!!! A Bitter Sweet Day! One saved, one missing!
June 18, 2009 - Burlington - Lift Bridge
Mark Nash Reports:
Today was not much unlike yesterday, cold, rainy, damp and over cast. High winds from the lake, and gloomy. Sadly, as the early morning watch drew on, it became quite apparent that something was wrong. One bird in the rescue carrier waiting to be released, one bird on the nest box ledge,, and ….. OH GOD, only one bird on the nest box ledge!! NONE in the nest box itself. This is not Berl, it’s Maple,, the smallest, youngest female that is the one on the nest box ledge!
Hours later after turning the entire area upside down scanning and searching the fields, the beaches, the docks, the towers, the rocks, the parking lots, the bridge, the beams, the towers and every nook and cranny, some terrible sobering thoughts surfaced: Berl had obviously fledged at some point in the very early morning hours and has in fact gone missing. Not a trace. As the day passed, numerous other searches were conducted by all, together and independently, all with the same result, and by the end of the day as darkness fell, Berl had not be found.
Despite the gloomy day, there was some good news. Truss, now dried off and recharged was released back to the wild to her family without a hitch. Once again the fledge watch team sprung into action, positioning themselves at all four points around the towers and bridge, radios in hand: they poised themselves for Truss’s release from the roof of the north tower. Despite the high winds and a risky daylight release, and with the direction and supervision of the bridge staff, Truss’s release went like a routine everyday happening. Thank goodness!!! A half and hour later, Truss eventually left the roof top of the north tower with a very short flight out and back around to the land on the overhead cables high up on the north tower. Throughout the afternoon she was visited by both of her parents and encouraged to take another flight. But this time, Truss would have no part of it. For the balance of the day light hours, she remained on the overhead cables only a few short meters from the nest box. Her sister Maple (now for the first time) was observed roosting on the leading edge of the nest box landing platform, just as her two older sisters had done. On one occasion, mom did bring in a small food scrap to Truss, but sadly Truss was unable to balance on the cable and hold the food at the same time, and eventually dropped the food without getting a second mouthful.
No food again today for Truss! Maple was fed at least once by the parents, but for the most parts, both juveniles did without. Both parents were observed making many attempts at catching food today, but the it was quite obvious that the rain and heavy mist in the air took its toll on the adults ability to catch food. They spent most of the day very wet.
With a huge thank you for to all of the fledge watch team, the bridge staff and the many other supporters that helped throughout the day.
Only a special few actually know what it is really like to put in 12 to 16 hours a day standing in the streets or the field enduring the rain and cold or the heat and humidity day after day trying to make a small difference, to give something back to the small creatures in this world that really have no voice in this hustle bustle world that we live in. The world that we control and manipulate to suit our needs, not theirs. Life in the big city and in the fast lane for these small fragile creatures with voices that go unnoticed, clinging and holding on to a tiny space trying to survive for another day. Just one small page for the life and times of a falcon watcher on a fledge watch, and an urban falcon family in the big city.
I know that I can speak for us all in the hope that tomorrow brings some warmer temps., and maybe the return of Berl.
Stay tuned,,,