the signage. She remained there until dusk, 8:15pm.
Bruce Massey reports: Downtown this morning, Victoria was on the southwest corner of 390 Bay for 15-20 minutes. Kingsley then flew in from the west and mated with her. I managed to get access to a high floor of the Laurentian Bank Building at Adelaide and York, and was able to look at the nest ledge on the Sheraton. There were no eggs visible.
Tuesday April 6
Bruce Massey reports: Midtown, both Spike and Mandy were
on the east antenna of the CIBC building. Spike made a pass at a small bird to the north,
and up against the CIBC building. He later alnded on the Y&R building at the northeast
corner of Bay and Bloor. At about 8:30 I had just turned the corner at Bay and Cumberland
and was about 100 feet east of the corner when Spike came down to about 15 feet of the
roadway with his ‘landing gear’ down. Mandy followed about a minute later, but
not quite as low. She however was close enough that I could see that she is not banded.
The other interesting I thing I saw was that Spike flushed one of the Yorkville kestrels off the south side of the MBanx building, and chased it south down Bay St. But one of the kestrels got its revenge, because as I was walking down Yonge Street just below Wellesley, I looked back and saw a kestrel flush Mandy off the Manulife Antenna and chase her around for a few minutes.
Downtown, Victoria was on her Cooling tower perch on the Adelaide-Richmond Centre, and Kingsley was also seen in the area for the next half hour to 45 minutes.
Harry Crawford reports: At 6:55am Mandy was seen briefly on the top of the west logo of the CIBC building. On the way to the Museum subway station around 8:40 I saw both Mandy and Spike flying in slow circles above 44 Charles West. A small dark bird came in from the east and passed under them. Spike took chase and Mandy followed. They disappeared to the northwest. Five minutes later they were once again circling above 44 Charles West. At 7:55pm an unidentified peregrine was on the south side of the CIBC building. It was there until darkness fell.
Wednesday April 7
Harry Crawford reports: At 6:30am Mandy was seen briefly on the
top of the west antenna of the CIBC building. At 7:20 both Spike and Mandy were on the
south side of 77 Bloor West -- Mandy was on the south east corner. Spike disappeared
shortly after while Mandy remained for about 10 minutes. Interestingly, both birds faced
the roof. At 5:45pm Spike was on the roof edge on the south side of the Bay building,
eating. He moved to the west side of the CIBC building and continued eating. At 6:15 Spike
moved to the south east corner of the roof of the Bay building. At the same time, Mandy
took off from the same roof (not the edge) and headed north west.
Bruce Massey reports: I found Mandy on top of the CIBC antenna, and then soaring over "The Bay". She then stooped to the west and landed on the east side of the building on the north corner of Bay & Bloor. By the time I had repositioned, Spike had joined her. I got a good look at her legs and she is definitely NOT banded. I spent about 2 hours observing them, and they went as far as 3 to 4 blocks south of Bloor during this time.
Downtown, I found Kingsley on the "n" of the south Sheraton sign. Half an hour later he was on the southeast corner of the Sheraton Centre, and then he was on the New Commerce Court antenna. I didn't see Victoria at any time during the morning.
In the afternoon, I located Kingsley on the bottom step of the Scotia Tower on the east side. About 25 minutes later he took off and went W. around the N. side of Scotia Tower. I started to the W. and when I got to Temperance St. 10 or so minutes later, I saw what I presumed to be the Female on the N.E. corner of the Laurentian Bank Building (N.E. corner of York and Adelaide. About 20 minutes later I saw Male come in from the N.E. over Adelaide towards King & University.
Thursday April 8
Bruce Massey reports: At first light this morning I was
downtown, and found that the "early bird gets the worm" saying is really true.
Just as I hit Adelaide & Sheppard Street (a small north-south street halfway between
Bay and York), I caught Kingsley and Victoria in a bit of a squabble - she seemed to chase
him, or turn him in the direction of the Sheraton ledge; he dutifully complied and flew up
there. Victoria flew off to the southwest.
Fifty minutes later, as I was coming up from Front Street on University, I observed Kingsley visible on the Sheraton ledge. I repositioned over to Adelaide and York, and lost sight of him. About ten minutes later, Victoria landed on the edge of the eldge for about 10-15 seconds before flying off. At 8:30, Kingsley was again visible at the edge of the ledge, and Victoria came off the roof or the sign and switched places with him.
Later in the morning, I was able to view the Sheraton ledge from the 36th floor of the Laurentian Bank building. I believe that the peregrines are definitely on eggs on the Sheraton Hotel ledge. This deduction is based on only seeing one at a time away from the ledge, and also the fact that as one bird comes off the ledge, the other replaces it almost immediately. In fact, Kingsley did fly into the ledge during the observation time, but kept looking to the west end of the ledge, and quickly took off again. Unfortunately, since my observation point was almost directly in line with the nest, I couldn’t see all corners of the ledge, and so wasn’t able to observe the eggs themselves.
I later stopped by the Yonge and Bloor area for 15-20 minutes, and saw both Spike and Mandy soaring around the CIBC and Bay building, then landing on the east logo of the CIBC. Spike flew off to the west of the Manulife Centre, and both eventually flew away to the southeast.
Harry Crawford reports: At 6:30am Mandy was seen soaring above the CIBC building, eventually flying to the north east and eventually landing on the north east corner of 77 Bloor West. She remained there for about 20 minutes. At 7:40 she was seen on the west antenna of the CIBC building. An unidentified peregrine fluttered down to the west area of the roof of 55 Bloor West [mbanks] at 8:05. This was on the roof, not the edge of the roof. Meanwhile our female kestrel took about five low passes over the area before landing on the south east corner of 77 Bloor West, overlooking the peregrine. She disappeared shortly after.
Friday April 9
Marcel Gahbauer reports: This morning Bill Green and I got
one step closer to confirming that Kingsley and Victoria are in fact nesting on the
Sheraton Hotel. Chris Fortella of Intercon Security at the Sheraton Hotel kindly
escorted us to the maintenance area on the 43rd floor, where we suspected the peregrines
to be nesting. As we discovered, they have selected an excellent site (from a
falcon's perspective at least!). The south-facing ledge they are on is approximately
8 to 10 metres long, and as much as 1 metre deep. It is recessed into the building,
so they are protected from above as well as from the sides. Some shade is provided
by way of well-spaced vertical bars at the front end of the ledge. There is no
access to this area from inside the building, and from outside the only way to reach it
would be via a swing stage, so the peregrines will not be disturbed by human activity.
There are windows on either side of the nesting ledge, and as we stood there assessing the situation, we saw Kingsley fly in from the south and swoop up right in front of our eyes to land on the ledge just a couple of metres away, on the other side of the wall between us and the nesting ledge. While we still have not been able to see the eggs (and may not be able to, given the location they have selected), we now feel confident that this is where Kingsley and Victoria have decided to nest in 1999. This nest site is more than twice as high as their previous location at 18 King Street East, and it will be interesting to observe whether this will give the fledglings an advantage when they start to fly in late June / early July.
Harry Crawford reports: At 5:15pm Mandy was circling high above Yonge and Bloor. She ended up on the top of the west facing CIBC sign a few minutes later. Spike joined her around 7:00pm and sat on the bottom part of the same sign. By 8:10 they were both gone.
Saturday April 10
Sunday April 11
Tuesday April 13
Harry Crawford reports: At 6:30am Spike was on the 'B' of
the south facing Bay sign, eating. By 6:35 he moved to the south facing CIBC logo. He was
seen flying in circles above the CIBC building shortly thereafter. At 8:00 Spike was seen
briefly on the 'y' of the south facing Bay sign.
Yesterday, Spike was seen briefly on the 'y' of the south facing Bay sign around 8:00pm.
Bruce Massey reports: Down at Yonge and Bloor this morning I saw Spike chase a kestrel off the south side of the MBanx building over to the north side of the Manulife building. Mandy was soaring above the CIBC tower.
Wednesday April 14
Harry Crawford reports: At 6:20am Spike was on the top of
the south facing CIBC sign. He was gone by 6:50. Between 6 and 7pm
Spike was firstly on the 'y' of the south facing Bay sign and then the top of the south
facing CIBC sign. At 7pm Spike returned to the 'y' and Mandy appeared on the bottom
of the south facing CIBC sign. Spike was gone in ten minutes with Mandy following by
7:20.
Bruce Massey reports: Down at Yonge and Bloor at dawn, I found Spike on the south CIBC sign. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time (a small parkette just east of Yonge, 2 blocks south of Bloor) when he stooped towards me, and went after a pigeon just to the southwest. It never ceases to amaze me, the speed of these falcons in a stoop - it took Spike all of 3-4 seconds to cover the 2 to 2-1/2 block distance. This happened around 6:55 am. I finally saw Mandy about an hour later.
Downtown things were normal - Kingsley was on the south Sheraton sign, and I just caught a glimpse of Victoria preening on the nest ledge.
Later in the day I was back at Yonge and Bloor, and saw Spike on the south sign of the Bay from 4:15 until 5:22 pm. Mandy arrived at the same sign around 6 pm, and was eating the remains of a bird that had been up there when Spike was there. She stayed there for only 15 minutes, and then I saw Spike soar over the Manulife building and land on the south sign of the CIBC.
Thursday April 15
Bruce Massey reports: I was back down to Yonge and
Bloor at dawn, and found Mandy on the "R" of the Radisson Suites and Spike on
the south CIBC sign, both around 7 am. Spike was observed actively pursuing a
sparrow-sized bird three or four times up against the CIBC building, and finally capturing
it against the Bay after another two or three passes. He took it up to the east Mbanx sign
to eat it.
Mandy remained on the Radisson sign for about 40 minutes, then flew west. I saw her a couple of times after that, once heading north on the west side of the CIBC building. Spike landed on the east Mbanx sign and I got a close look at him through the 45x scope. What a beautiful bird! The most striking markings are the white horizontal eye stripes, which look like eyebrows.
Harry Crawford reports: At 7:20am Spike was seen briefly on the top of the south facing CIBC logo. He was also on the south side of the CIBC building for a short time at 6:15pm.
Friday April 16
Saturday April 17
Bruce Massey reports: I saw Spike for about 35
minutes around dawn. About an hour later, both Spike and Mandy came in from just
west of Bay and Bloor; one or the other was present over the next 35 minutes. About
half an hour later I saw Spike at 1001 Bay on the west side. He stooped
towards Queen's Park and disappeared.
I was back at 11:35 am, and saw both Spike and Mandy on the northeast corner of the building at the northeast corner of Bay and Bloor. Mandy appeared to have trouble subduing a pigeon - in fact it twice got away and was caught again before she finally subdued it.
Sunday April 18
Harry Crawford reports: At 7:30am Mandy was seen briefly
on the north west corner of the CIBC roof. At 7:40 Spike was in a slot on the south
side of the CIBC building. They were both out of view by 7:50. At 2:35pm Mandy
was seen briefly on the south east corner of the Bay roof. At 2:55 Spike was
circling high above 55 Bloor West. He eventually caught something and was seen
eating on the south side of the CIBC building until around 3:15.
Bruce Massey reports: At dawn Spike was around the CIBC antenna, and over the next couple of hours both he and Mandy spent time at the Radisson Hotel. Downtown I observed the usual incubation behaviour, i.e. only one bird at a time was in sight (this time it was Kingsley).
Wednesday April 21
Marcel Gahbauer reports: As part of the Earth
Week celebrations, the Canadian Peregrine Foundation and the Great Lakes Raptor
Conservancy have teamed up to put on displays at several banks and office towers across
Toronto this week. Today we spent three hours in the lobby of the Xerox building at
33 Bloor Street East, offering office workers and other passers-by an opportunity to get
an intimate look at not only our peregrine "Qetesh", but also at a golden eagle,
a bald eagle, and a great horned owl.
In conversation with the visitors, I learned that Spike and Mandy have been observed by many people - some of whom realized that they were watching peregrine falcons, and others who had spent many hours looking at them without knowing what they were. Several have even been fortunate enough to catch the peregrines in the act of stooping and making a kill. Many of the observers commented that they most frequently saw Spike and Mandy to the west, often in the area of (or even on the roof of) the MBanx (Bank of Montreal) building. Maybe this is the building they will finally settle on. Additional reports from anyone in the area (especially in high offices overlooking some of the lower roofs such as the MBanx) would be greatly appreciated.
Thursday April 22
Friday April 23
Sunday April 25
Monday April 26
Tuesday April 27
Thursday April 29
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