Canadian Peregrine Foundation -- Downtown Toronto

The Canadian Peregrine Foundation

DOWNTOWN TORONTO - SHERATON ARCHIVES

2003

Sunday December 21, 2003
Harry Crawford reports: One peregrine was seen circling just north of the Sheraton Centre at 9:12am. It eventually landed on the `l` of the north Hilton Hotel logo. With the following sightings of the regulars, this is further evidence that there are more than two peregrines in the downtown area. Mandy was spotted on the south east corner of the roof of the CHFI building at 9:12am. A short time later she took up the north east corner of the King Edward and then disappeared from view. Spike was on the south east corner of First Financial at about the same time, flew over to the nest ledge for a few minutes and then returned to his original location.

Friday November 7, 2003
Zoe Berger reports: I left work at 3:30 yesterday and walking up Bay Street from King I heard what almost sounded like a mouse and looked up to see one adult flying south towards the old Bank of Nova Scotia building on the northeast corner of King & Bay. It landed on the northwest corner of the building causing the other adult that had been on that corner to fly up and off to the south. I lost them as they both disappeared at King. Waiting for the bus at Queen & Bay I heard that same mouse sound again and saw one adult flying up Bay, then across Nathan Phillips Square diagonally NW - and lost it at the Zurich building on University. Pretty exciting.

Tuesday October 7, 2003
Jan Chudy reports: At approx. 4:40 I spied a bird on the Sheraton ledge. As I watched, a second bird made three passes outside my window right in my line of sight about 6-10 feet out. Awesome!!!!

Thursday September 25, 2003
Jan Chudy reports: Hi all!! There has not been much activity around First Canadian Place - only occasionally sightings of birds at the Sheraton. Passing 18 King this morning at 7:30 I could see no sign of birds on any of the regular ledges. However, as I crossed at Yonge and King, one bird was soaring around the intersection. I watched for a couple of minutes. I'm glad to see they are still around.

10:45 am: Returning to my office I saw both birds flying around the Sheraton. I lost sight of them (my binocs are in being repaired) but then saw one fly up to the Sheraton ledge and go in. A red letter day for me!!

Monday September 1, 2003
Linda Woods reports: Hi everyone. 5:30p.m. Adult male sitting on the north-east corner of National Life building (corner of Elm and University Ave), with prey. He stayed there a while and did not munch down on his catch. Approximately 20 minutes later he flew off towards the south, with the prey in talons. This was a banded bird ( can't be sure but I think it had a black band on the right).

Monday August 11, 2003
Jan Chudy reports: A bird was in view on the Sheraton ledge at 8:50 a.m. On checking at 9:50 the bird was still there and as I watched it took a short slow looped flight and returned to the ledge. At 10 o'clock, another short loop, this time to land on the top of the "n" in Sheraton, then another to land on the "t".

Checking between 10:05 and 1:20 I saw no sign of birds. At 1:25 a bird flew slowly by my north facing 61st floor window going west. It was only about 30 feet out from the building. Judging from the wiggles, I guess it was Spike. No more activity for the balance of the day.

Thursday August 7, 2003
Jan Chudy reports: One bird spotted at the Sheraton at 10:20 am and then nothing until 4:40. I arrived at King and Victoria at 5:15 and found both birds on the south west corner of 20 Toronto. One was sitting facing west and the other had it's rear end hanging over the corner and appeared to be working on a kill. At 5:20 the other bird then took off, flying low straight north up Toronto Street. I watched the other bird work away on its kill, laughing out loud on a couple of occasions when a spray of feathers would erupt in the air. At 5:35 it turned around, showing itself to be Mandy, and flew off to the 18 King ledge, leaving the prey on the roof. She promptly popped down behind the ledge and within two minutes popped back up again. I left at approx. 5:45.

Wednesday August 6, 2003
Jan Chudy reports: I couldn't wait until the end of the day to send this in.

Between 9:25 and 10 there was a bird at the Sheraton, either on the ledge, or for quite some time sitting in the back of the nest box. I went over to Toronto Street arriving about 1:15 to find Neil in place. One bird was on the ledge with it's back facing out. Neil advised that it had been there for some time. When I left at 2 it was still there. When I got back to my office at First Canadian Place at 2:05 there was a bird in the nest box. It remained there. Shortly before 3 when I checked, I couldn't see a bird on the ledge or in the box. However, checking the logo, one bird was sitting on the upward curl of the last "e" in Centre (where I had seen it on Friday). I thought I saw a second bird behind the bottom of the "e" but could not confirm. I left my office and returned at 3:30. As I scanned the "e" 2 birds flew off to the west and then swept up University Avenue where I lost them at Dundas.

Harry may be right - the ones I am seeing at the Sheraton could be the mid-town pair checking out a new locale!

4:10. What an exciting day - and I am happy to confirm I have a witness - the young lawyer in the office next door has been watching with me. Further to my last report, I just happened to look out my window a few minutes ago and saw two birds floating west of the Sheraton. They then proceeded to perform aerobatics flying one upside down of the other - only just missing touching and wheeling and flipping. They climbed higher and higher, still performing their show and I lost them high over Yonge Street.

Tuesday July 29, 2003
Jan Chudy reports: No sightings at Sheraton.

Monday July 28, 2003
Jan Chudy reports: Between 8:55 and 12:35 a bird was constantly in view, either on the Sheraton ledge on in the nest box. It was again viewed on the ledge between 4:10 and 4:25.

Friday July 25, 2003
Jan Chudy reports: Between noon and 3:40 a bird was either on the Sheraton ledge, or in the nest box, and on one occasion was perched on the top west corner of 111 Richmond Street.

Wednesday July 23, 2003
Jan Chudy reports: Between 6:50 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. there were many sightings of a bird at the Sheraton ledge. From shortly after 4 p.m. until 5 p.m. the bird was either sitting in the nest box or walking back and forward at the back of the ledge. Perhaps we need to check out the ledge again from close up. At Toronto Street, I arrived at 12:55 and shortly thereafter Mandy arrived low from the north to the 2nd ledge from the north. At 1 p.m. she turned around and jumped down out of view. At 1:10 she popped up again, this time on the first ledge from the north.

Tuesday July 22, 2003
Jan Chudy reports: Between 2:00 and 3:45 a bird was viewed on several occasions on the Sheraton ledge

Monday July 21, 2003
Jan Chudy reports: Between 9:50 and 1:35 a bird was viewed on several occasions on the Sheraton ledge.

Wednesday July 16, 2003
Jan Chudy reports: A bird came and went on the Sheraton ledge between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.

Thursday July 17, 2003
Jan Chudy reports: No activity seen at any time on the Sheraton ledge.

Tuesday July 15, 2003
Jan Chudy reports: No sign of any birds at the Sheraton site throughout the morning.

Saturday July 12, 2003
Jan Chudy reports: About 4 p.m. I took a good look around the Jarvis-to-Sherbourne St. area, checking all the condos for signs of Juno. I didn't see anything. Returning to Leader Lane, I heard some vocalizing and found Spike on the nest ledge, chirping away. Turning around, I found another peregrine on one of the knobs of St. James. It was sitting sideways so I couldn't see the breast, and by the time I walked over to look, it was gone. Meanwhile, Spike had flown up to the Scotia Tower, and in a minute I saw the second peregrine flying circles in front of the tower. I tried hard to see if it was an adult or a chick, but it was hard due to the lighting. I think I saw some white around the head, so I'm assuming it was Mandy. It certainly flew well -- after soaring back and forth for a while, it approached the steps of the tower and then did a startling vertical stoop down out of sight. It then reappeared at rooftop level, and flew southward out of sight at top speed.

I've noticed the adults sitting on the spire much more in the past few days. On Thursday or Friday, I found Spike sitting on the spire in the rain, right about where Kingsley and Victoria used to sit out rainstorms -- I still don't know why

Harry Crawford reports: At 7:00am, both Spike and Mandy were on the east side of Scotia Plaza. Spike disappeared at 7:20am and was seen chasing a gull shortly after. He ended up on First Financial. There was a peregrine on the south side of the Sheraton Centre, old nest ledge, at 8:10am. Five minutes later it took off to the north east. Looking back from the Adelaide side of First Financial at 8:20am, I could see something in the Sheraton Centre ledge. It was back from the ledge and on the west side. I couldn`t see what it was. I checked the downtown nest area, Court and Toronto, at 8:24am and found Mandy on the nest ledge and Spike on the south west corner of 20 Toronto. I then went back to the Sheraton Centre but couldn`t make anything out that close to the building. I didn`t see any sign of Juno unless that was him on the Sheraton.

Thursday July 3, 2003
Jan Chudy reports: From 3:30 p.m. until 5:10 p.m. and adult was a the Sheraton ledge, either on the edge of the ledge or sitting on the box.

Wednesday July 3, 2003
Jan Chudy reports: Between 9 am and 5:20 pm I saw a peregrine many times on the Sheraton ledge.

Tuesday June 10, 2003
Jan Chudy reports: I just happened to check the Sheraton nest ledge just now and there are two birds in the back of the ledge!

Mark Nash replies: Very interesting news indeed! It comes on the week after I have just removed the camera from the Sheraton Hotel Toronto nest ledge. We needed the camera to refurbish it, and replace it with the broken Etobicoke camera. We will be putting a camera back on the Sheraton Hotel Toronto this fall.

Saturday April 19, 2003
Linda Woods reports: 11:00: Lots of activity seen on the south side of the Sheraton Hotel. Female (unknown) and the male (Spike) taking turns chasing each other in and out of the slots. Male definitely came into the area from the south-east. He would enter the slots and the female would then take off and head north along University Ave. She returned a few minutes later, I couldn't see if she had prey with her. She entered the slots and then the male took off and headed towards the south east (18 King St. area). Not much activity seen in the #18 King St. area.

Saturday April 12, 2003
Linda Woods reports: I made my way down to the south side of the Sheraton this morning. Around 8:30 am, one adult (female) was in the Sheraton, male was not seen at this time. 9:15 am - Viewing from upper levels I could clearly see "Mandy" in the nest ledge at 18 King as she has been for past two weeks. 12:00 pm - Making my way along the west side of King St. Two adult peregrines flying around the south side of the Sheraton Hotel and entering and exiting that ledge. One occasion the male was chasing a gull out of the area. 1:00 pm - Back over to Leader Lane did not see any activity in that area.

Tuesday March 18, 2003
Jan Chudy reports: Returning to my office at 2 pm I noticed one bird on the Sheraton nest ledge. Seems like Mandy. She is still there at 2:15. I also checked the surrounding buildings and sure enough the second bird is on the very north-west corner of the black building to the south of the Sheraton. Both are facing the afternoon sun and looking quite content.

Mandy just flew off the Sheraton ledge and is now perched on the north-east corner of the building Spike is on. Correction - on checking to see that they were both still there, Spike has flown off and I don't know which direction he took off in.

Friday February 28, 2003
Jan Chudy reports: One bird has been sitting on the Sheraton ledge since approximately 9:15 (it's now 10 am) It seems larger than yesterday but does not appear to be Mandy since I see no pinkish front. Perhaps it's Spike with fluffed up feathers against the cold?

The bird stayed until almost 11 a.m. and on checking now I see it has gone although the sun is now shining on the Sheraton.

Tuesday February 25, 2003
Jan Chudy reports: At 11:05, I spied one bird sitting on the nest ledge of the Sheraton enjoying the morning sun. As I watched it went in to a stoop down the side of the building and I completely lost sight of it.

Monday February 24, 2003
Jan Chudy reports: At 3:15 I looked out my window and there for the first time in about three months is one of the birds sitting on the Sheraton ledge. Can't be positive but I think it's Mandy based on the size. 3:25 and she is still there.

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