Flying OK, but terrible landings for some!!
June 29, 2011 - Toronto - Canada Square Building - Yonge and Eglinton
CPF Postmaster Reports:
Canada Square report, Wednesday, June 29th 2011
I arrived today and Bruce was just a few minutes behind me. He immediately set off on his walkabout to look for the peregrines. Said he was going to check all the nooks and crannies again.
Just after he left I spotted a juvie on the building which has the antenna on it, atop the TVO building. The little chap was right at the north east corner right in the sun – flat out! Once in a while he he got up looked about and settled down again. Similar behaviour to yesterday.
Gradually different peregrines became active from different spots: one from the east side of the Canada Square building and a couple of them from east of the TVO building. I was also treated to a *game * of tag and talon touching by two of the juveniles who are flying quite well now. There was more to come!
At exactly 5:09 p.m. I had five peregrines! There were two which I had followed all the way from around the TVO building. over Canada Square to the east side of the Rio-Can building, two were in the air over the TVO building and Chester was the little peregrine taking it easy in the sun near the antenna on top of the TVO building. We finally knew where Chester was!!
We had a great deal of activity from the two older juveniles, who did the tag and talon touch thing again honing their skills for later use in hunting. They eventually settled in different spots and mom brought in some food and baited the youngster who was on Canada Square but he did not fall for it. However his brother who had been on the Rio-Can building flew at and after his mom squawking madly! He followed her all the way south of the TVO building and attempted to take the food from her. Further activity resulted in one peregrine flying to the Rio-Can building and one flying south to end up on the antenna above Chester!
FINALLY we saw Chester fly. He headed for the Canada Square building, south end roof, but just did not have the height and *hit* the side of the building and fluttered down onto the southern ledge. Ten minutes later Bruce confirmed he was okay and at the south west end of the ledge whilst the other two juvies were at the south east end of the same ledge. With that Bruce left for the day and so did Maggie who had been there to enjoy some of the aerial displays.
I chose to stay on. What a performance all put on for me!!!
The female flew to the north end of 411 Duplex apartment building, set all the pigeons to flight and came around the east side of Rio-Can with a pigeon in her talons. One of the juvies appeared and followed her east of Canada Square and tried to take the pigeon from her. She tried to get onto the ledge but did not make it and flew back towards Rio-Can still with the youngster trailing her and squawking madly.
Half an hour later the two older juvies put on another display for me. They flew from the antenna on top of the TVO building, squawking madly, east of the 411 Duplex building, south to the antenna on TVO and over the shorter of the condo towers, tagging and talon touching all the way ! The two juvies eventually landed on top of the condo. One of the juvies flew from the short condo and made a soft contact with one of the windows on the northern condo. He fluttered a couple of floors but was in control and flew away behind that building.
Chester flew to the top of the concrete wall near the nest ledge and sat there for a bit. Nine minutes later he flew towards the Rio-Can building, climbing beautifully but just not high enough to reach the roof. He had soft contact with the ledge and fluttered down a window but flew off over Canada Square, in front of the condo and to the antenna on TVO where he had another soft contact with the antenna and fluttered to the roof top. He walked over to the west ledge and flew from there, over Canada Square to the east side of Rio-Can and missed his perch on the top of the south east corner, flew out and landed on the antenna on top of Canada Square. Who said Chester can`t fly? He flies well enough just can’t land too well yet!! After another aerial display I saw mom drop food on top of Canada Square, sit on the antenna for a few minutes and then leave. One of the older juvies enjoyed the meal.
At 9:00 p.m. one of the juvies flew in from the south west to the taller of the condo buildings and flew into a glass balcony *wall*, fluttered down a couple of floors but was okay and flew off behind the building.
The juvie who had been enjoying dinner on top of Canada Square flew south, circled back and flew into a wall on the tall condo, fluttered down then onto a balcony where he landed on a railing and slipped off. He flew to Rio-Can and back to the same condo and attempted to land on a ledge. He was successful but only spent a couple of minutes on it before flying back to Rio-Can. I checked and Chester was still on the antenna atop Canada Square. I waited a while and finally left at 9:20 p.m. when I felt that everyone was settled.
Lyn